WASHINGTON — A significant development unfolded as a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon commenced at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, igniting celebrations across Beirut. The city’s streets reverberated with celebratory gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade launches as news of the truce spread.
Earlier in the day, President Trump took to Truth Social to reveal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had reached an agreement to pause hostilities. The president highlighted the critical nature of this ceasefire, stating its purpose was “to achieve PEACE between their Countries.”
He further elaborated, noting that “On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.” This historic meeting marked a significant step towards resolving decades-long tensions.
In a hopeful tone, the president announced plans to host both leaders at the White House. “I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago,” he shared. “Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!”
The State Department outlined the ceasefire’s terms, which include engaging in “good-faith direct negotiations, facilitated by the United States, with the objective of achieving a comprehensive agreement that ensures lasting security, stability, and peace between the two countries.”
Meanwhile, a Hezbollah official informed NBC News on Wednesday that the group might consider the ceasefire if Israel fully committed to stopping hostilities. Addressing reporters on Thursday, Trump emphasized, “They’re going to be having a ceasefire, and that will include Hezbollah,” underscoring the ceasefire’s potential to encompass all parties involved.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the pact in a social media post, noting that the pause in fighting “is a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war.”
Netanyahu confirmed in a video statement that Israel had agreed to the cease-fire but isn’t withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon yet.
“We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, citing the “danger of an invasion.”
During trilateral cease-fire talks between Rubio, Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, and Israel’s ambassador to the US, Beruit acknowledged that Hezbollah is a mutual problem for both nations, a White House official said.
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Hezbollah started firing on Israel right after the start of the Iran war Feb. 28. It kept up attacks focused on northern Israel communities ahead of the cease-fire taking effect, with at least eight people injured, including two seriously, according to Israel’s emergency services.
Israel’s military also said late Thursday it was striking Hezbollah rocket launchers ahead of the midnight local time deadline.
The two sides have been engaged in on-again, off-again fighting for more than four decades.
Israel has dramatically degraded Hezbollah with a series of daring operations since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
Famously, Israeli intelligence killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters and wounded thousands more in a 2024 attack in which it snuck explosives into pagers and walkie-talkies used by the terror group in Operation Grim Beeper.
That same year, Israel also took out Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had survived several prior assassination attempts and haunted the Jewish state for decades.
Concern about Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon grew after Trump announced a two-week cease-fire with Iran last week. Iran quickly complained about Israel’s ongoing attacks in Lebanon, which Trump stated was not part of the terms for the cease-fire.
Pakistan, which mediated talks between the US and Iran, claimed that halting the fighting in Lebanon was part of the cease-fire with Tehran, something Israel also disputed.
