The U.S. president said yesterday that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following a high-level meeting at the White House.
Trump hosted the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States in the Oval Office. This is the second round of talks between the two countries mediated by the United States.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned armed group fighting Israel, was not part of the talks. The group says it has the “right to resist” what it calls “occupying forces.”
Trump said he would soon host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, adding that there is a strong possibility the two countries could reach a peace agreement this year.
A previous 10-day ceasefire had been in place between Israel and Lebanon. Despite the truce, attacks in southern Lebanon—where Israeli forces maintain control of an area—have continued.
A Lebanese official had earlier said that in the next phase of talks, Lebanon would seek the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of Lebanese detainees held in Israel, and the demarcation of land borders.
