Israel and Lebanon Reach 10-Day Ceasefire Agreement Following US-Brokered Talks

m. Eastern on Thursday, announced by President Trump. This agreement follows the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in decades, held in Washington earlier this week. President Trump invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for these talks, marking the first meaningful engagement since 1983.

The ceasefire comes after more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Fighting has continued during the fragile ceasefire with Iran, including exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border on Thursday.

Hezbollah targeted northern Israeli towns with rockets and drones, while Israeli strikes intensified around the Lebanese cities of Tyre, Nabatieh, and Bint Jbeil, a strategic town near the border.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, a position Washington said it understands. Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop fighting before engaging in further talks and has vowed to commit to disarming Hezbollah.

, and Iran, which began on February 28 and paused with a ceasefire on April 7. Regional officials reported an in-principle agreement between the United States and Iran to extend the ceasefire, with mediators pushing for a new round of talks before the current truce expires next week. Pakistani Army Gen.

Asim Munir met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Thursday as part of efforts to press for an extension. S. maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports. S. Central Command reported that no ships have passed the blockade since it was imposed two days ago, with 13 merchant vessels turning back to Iranian waters.

U.S. service members, and thousands in Iran. The war has disrupted oil flows, with Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which a fifth of global oil transited in peacetime—causing oil prices to surge.

In a separate development, Pope Leo XIV condemned "a handful of tyrants" ravaging the world with war during a visit to Cameroon's separatist west on Thursday. He called for billions spent annually on weapons to be redirected toward healthcare and education. Thousands have been killed in the years-long conflict in that region.

President Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that both Israel and Lebanon want peace and he believes it will happen quickly. He also said the pause in fighting followed conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

“Both sides want to see peace and I believe it will happen quickly." — President Trump > "A handful of tyrants ravaging the world with war must be condemned." — Pope Leo XIV > "Iran is open to discussing the type and level of its uranium enrichment but must continue enrichment based on its needs.”