US President Donald Trump announced the extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon for another three weeks following new negotiations in Washington, BBC News reports.
"The meeting went very well! The United States will work with Lebanon to help it defend itself from Hezbollah," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The ceasefire, announced after a meeting last week, was set to expire on Sunday, April 26. It aimed to end more than seven weeks of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.
Trump also stated that Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would visit the White House in the coming weeks: "It would be a great honor for me to be part of this historic meeting!"
Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamada Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yehiel Leiter, who were with Trump in the Oval Office, praised him for his role in the negotiations.
"We will work with Lebanon to sort things out there. I think solving this along with what we are doing on Iran will be a great job," the president was quoted as saying by BBC. Trump earlier announced extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request until peace talks conclude, and stated the US would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, Lebanon and Israel accuse each other of violating the truce. On Thursday evening, ahead of the Washington talks, Hezbollah claimed it fired rockets into northern Israel in response to "Israeli violations of the ceasefire." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the rockets were intercepted.
On Wednesday, Lebanon accused Israel of war crimes after an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed a journalist and wounded another. The IDF denied targeting journalists.
Last week's meeting in Washington was the first direct high-level contact between Lebanon and Israel in 30 years.
For context, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 to end a previous conflict, after which Israel launched near-daily strikes on targets and individuals allegedly linked to Hezbollah.
After the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28, killing Iran's supreme leader, Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at Israel on March 2 in retaliation. In response, Israel bombarded Lebanon, mainly southern areas and Beirut, with airstrikes. IDF troops re-entered southern Lebanon in early March, occupying a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) strip of Lebanese territory.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, at least 2,294 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the latest war began, including 274 women and 177 children.
Israeli officials report that Hezbollah attacks have killed two Israeli civilians, while 15 Israeli soldiers have died in fighting in Lebanon.
The UN says over one million people — roughly one-fifth of Lebanon's population — have been displaced by the recent clashes, mostly from southern areas where Israel has destroyed homes and villages.
The US, Israel, and many Lebanese demand Hezbollah's disarmament, but the group has so far refused to discuss the fate of its weapons.
Lebanese President Aoun stated that disarmament cannot be achieved through force, warning of potential violence and stressing the need for negotiations with the group.
Source: www.gazeta.uz