A ceasefire deal that went into effect on Wednesday could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict.

International pressure is on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, to maintain the peace

A cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah brokered by the U.S. and France took effect in Lebanon early Wednesday, raising hopes of ending more than a year of cross-border strikes and a full-scale war that has killed thousands.