Donald Trump has announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, effective from midnight on Thursday, following separate conversations with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The truce aims to halt seven weeks of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, and will be followed by the first Israeli-Lebanese summit in decades, scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington.
Netanyahu described the ceasefire as an opportunity for a 'historic peace agreement' but insisted on the disarmament of Hezbollah as a precondition. He also stated that Israel would maintain a 10km 'security zone' along the border in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army has warned displaced people not to return home due to intermittent shelling reported after the ceasefire took effect.
The terms of the ceasefire, provided by the US State Department, prohibit Israel from offensive military actions in Lebanon but allow for 'self-defense' against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks. The deal is linked to parallel negotiations aimed at a US-Iranian peace agreement, as the conflict began with a US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, subject to a two-week Pakistani-brokered ceasefire expiring on 22 April.
Trump claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile, stating, 'They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust.' However, neither Iran nor intermediary countries have confirmed this. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran that US forces were 'locked and loaded' and ready to return to combat if Iran's leaders did not 'choose wisely' in negotiations.
