Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says

Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says
By: cnbc Posted On: April 16, 2026 View: 37

The leaders of Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after officials from the two countries met in Washington, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

The temporary truce will start at 5 p.m. ET, Trump said in a Truth Social post.

In a follow-up, Trump added that he will be inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon to the White House "for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago."

"Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!" Trump wrote.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement later Thursday that the two countries "will work to create conditions conducive to lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border, while preserving Israel's inherent right to self-defense."

"Both countries recognize the significant challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups, which undermine Lebanon's sovereignty and threaten regional stability," read the statement, which was agreed to by the governments of Israel and Lebanon.

Trump told reporters outside the White House on Thursday afternoon that he believes an agreement will be struck in which Lebanon is "going to take care of Hezbollah," referring to the Iran-backed Islamist militia group that formed in the early 1980s.

The developments add to growing hopes for a deal to end the Middle East war, which the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran on Feb. 28.

Israel's heavy military strikes on Lebanon last week spurred accusations from Iran that its own fragile two-week ceasefire had already been violated.

Despite U.S.-Iran peace negotiations in Pakistan ending without a deal over the weekend, Trump said this week that the war is "very close to over." The White House on Wednesday projected optimism about "the prospects of a deal."

The next round of in-person negotiations could take place "probably, maybe, next weekend," Trump said in his remarks outside the White House on Thursday afternoon.

Trump also suggested that while a deal with Iran will "ideally" be reached before its ceasefire with the U.S. expires next Tuesday, he would be willing to extend it if needed.

Trump, in his social media post announcing the Lebanon ceasefire, declared that he had just completed "excellent conversations" with Netanyahu and Aoun.

The two leaders struck the agreement "in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries," Trump wrote.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine will "work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE," Trump added.

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