United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said both Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, adding that he had invited leaders of both countries for talks.
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi 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 at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump, who claimed that this would be the 10th war he halts, stated that officials from Israel and Lebanon had met “for the first time in 34 years” in Washington DC on Tuesday, in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” the US President said in the post.
Inviting Israel, Lebanon leaders for ‘first meaningful talks’ since 1983: Trump
Trump said that apart from the ceasefire, he had also invited Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for what he called the “first meaningful talks” between both sides since 1983.
“I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE,” he said. The US President further added that both Israel and Lebanon “want to see peace”, and said he believed it would “happen quickly.”
Lebanese President refused to speak to Israeli PM
The fighting in Lebanon has continued amid the fragile ceasefire between US and Iran, with Netanyahu claiming that Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah was not a part of the truce.
Days after his remarks, the Israeli PM took a slightly different stance, confirming negotiations with Beirut. However, the Israeli PM in a video message on Wednesday said Israel continued to strike Lebanon. Following this, Lebanese President Aoun refused to speak to Netanyahu Thursday, Associated Press cited a government official familiar with the matter as saying.
The official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Aoun made the remarks on a call with Rubio, adding that US “understands Lebanon’s position.” Meanwhile, the Israeli military has framed the negotiations on disarming Hezbollah.
Israeli troops have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone”, and which Netanyahu has said will extend at least 8 to 10 kilometers.
