Friday, April 17, 2026 - 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).
0 Comments