A ceasefire has taken effect along the Syria-Lebanon border where so-called Islamic State have been fighting the Lebanese army on one front, and Hezbollah with the Syrian army on the other.
The Lebanese army announced that a ceasefire in its own offensive took effect this morning, but did not mention a ceasefire on Syria's side of the frontier.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army announced a ceasefire in their assault against Islamic State in Syria's western Qalamoun region, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said.
The fighting began a week ago when the Lebanese army, and Hezbollah together with the Syrian army, launched separate but simultaneous offensives against the Islamic State enclave on the border.
Last week, Lebanon and Hezbollah each said they had made significant gains against Islamic State militants, driving them back into a smaller part of the hills on the border.
Nine troops are believed to still be held by IS after militants overran the town of Arsal along the Lebanese border in August 2014 and kidnapped 30 soldiers and police.
Lebanon's army said today’s ceasefire took effect to allow for negotiations over the fate of the soldiers.
A Lebanese security source has said mediated talks have begun with the militants.
The presence of two other militant groups on the border ended earlier this month, when they withdrew to rebel territory in Syria after offensives by Hezbollah and the Syrian army.
The Lebanese army has said it is not coordinating its attack with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.
The security source said that Hezbollah members had entered an area in western Qalamoun to confirm that the remains of the Lebanese soldiers were buried there.
In a speech last week, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iran-backed group had begun talks with Islamic State on a truce.
He said that if the Lebanese state wanted to negotiate for Islamic State to evacuate its territory, the Syrian government would be ready to accept any formal request from Beirut.
Shi'ite Hezbollah is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and its forces fight alongside the Syrian army in major battles. Washington classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Any coordination between the Lebanese army and either the Syrian army or Hezbollah would be politically sensitive in Lebanon and could jeopardise the sizeable US military aid the country receives.
