In a newspaper column, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, close to the border, said he doubted the ceasefire would be enforced, demanding that Israel creates a buffer zone in south Lebanon. In a poll commissioned by the Israeli station Channel 12 News those questioned were roughly split between supporters and opponents of the ceasefire.

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began. Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday, steadying after falling more than $2 a barrel in the previous session on reports of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Brent crude futures were up 53 cents,