US will work with Lebanese army to ensure ceasefire not violated, US official says

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will work with the Lebanese army to deter potential violations of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, but there will not be U.S. combat troops in the area, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Tuesday.

The official called the ceasefire deal "a game-changer" that would show Hamas militants in Gaza that the conflict there and in Lebanon were delinked.

The ceasefire will take effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France, U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Eric Beech, Jeff Mason and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Chris Reese)