Israel and Lebanon Agree to 10-Day Ceasefire

For the first time in 34 years, Israeli and Lebanese leaders are sitting down to talk peace.

President Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, ending weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The pause in hostilities began at 5 p.m. Eastern Time and marks a breakthrough in one of the region's longest-standing conflicts.

Trump spoke separately with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders committing to formal peace talks. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine will work directly with both sides to build toward lasting peace.

The diplomatic breakthrough came after days of intense negotiations. Just hours before the announcement, Lebanese officials had insisted Aoun would not speak with Netanyahu until a ceasefire was in place.

The pressure inside Lebanon was real. Many believed their government had already negotiated without gaining anything concrete, making the ceasefire a must-have before any direct contact.

But Trump's diplomacy changed the conversation. Both Aoun and Netanyahu agreed to visit the White House for what will be the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.

The timing matters beyond just these two nations. Pakistan, which helped broker an earlier ceasefire between Israel and Iran on April 8, says peace in Lebanon is essential to keeping that agreement stable.

The Ripple Effect

This ceasefire could reshape the entire region. Lebanon's government has spent the past year distancing itself from Hezbollah, formally banning the group's military activities on March 2.

The U.S.-backed Lebanese armed forces, once led by President Aoun himself, are preparing to deploy to the border region once Israeli troops withdraw. That withdrawal is Aoun's key condition for moving forward.

Earlier this week, Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors met face-to-face in Washington for the first time in over 30 years. Those State Department talks laid the groundwork for Thursday's breakthrough.

Israel and Lebanon remain technically at war, with no diplomatic relations for decades. That makes this ceasefire even more significant.

Both nations are choosing dialogue over destruction, and the next 10 days will show whether decades of division can finally give way to peace.