Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended by three weeks after Oval Office meeting
New Delhi: Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following high-level talks held at the White House.
Trump hosted Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., Nada Moawad, in the Oval Office for a second round of U.S.-mediated discussions. The meeting came a day after Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least five people, including a journalist.
“The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group that is fighting Israel, was not present at the talks. It says it has “the right to resist” occupying forces.
He also expressed hope of hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future, suggesting there is a “great chance” of reaching a broader peace agreement within the year.
The meeting was attended by senior U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.
The ceasefire, initially agreed upon last week through ambassador-level talks, was due to expire on Sunday. While it has significantly reduced violence, sporadic slashes have continuedin southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces maintain a buffer zone.
Make Lebanon Great Again
Ambassador Moawad welcomed the extension and thanked Trump for facilitating the talks. “I think with your help, with your support, we can make Lebanon great again,” she said.
A Lebanese official said Beirut would push foe an Israeli withdrawal, the return of detainees in Israel, and formal border demarcation. Meanwhile, Israel has emphasised the need to address the threat posed by Hezbollah, which is links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
During the talks, Israeli ambassador Leiter stressed that any meaningful progress would depend on curbing Hezbollah’s influence rather than focusing solely on Israeli troop withdrawal.
“If Hezbollah and IRGC operatives continue to be treated with kid gloves, a real process of achieving our mutual goal will remain unachievable,” Leiter said, according to remarks shared by the Israeli embassy in Washington.
When asked about U.S. support for Lebanon in countering Hezbollah, Trump did not provide specifics but reiterated that Washington has “a great relationship with Lebanon.” Trump said Israel had to be able to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah.
He also called for Lebanon to reconsider its anti-normalization laws that restrict engagement with Israel, suggesting such measures could change in the near future.
“It’s a crime to talk with Israel?” he responded when asked about the statutes known as anti-normalization laws, which he did not appear to be aware of. “Well, I’m pretty sure that that will be ended very quickly. I’ll make sure of that,” Trump said.
Deadliest Day Since Ceasefire
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had killed two armed individuals in southern Lebanon after they were seen approaching troops and were deemed an immediate threat.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident was related to strikes reported earlier in nearby areas by Lebanon’s health ministry, which said an Israeli air strike had killed three people and artillery shelling wounded two others, including a child.
Wednesday marked the deadliest day in Lebanon since the ceasefire came into effect on April 16.
Among those killed was Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, according to a senior Lebanese military official and her employer, Al-Akhbar newspaper.
The Israeli military said it was reviewing an incident in which two journalists were reportedly wounded during strikes targeting vehicles leaving a structure it claims was used by Hezbollah. It maintained that journalists are not deliberately targeted.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah stated that the group supports continuation of the ceasefire, but “on the basis of full compliance by the Israeli enemy”. Speaking at a televised press conference, he reiterated opposition to direct talks and urged the Lebanese government to halt any form of engagement with Israel.
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2, when the group launched attacks in support of Iran amid a wider regional war. While the Lebanon ceasefire developed separately from Washington’s diplomatic efforts with Tehran, Iran had advocated for Lebanon to be included in any broader agreement.
Hezbollah said it carried out four operations in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in retaliation for Israeli strikes.
According to Lebanese authorities, nearly 2,500 people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive following Hezbollah’s March 2 attack.
Israel currently controls a strip of southern Lebanon stretching 5 to 10 kilometres inside the border, stating that the buffer zone is intended to protect northern Israeli from ongoing rocket fire by Hezbollah.
The Israeli military also reiterated warnings to residents of southern Lebanon not to enter the restricted area.
(DD News)
