Topline
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended another three weeks, President Donald Trump said Thursday—although violence between the Israeli military and fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have continued since the last ceasefire.
Trump announces the ceasefire extension alongside Israel Ambassador to U.S. Yechiel Leiter, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump announced the ceasefire extension in a post on Truth Social after meeting with the ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon at the White House, and again implied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun could meet in Washington in the future.
Speaking at the White House after the meeting, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said he hoped to “formalize peace between Israel and Lebanon in the very near future,” while Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad thanked the president for his support.
Trump previously announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon last week—which Iranian negotiators had required as a prerequisite for future peace talks.
However, intermittent fighting between the Israeli military and fighters from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah has continued over the past week—earlier this week, Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel after accusing it of violating the previous ceasefire.
Hezbollah, which is not controlled by the Lebanese armed forces, has not immediately commented on the ceasefire, and Israel struck a Hezbollah missile launcher moments after the ceasefire was announced, the Associated Press reported.
Key Background
Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, although the two countries signed an armistice in 1949. The conflict has periodically heated up, but more recently Israel has primarily conducted military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist group closely aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.” Hezbollah came to the aid of Hamas when the Palestinian group fought a deadly war in Gaza with Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. They came to Iran’s aid again after Israel joined the U.S. in a campaign of air strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Big Number
2,300. That’s how many people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began, according to Lebanese authorities as reported by multiple outlets.