U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be extended for the next three weeks, broadening a tentative truce between the nations as war in Iran heightens tensions across the whole region.
In a social media message, the president said the U.S. would help Lebanon address threats from Hezbollah.
"The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah. The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS," he wrote.
The extension follows in-person talks between officials from the U.S., Israel and Lebanon, hosted at the White House on Thursday.
President Trump said he would soon host the heads of government from both countries for more in-person negotiations.
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Talks earlier in April represented the first such direct negotiations between senior Israeli and Lebanese officials in more than 30 years, and helped lead to the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between the nations. In remarks to reporters following that meeting, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter suggested the countries were “on the same side,” united against Hezbollah, though he stressed Israel would continue to go after targets that threaten Israeli security.
Hezbollah’s leaders, for their part, have rejected the current ceasefire agreement as “an insult to our country” and “a slippery slope with no end in sight.” They’ve taken particular issue with Israeli military officials maintaining a presence in Lebanon.
Israeli and Hezbollah fighters have continued to exchange fire after the ceasefire took effect. The IDF as recently as Monday afternoon confirmed a strike on Hezbollah, claiming officials “eliminated terrorists who violated the ceasefire understandings in Southern Lebanon and approached the troops, posing an imminent threat.”
