US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ten-day ceasefire, following phone conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement came after multiple news outlets reported that Aoun declined to speak with Netanyahu as previously declared by Trump.
Ceasefire in Lebanon
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire that will halt the fighting for ten days, taking effect on Thursday 5 pm EST (9 pm GMT).
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” he wrote.
Trump added that he directed US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a lasting peace.
In another post, the US President invited Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House “for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”
Lebanon’s Reaction
In response to Trump’s announcement, the Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, welcomed the ceasefire, stressing that it was a central demand for Lebanon since the outbreak of the conflict.
“I welcome the announcement of the ceasefire declared by President Trump, which is a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war, and was our primary goal in the Washington meeting on Tuesday,” he posted on X.
Salam also thanked Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and France for their diplomatic efforts that led to this ten-day truce.
“I also thank all the regional and international efforts exerted to reach this outcome, especially those by the US, France, European Union countries, and all Arab brothers, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt, in addition to the State of Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” he said.
Aoun-Netanyahu Talks
Trump announced that the Lebanese and Israeli leaders would speak to each other on Thursday, for the first time in decades.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!” he posted on Truth Social late on Wednesday.
However, several Lebanese and US media outlets reported that Aoun declined to speak with Netanyahu amid the ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Ceasefire First
Following a meeting with the UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, Aoun stressed that a ceasefire should take effect before starting any direct negotiations with Israel.
“The ceasefire requested by Lebanon with Israel is the natural starting point for direct negotiations between the two countries,” the Lebanese President said in a statement.
He also called Israel’s withdrawal a “fundamental step to consolidate the ceasefire” so that Lebanese troops could deploy to the south.
The Ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel met on Tuesday in Washington, in the first direct talks in decades, despite opposition from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. After the talks, which were mediated by Rubio, both sides agreed to start a negotiation process to end the war.
The ceasefire in Lebanon remains a point of contention in the talks between the US and Iran. Tehran insists that Lebanon is part of their two-week ceasefire agreement with Washington.
This claim was confirmed by Pakistan – the mediator in US-Iran talks – which said that the temporary ceasefire between the two countries would include Lebanon and reiterated that peace in Lebanon was essential to the ongoing talks. However, both Trump and Netanyahu maintain that Lebanon was not part of the deal.
Israeli War on Lebanon
Lebanon was dragged into the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran on March 2, when Hezbollah decided to join the fighting in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, Israel launched heavy airstrikes and ground operations into southern Lebanon, seizing control of large swaths of the country.
On Thursday, an Israeli strike destroyed the last bridge over the Litani River connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, and another strike targeted a road linking Beirut to the Syrian capital Damascus, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that the area south of the Litani would be a “no-go zone for Hezbollah operatives”
So far, the Israeli war on Lebanon has killed 2,196 people, including 260 women and 172 children, and wounded 7,185, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The war has also displaced more than a million people.
