Israel and Lebanon have agreed to administer a ceasefire after the U.S. convened a trilateral meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said in a release.
The announcement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday along with Hezbollah leader representatives and that both parties agreed to stop shooting at each other. However, hostilities between the two countries continued on Monday evening, according to Reuters, as the Israeli military reported two intercepted projectiles that crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon.
The Associated Press (AP) also reported that Israel ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs before Trump’s post on Monday.
In the release on Wednesday, the State Department said the ceasefire is contingent on “a complete cessation of Hizbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hizbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.”
What To Know
In the joint statement released by the State Department, the three governments outlined commitments aimed at restoring stability and strengthening security arrangements in Lebanon, while emphasizing that future relations between Israel and Lebanon should be determined by their sovereign governments.
The ceasefire initiative could represent a diplomatic win for the Trump administration, which has sought to pair military pressure in the region with negotiated agreements seemingly aimed at preventing a wider conflict.
In the president’s post to Truth Social on Monday, he touched on an agreement made between the two, saying, “I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi! I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The release by the State Department also said in part that all parties involved “condemned Iran’s attacks on countries in the region, and ongoing activities that undermine stability throughout the Middle East, whether through support for proxies and all other acts of aggression.”
The two had previously been under a ceasefire since mid-April, per the AP.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
