India on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and expressed hope that it will lead to peace and stability in the wider region.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “We welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has been announced. We have always called for de-escalation, restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We hope these developments will lead to peace and stability in the wider region.”

Earlier today, in a significant development in West Asia, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Lebanon. The ceasefire agreement came into effect early morning on November 27.

In his speech after the agreement, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue united until victory.”

“We will complete the task of obliterating Hamas, we will bring home all of our hostages, we will ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel and we will return the residents of the north back home safely. The war will not end until we realize all its goals, including the return of the residents of the north safely home. And I tell you, it will happen, just like it happened in the south,” Netanyahu added.

According to reports, long-displaced residents of south Lebanon have begun to return to their homes amid celebrations hours after the ceasefire.

Following the directive of the political echelon, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect at 04:00 today, and the IDF has been operating accordingly, said the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in a post on X.

It said that the IDF troops have been stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon. Over the past hour, the IDF identified a vehicle with several suspects in a zone prohibited for movement in Lebanese territory, the Israeli Army said, adding the troops fired to prevent them from advancing, and the suspects left the area.

The IAF remains ready to act across Lebanese territory and the IDF Aerial Defense Array is also in a high state of defensive readiness, it warned.

According to Israeli Army, there are currently no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines. “The IDF will operate against anyone who attempts to breach the ceasefire agreement and will continue to protect the citizens of Israel,” it emphasised.

Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 2023, following an incursion by Hamas militants across the border during a concert, which resulted in the taking of hostages. The war in West Asia has unfortunately led to large-scale destruction and a tragic loss of life in the region, impacting tens of thousands of individuals.

Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he will accept Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on the Mahayuti alliance’s CM’s choice.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, the former Chief Minister called PM Modi the head of the family, and said that the BJP leadership must not consider him an obstacle in government formation.

He said that he conveyed to the Prime Minister that if there is any problem in forming the government in Maharashtra because of him, then they should not bring any doubt in their mind and whatever decision PM Modi takes, that decision is acceptable to him. 

The Shiv Sena leader also said that his party will support whatever decision the BJP leadership takes regarding the coveted post. He said he told PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday that their decision would be binding on him and Shiv Sena.

Eknath Shinde further expressed that he had worked as a common man and never considered himself as the chief minister. He mentioned that he had always decided that when he is in a position of power, he will give it back to the public because he came from a poor family, and could understand the pain and hardships of the people of the state.

He mentioned that as a Chief Minister, he tried to take forward the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and PM Modi. He expressed that he is very satisfied with all the work they have done in the last 2.5 years, and not the kind who gets upset. He added that they are the kind of people who fight, fight for the people.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule thanked Eknath Shinde for his stand on the CM post. The BJP Chief said that Shinde has always respected and obeyed the central leadership, and followed every instruction by the central leadership of the BJP. He concluded that Eknath Shinde has acted as a true Mahayuti leader. 

In the Maharashtra assembly election, the Mahayuti coalition won 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP secured the highest 132 seats, making Devendra Fadnavis the favourite for the CM’s post.

Eknath Shinde became the chief minister of Maharashtra in 2022, after engineering a vertical split in Shiv Sena and joining hands with the BJP. He resigned on Tuesday.

Amid the suspense over Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday in New Delhi.

The BJP-led NDA has called a meeting in the capital on November 28. Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar will attend the meeting to discuss the allocation of the Chief Minister’s post, cabinet shares, and ministerial berths with the top BJP leadership.

Speaking to the media, Shinde said: “A meeting of all three parties (of Mahayuti) will be held with Amit Shah tomorrow. Detailed discussions will be held in that meeting. After that, a decision will be made.”

The suspense over the next chief minister started with BJP’s stellar performance in the recently concluded Maharashtra election gaining 132 seats, while Shinde Sena 57 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP 41 seats of the 288 seats. All three parties contested under the Mahayuti alliance.

Shinde resigned as Chief Minister on Tuesday and is currently serving as the caretaker CM till the new one is sworn in. The term of the current government ended on November 26.

Ahead of the meeting with Shah, Shinde said that he and his party will fully support the top BJP leadership’s decision on the next chief minister of state.

During a media briefing, Shinde mentioned that he had talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, assuring them that he would not hinder the formation of the government and that he would support their decision.

“I informed the Prime Minister that if my presence poses any issue in forming the government, there should be no hesitation. We will respect any decision you make regarding the chief minister’s position. We will accept the choice made by the BJP leadership,” he stated.

Earlier today, Naresh Mhaske, an MP from the Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena, arrived to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Parliament, where MPs from the Shinde faction were in attendance.

Reports suggest that Devendra Fadnavis, who previously served as Deputy Chief Minister under Shinde, is likely to take on the role of Chief Minister again. Fadnavis is noted as the second individual, after Vasantrao Naik, to complete a full term as chief minister from 2014 to 2019.