Israel and Lebanon agree 10-day ceasefire, Trump says

US President Donald Trump announced that Israeli and Lebanese leaders have reached a 10-day truce, effective from 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT; midnight local time). The conflict, which has raged in southern Lebanon for six weeks, involves Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed the ceasefire but emphasized that troops would retain a 10km-deep security zone in the country’s south, stating, “We are there, and we are not leaving.”

Hezbollah expressed readiness to join the truce, but demanded it include a “comprehensive halt to attacks across all Lebanese territory” and “no freedom of movement for Israeli forces.” The war began on 2 March, two days after a US-Israel strike on Iran, with Hezbollah launching rockets into northern Israel. The group claimed the attacks were retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Casualties and Displacement

Lebanese health officials report that over 2,196 people have died in Israeli strikes since the conflict started, including 260 women and 172 children. More than a million Lebanese—about 20% of the population—have been displaced. Additionally, 37,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Israel claims Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in the country and 13 soldiers in combat.

During the conflict, air strikes targeted parts of Beirut, prompting rare direct discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. These talks were intended to ease tensions, though the US State Department noted the ceasefire might only temporarily halt fighting. The unresolved issue of Hezbollah’s weaponry remains central, with Lebanese officials arguing disarming the group requires negotiation rather than force.

“I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon and they’re going to take care of Hezbollah, but they’re going to be working on Hezbollah right now,” Trump stated outside the White House. “But we’ll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon.”

Trump planned to invite Netanyahu and Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun to the White House for talks “over the next week or two,” calling it the first significant dialogue since the 1983 Lebanese Civil War. Netanyahu described the ceasefire as an “opportunity to make a historic peace agreement,” but stressed the need for Israeli forces to stay in southern Lebanon to “block the danger of invasion.”

Hezbollah had insisted on full troop withdrawal and a “quiet for quiet” exchange of fire, conditions Netanyahu rejected. The Israeli military recently destroyed the last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, isolating the region and raising concerns about potential long-term occupation. Israeli officials have previously stated their intent to maintain security control over the territory even after the war ends.