In an effort to maintain momentum in peace negotiations with Iran, President Trump has announced a three-week extension of the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
The announcement came following a significant meeting in the Oval Office, where President Trump engaged with senior representatives from both Israel and Lebanon.
“The United States is committed to aiding Lebanon in safeguarding itself from Hezbollah. Consequently, the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be prolonged by three weeks,” Trump shared on the social media platform Truth Social.
The Israeli military activities in southern Lebanon have posed a significant hurdle in the path to resolving tensions between Iran and the United States.
The meeting was attended by notable figures including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, and Michel Issa, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon.
President Trump expressed his eagerness to convene with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in person “in the near future.”
President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Vice President JD Vance listen in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington
President Trump extended the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon for three more weeks as the US attempts to continue peace talks with Iran
Despite the truce, Wednesday morning saw Iran seize two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and destroy a third
The latest war started when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, two days after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran. Israel responded with widespread bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion in which it captured dozens of towns and villages along the border.
Israel´s military currently occupies a buffer zone stretching as much as 10 kilometers (6 miles) into southern Lebanon. Israel says it aims to remove the threat of short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles being fired toward northern Israel.
Hezbollah has rejected the talks. Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of the militant group´s political council, told The Associated Press that it will not abide by any agreements made during the direct talks.
Despite this, the talks are a major step for two countries with no diplomatic relations that officially have been at war since Israel´s inception in 1948.
The Lebanese government hopes the talks will pave the way to a permanent end to the war. While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for talks with the U.S., Lebanon insists on representing itself.
Since the ceasefire went into effect last week, there have been multiple violations by both side sides.
Shortly before the President’s Truth Social post, the Pentagon released video of US naval forces boarding the oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean
Trump is stepping up his push to cut off Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz by demanding the US Navy ‘shoot and kill’ any Iranian boat laying mines in the Persian Gulf
Masked fighters are seen racing toward the MSC-Francesca ship by using a gunboat before climbing its hull with rifles strapped to their backs
Meanwhile on Thursday, Trump escalated his efforts to cut off Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz by demanding the US Navy ‘shoot and kill’ any Iranian boat laying mines in the Persian Gulf.
The President wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning: ‘I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
‘There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!’
US forces also seized another tanker caught smuggling the regime’s oil just one day after Tehran seized two vessels.
Shortly before the President’s post, the Pentagon released videos of US naval forces boarding the Iranian-linked oil tanker, Majestic X, in the Indian Ocean. The ship was reportedly carrying oil produced by the Iranian regime.
‘We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,’ the Pentagon wrote on X.
The Pentagon warned that sanctioned actors cannot use international waters as cover, vowing to keep blocking ‘illicit actors and their vessels’ from operating freely at sea.
Global oil prices began to skyrocket on Thursday as concerns grew that the truce between the US and Iran would collapse. The price of Brent crude rose above $103 a barrel on Thursday morning, up 1.3 percent.
