The question is whether the cease-fire in Lebanon that Biden announced Tuesday will be the coda to his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East or a steppingstone to agreements that could at last end the devastating war in the Gaza Strip and potentially even set the stage for a broader regional transformation.

Under the agreement, Israeli troops would retreat from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah would move its forces further away from the Israeli-Lebanon border.

The fighting has displaced over a million Lebanese and tens of thousands of Israelis, killed more than 3,000 Lebanese and 100 Israelis.