A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Thursday, as United States President Donald Trump said he was working to arrange what would be the first-ever meeting between the leaders of the two countries. The truce, which Donald Trump said began at midnight local time in Lebanon and Israel (2100 GMT), comes amid intensified US diplomatic efforts to end the wider war involving Iran, with Tehran insisting that a Lebanese ceasefire must be part of any broader agreement.
The conflict began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, according to the account, and Lebanon was drawn in after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on 2 March. Since then, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over a million, while Israeli ground forces have advanced into southern Lebanon. Shortly before the truce took effect, an Israeli hospital spokesman said three people were injured, while a strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh killed at least seven people and wounded 33, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Donald Trump said the agreement followed “excellent” phone calls with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Joseph Aoun, the president of Lebanon. He said the leaders had agreed that “in order to achieve PEACE between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST", or 2100 GMT. He later said he expected Benjamin Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun to visit the White House “over the next four or five days”, adding it would be the first time leaders of Israel and Lebanon have ever met.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the ceasefire offered an opportunity for a “historic peace agreement” with Beirut but insisted Hezbollah’s disarmament remained a precondition. He also said Israel would maintain a 10-kilometre (six-mile) “security zone” along the southern Lebanese border and set out two conditions: the disarmament of Hezbollah and a lasting peace agreement “based on strength”. The US State Department said the truce committed Lebanon to dismantle the Iran-backed group, while Donald Trump said Hezbollah was included in the ceasefire and later told reporters that Lebanon would “take care of Hezbollah”.
In Beirut, reactions were mixed. Jamal Shehab, a 61-year-old housewife, said: “We are very happy that a ceasefire has been reached in Lebanon because we are tired of war and we want safety and peace.” Lawyer Tarek Bou Khalil expressed scepticism, saying, "It's well-known Donald Trump cannot be taken at his word, and Benjamin Netanyahu cannot be trusted,” while adding that pressure from the war with Iran and Israeli military setbacks in southern Lebanon had helped force the truce. A Hezbollah lawmaker said the group would “cautiously adhere” to the ceasefire if Israel stopped attacks, while Ibrahim al-Moussawi thanked Iran for its role, saying the truce would not have happened without pressure from Tehran and linking it to broader regional calculations involving the Strait of Hormuz.
Nawaf Salam, the Lebanese prime minister, welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement, calling the ceasefire a “key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war” between Hezbollah and Israel. The office of Joseph Aoun also thanked Donald Trump for his “efforts”, although an official source said Joseph Aoun had rejected Donald Trump’s request for a direct call with Benjamin Netanyahu. The development follows a rare meeting between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington this week, the first of its kind since 1993, and could support Donald Trump’s wider push for a peace deal with Iran. He said Washington was “very close” to an agreement after six weeks of war and suggested he might travel to Pakistan to sign any deal, even as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued up to the moment the ceasefire began.
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