ISRAEL and Lebanon have extended their fragile ceasefire – despite the IDF continuing to strike Hezbollah targets and the Iran truce teetering on a knife-edge.
Donald Trump announced plans to keep the temporary peace deal alive for an extra three weeks – also hinting at a historic trilateral meeting in the near future.
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Trump announced an extended ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel as he met with diplomats from both countries Credit: EPA
It comes amid Israeli strikes on Lebanon despite the ceasefire in place Credit: Reuters
The US president – who has failed to reach a breakthrough with Iran‘s regime – hailed the ceasefire extension.
His praise came as Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at Israel in response to deadly strikes by the IDF earlier this week.
Trump said as he met in the White House with ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel: “I think there’s a very good chance of having peace. I think it should be an easy one.”
The initial truce between Beirut and Tel Aviv was announced after the first meeting between negotiation teams on April 14.
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President Trump also said he expected Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun to meet in a trilateral White House summit in the next “couple of weeks”.
Aoun earlier denied a claim by Trump that he would speak by telephone with Netanyahu.
Lebanese officials earlier said that they were looking for a one-month ceasefire extension.
Aoun said the deal should include “a halt to the destruction of homes and attacks on civilians, places of worship, journalists and the medical and educational sectors”.
It comes after Israel launched a major attack on Lebanon last month amid the war with Iran.
At least 2,450 people have been killed and more than one million have been displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
The invasion came in response to rocket fire by Hezbollah – which vowed to avenge Israel’s killing of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
His death marked the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28.
Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said Tel Aviv wants a peace deal with the Lebanese government.
He also said he believed Hezbollah forces had been weakened by Israel’s ongoing attacks.
“We’re united with the Lebanese government in wanting to rid the country of this malign influence called Hezbollah,” Leiter said.
The two countries have been at war for decades and until last week had not met so directly since 1993.
Just as the ambassadors were meeting with Trump, Hezbollah announced that it had fired rockets at northern Israel “in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire”.
The IDF has launched a ground invasion in Lebanon Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Israel have continued their ground operation in Lebanon Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Israel said that the launches were intercepted.
Israeli strikes killed five people in Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel continues to hit what it says are Hezbollah strongholds despite the ceasefire.
Lebanese media reported an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle near Nabatieh, around 35 kilometers north of the border with Israel, on Thursday.
Under the truce terms, Israel says it reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks”.
Hezbollah also claimed at least two attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and said it targeted a reconnaissance drone.
Israeli troops have also taken over southern Lebanese villages in a 10-kilometre deep “security zone” from its border as part of its ground invasion.
Iran had demanded the truce in Lebanon as a condition to resume talks with Washington on a permanent end to weeks of war.
It comes after Iran refused to attend a second round of talks with the US this week due to Trump’s ongoing naval blockade.
Smoke billows after an Israeli attack on Lebanon targeting Hezbollah strongholds Credit: Pacific Coast News
