U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached an agreement for a 10-day ceasefire, set to commence on April 16. This declaration followed discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated, “The two leaders have agreed that to achieve peace between their countries, they will officially begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.” Notably, Trump did not mention Hezbollah, the Lebanese group that functions both as a military organization and a political party, controlling significant areas in southern Lebanon. The U.S. classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, while the European Union has only designated its military wing as such.
Iran has repeatedly asserted that a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is a prerequisite for its own peace negotiations with the United States.
On the eve of the announcement, Trump indicated that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would engage in negotiations on April 16, marking the first such talks since 1993 aimed at ending a conflict that has persisted for over six weeks.
Diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon began on April 14 in Washington, facilitated by U.S. officials. This marked the first meeting of its kind in more than 30 years. The talks, held at the State Department with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio presiding, brought together senior officials from both nations amidst ongoing tensions and regional instability. Rubio described the meeting as a “historic opportunity,” but cautioned that deeply rooted issues would not be resolved quickly.
On April 9, Netanyahu expressed Israel’s desire to engage in direct talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible.” Prior to this, President Aoun stated that the only solution to the situation in Lebanon was to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, followed by direct negotiations between the two countries.
Netanyahu had previously rejected the idea of direct negotiations with Lebanon in March. His April 9 statement came amid widespread international criticism of Israeli strikes, which Tehran claims violate a ceasefire agreement established between the U.S. and Iran on April 8. Both the U.S. and Israel maintain that this agreement does not extend to Lebanon.
The U.S. has facilitated a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, marking a significant diplomatic effort to address ongoing tensions. This development follows decades of strained relations and aims to pave the way for future negotiations.