Israel and Lebanon begin 10-day ceasefire as US pushes broader deal

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding on Friday, a breakthrough that could provide critical relief to Washington’s strained temporary truce with Tehran Announcing the ceasefire, which came into effect at 5pm EST Thursday (5am Friday Hong Kong time), US President Donald Trump said it followed what he described as “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. “These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries,” he wrote on social media. In a separate post, Trump said he would be inviting the leaders from the two countries to the White House for “the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983” and that “both sides want to see PEACE”. “I believe that will happen, quickly!” he added. The developments may help defuse a key sticking point in Trump’s broader truce with Iran, with Tehran earlier insisting that the truce be extended to Lebanon. Washington had rejected that demand. Israel has pressed on with strikes even with the Iran ceasefire in place and despite Trump’s earlier calls to scale back on its attacks, saying it was targeting Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon. Trump later told reporters that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would include Hezbollah, adding that the two leaders would “probably [be] coming to the White House over the next four to five days”. Asked if Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire, he said: “They’re all agreeing. It’s a very nice little package for about a week and we’re not going to have lots of bombs dropping. We’re going to see if we can make peace between Lebanon and Israel”. Hezbollah released a lengthy statement on its military operations against Israel throughout Thursday, which listed its last attack as being 10 minutes before the ceasefire took effect. The truce was “essential, urgently needed and a demand shared by all,” senior Hezbollah official Bilal Lakkiss told NBC News ahead of the start of the ceasefire, but said the group would not comply with Israel’s demand that it disarm “except within a framework tied to a broader national security vision”. Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw. The Israeli offensive in Lebanon - which began on March 2 - came after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. The campaign, which included a ground invasion in the south and heavy air strikes, has killed at least 2,000 people and displaced over a million, erupting just 15 months after the conclusion of the last major conflict. On Friday, thousands of people displaced by the fighting in Lebanon began returning to their homes. Trump also said a deal with Iran was within reach, adding that a second round of negotiations could be held “over the weekend” even though he warned that if talks failed, “fighting resumes”. “We have a very good relationship with Iran right now, as hard as it is to believe, and I think it’s a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade,” he said, adding that Tehran “agreed to almost everything”. “There’s a very good chance we’re going to make a deal.” A statement by the US State Department said the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire could be extended if there was progress in negotiations, but added that Israel reserved the right to take “necessary measures in self-defence” against attacks. “Israel and Lebanon affirm that the two countries are not at war and commit to engaging in good-faith direct negotiations, facilitated by the United States, with the objective of achieving a comprehensive agreement that ensures lasting security, stability, and peace between the two countries,” it said. Aoun’s office confirmed the Lebanese leader’s talks with Trump on Thursday, saying Aoun thanked Trump for his efforts in reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon and “paving the way for achieving the peace process in the region”. The Thursday ceasefire announcement came days after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held rare face-to-face talks in Washington that were facilitated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israel’s envoy Yechiel Leiter called the meeting “wonderful”, telling reporters that the two countries were “on the same side of the equation” and were united in liberating Lebanon from Hezbollah. Leiter said the two countries were now presented with an opportunity to “degrade its proxies” and “move into an era where Lebanese and Israelis can live side by side in peace”. Following the talks, the US State Department said that all sides agreed to launch “direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue”, adding that Israel has expressed commitment to engage in direct negotiations to “resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace”. Analysts have earlier suggested that while the direct talks between the Israeli and Lebanese officials were historic, a lasting agreement remained distant as the two sides have to resolve significant challenges and their severe trust deficit. Trump said in the social media post announcing the ceasefire on Thursday that he has directed Vice-President J.D. Vance, Rubio and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to work with the two countries to “achieve a Lasting PEACE”. “It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” he said. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group, said while the 10-day ceasefire could be considered a win for Trump, “durability remains [a] key question particularly as Israel needs to complete a buffer zone in South Lebanon [and] will want to strike at Hezbollah efforts to reconstitute”. The likely outcome would be a “temporary pause”, he wrote on social media, followed by a “return to a hostile ceasefire with more limited Israeli strikes”. Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press

Israel and Lebanon begin 10-day ceasefire as US pushes broader deal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A pause in fighting may help ease tensions with Iran, as Trump eyes a White House meeting between the leaders of Israel and Lebanon

A pause in fighting may help ease tensions with Iran, as Trump eyes a White House meeting between the leaders of Israel and Lebanon