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President Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after talks at the White House.
Israel and Lebanon Agree to Extend Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Tensions(Bloomberg)President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday. Trump said the second meeting in a week between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States went “very well,” but noted during an Oval Office gathering that Lebanon still has to deal with Hezbollah.
These marked the first direct diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades, signaling a major breakthrough for the neighboring nations that have officially remained at war since Israel was established in 1948.
What Trump said?
"The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump said in a social media post.
Trump said later in the Oval Office, "Three weeks. The leaders will most likely be coming here during that time... They have never met. They are next to each other. They are great people, and they have never met..."
He added that he expects to meet in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the next couple of weeks.
Trump further reiterated Israel has a right to defend itself "if they're shot at, and they will."
"We hope that together, under your leadership, we can formalize peace between Israel and Lebanon in the very near future," Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said.
Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad thanked Trump "for all your effort to help and to support Lebanon." She referenced his "Make America Great Again" slogan when she said, “And I think with your help, with your support, we can make Lebanon great again.”
However, the Iranian-backed group has opposed the talks, and since the initial ceasefire went into effect last Friday, there have been multiple violations by both sides.
The fighting continues
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, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border.
Israel's military occupies a buffer zone stretching as far as 6 miles (10 kilometers) 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 not been a participant in the diplomacy. Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of the militant group's political council, has told The Associated Press that it will not abide by any agreements made during the direct talks.
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