April 16, (THEWILL) — Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire following high-level diplomatic engagement led by the United States.
The announcement was made on Thursday by United States President, Donald Trump, who disclosed that both countries consented to temporarily halt hostilities, in a move to create a pathway to lasting peace.
According to Trump, the ceasefire will take effect at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight in parts of the Middle East), marking the beginning of a critical cooling-off period between the long-time adversaries.
“I just had excellent conversations with the highly respected President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. These two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire”, Trump said in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform.
The development follows a series of diplomatic engagements, including meetings held earlier in the week in Washington, D.C., where representatives of both nations reportedly explored options to reduce tensions and prevent further escalation.
Trump further revealed that he had directed key members of his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Dan Caine, to actively engage with both parties to ensure compliance with the ceasefire and to lay the groundwork for a more enduring peace agreement.
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have historically been marked by intermittent clashes, particularly along their shared border, often involving non-state armed groups and resulting in civilian and military casualties.
The ceasefire is widely seen as a crucial opportunity to halt ongoing hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border, which have raised concerns about a broader regional conflict.
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