U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a temporary ceasefire after weeks of Israeli strikes targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that have killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he had spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST.”
“I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE,” Trump wrote.
Trump later added in another post that he would be inviting Aoun and Netanyahu to the White House for the “first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago.”
”Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” the President said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed Trump’s announcement and called the ceasefire “a central Lebanese demand” in a statement on Thursday.
Aoun’s office said earlier in the day that the Lebanese president and Trump spoke on the phone ahead of Trump’s ceasefire announcement.
“During the call, President Aoun renewed his thanks for the efforts Trump is exerting to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon and secure lasting peace and stability, paving the way for achieving the peace process in the region,” the Lebanese presidency stated in a post on X.
“He wished for the continuation of these efforts to stop the fire at the earliest possible time. Trump responded with his support for President Aoun and Lebanon, and his emphasis on his commitment to meeting the Lebanese request for a ceasefire at the earliest possible time.”
Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for “working-level peace talks” seeking to end the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon.
Following the meeting, both Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., and the State Department struck a positive tone in describing the talks.
Leiter told reporters that Lebanon must “completely” cut associations with Tehran and Hezbollah.
“We discovered today that we’re on the same side of the equation. That’s the most positive thing we could have come away with,” the ambassador said. “We are both united in liberating Lebanon from an occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah.”
Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 2,000 people since Hezbollah joined the Iran war at the beginning of March, according to the Lebanese health ministry. More than a million people have been displaced since the fighting began, per the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
