Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect at midnight local time, following what he described as separate "excellent conversations" with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The truce is expected to pave the way for the first Israeli-Lebanese summit in decades next week, potentially advancing toward a broader peace agreement involving the United States and Iran.
Netanyahu framed the ceasefire as an opening for a "historic peace agreement" but attached a condition, demanding that Hezbollah's disarmament remain non-negotiable. Israel had been conducting sustained airstrikes targeting the Iranian-backed militia across Lebanon.
The Lebanese military, however, cautioned civilians displaced from the southern regions against returning home, citing intermittent shelling reported after the ceasefire officially commenced. The warning suggested that despite the formal truce, sporadic violence was continuing on the ground.
Author James Rodriguez: "A ceasefire without enforcement is just a pause between rounds, and Lebanon's military warnings hint this deal may be more fragile than Trump's social media announcement suggests."
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