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Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday, a truce that could end fighting with the militant group Hezbollah and strengthen attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war.
US President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with Iranian-backed militants inside the country.
Hezbollah said in a statement that any truce must apply “throughout Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon.
“We have the opportunity to conclude a historic peace agreement with Lebanon,” he said in a video message.
Israeli forces are engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area. Israeli troops have pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “safe zone,” which Netanyahu said will extend at least 8 to 10 kilometers (5 to 6 miles) into Lebanon.
Hezbollah said that “Israeli occupation on our land guarantees Lebanon and its people the right to resist, and this issue will be determined based on how developments develop,” a position that could complicate the ceasefire.
Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain in an expanded security zone in southern Lebanon that was “much stronger, more extensive and more continuous than before.”
“This is where we are and we’re not going away,” he said.
Trump posted the ceasefire announcement on his Truth Social platform, saying it would begin at 5pm Eastern time (9pm GMT).
The announcement comes two days after the countries held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington. Hezbollah had opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Trump extends invitation to White House
Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before launching further talks, while vowing to work to disarm the group.
Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was founded in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with Israel.
Trump also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what he said would be “the first meaningful talks” between the two countries since 1983.
“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen quickly,” Trump wrote.
Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 according to which Lebanon would formally recognize Israel and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon.
The agreement fell apart during the Lebanese civil war and was formally canceled a year later.
Trump said the pause in fighting followed “excellent” conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu.
A Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was the result of Iran’s negotiations with the United States, in which Iran had insisted that Lebanon be included in its ceasefire, and was achieved through the efforts of mediator Pakistan.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Pakistani army chief meets Iranian parliament speaker
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s powerful army chief met with the speaker of Iran’s parliament on Thursday as part of international efforts to push for an extension of the ceasefire that has paused nearly seven weeks of war between Israel, the United States and the Islamic Republic.
It is unclear whether frenetic diplomacy can lead to a lasting agreement as the two-week ceasefire passes the halfway mark.
The war in Iran has killed thousands of people and disrupted global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.
Iranian state television provided no details on the meeting between Pakistani army general Asim Munir and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has emerged as his country’s chief negotiator.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, which has become a key mediator after hosting direct talks between the United States and Iran that officials said helped narrow differences between the sides.
Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire expires next week.
The White House has said that any further talks on Iran will likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, although no decision has been made on whether negotiations will resume.
The fragile ceasefire holds despite a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iranian counterthreats to strike regional ports across the Red Sea.
The 14-day ceasefire expires on April 22, but Trump has suggested it could be extended.
“If we are close to a deal, would I extend?” Trump said this in an exchange with journalists. “Yes, I would.”
The war rattled markets and shook the global economy as shipping was disrupted and airstrikes hit military and civilian infrastructure. Oil prices have fallen in hopes of ending the fighting, and U.S. stocks on Wednesday surpassed records set in January.
USA and Iran advance
Officials say the U.S. and Iran were making progress. Even as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats strained the ceasefire, regional officials reported progress, telling the AP that the U.S. and Iran had an “agreement in principle” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy.
They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
The commander of Iran’s Joint Military Command, Ali Abdollahi, has threatened to halt trade in the region if the United States does not lift the naval blockade, and a new military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said he does not support extending the ceasefire.
Mediators seek compromise on critical points
Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three major sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damages, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran was willing to discuss the type and level of its uranium enrichment, but his country “according to its needs, must be able to continue enrichment,” Iranian state media reported.
The Pentagon has urged Iran to strike a deal, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling reporters at the Pentagon that “ultimately, they have to come to the table”.
He said the United States will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.
“We would rather do it the best way, through a deal led by our great vice president and our negotiating team. Or we can do it the hard way,” Hegseth said.
Iran insists that it does not seek a nuclear weapon and that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members were also killed.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would increase Iran’s economic suffering with new economic sanctions on countries that do business with it, calling the move “the financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.
China calls for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the window of peace is opening during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
Since the start of the war, Iran has reduced maritime traffic through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transited in peacetime. Tehran’s effective closure of the strait sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising the cost of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East, and the United States responded with a blockade on Iranian shipments.
US Central Command said on Wednesday that no ships had made it through the blockade since it was imposed two days earlier, while 13 merchant ships complied with US forces’ orders to turn around and re-enter Iranian waters.
