Israel, Lebanon enter 10-day truce; Trump hints at wider Iran deal, possible ceasefire extension

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect Friday, raising hopes of not only halting weeks of intense fighting between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group, but also reaching an agreement between Iran and the United States.

In posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he held “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that the ceasefire would take effect at 5 pm EST.

Trump said the agreement followed a rare meeting between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington earlier this week, mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He added that Vice President JD Vance, Rubio and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been directed to work with both sides to pursue a “lasting peace.”

The US president also said he would invite Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House for what he described as the first “meaningful talks” between the two countries since 1983.

“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time,” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu said he had agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon but made clear that Israeli troops would not withdraw.

Hezbollah, however, said that Israel’s continued presence on Lebanese territory gives Lebanon “the right to resist,” and that its response would depend on developments on the ground.

The US State Department said the terms allow Israel to act in self-defense against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks,” but otherwise bar offensive operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian and state infrastructure.

The language suggests Israel would retain its latitude to strike if it deems necessary.

The ceasefire comes amid wider diplomatic efforts to stabilise the region after weeks of conflict involving Iran, US and Israel.

A separate 14-day ceasefire involving Iran is set to expire April 22, but Trump indicated he is open to extending the deadline if negotiations show progress.

“If we’re close to a deal, would I extend? Yeah, I would do that,” he told reporters.

After weeks of military strikes in Iran and assassinating its top leaders, Trump said Washington currently has a “very good relationship” with Tehran.

“And I think it's a combination of about 4 weeks of bombing, and a very powerful blockade. The blockade is maybe more powerful than the bombing,” he added.

The United States began enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from April 13 after the marathon 21-hour talks between US and Iranian delegations failed to reach an agreement.

“We have been at it now for 21 hours. We’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians, that’s the good news,” US Vice President JD Vance told reporters after the talks. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement.”

Vance said Washington had presented its “final and best offer,” but Iran did not accept the terms, particularly on providing guarantees that it would not pursue nuclear weapons capability.