WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced Thursday (April 23) that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended by three weeks following ambassador-level direct talks at the White House.
"The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks," Trump said in a statement after hosting ambassadors from both countries in the Oval Office alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Anadolu Ajansi reported Trump described the meeting as "very successful," adding that Washington would work with Lebanon to help "protect itself" from Hezbollah.
"I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun," he added.
Trump later told reporters at the White House that the leaders will "most likely" visit the White House during the three-week ceasefire period.
The meeting is the second between Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter in as many weeks amid a tenuous ceasefire. The countries that lack formal diplomatic relations held their first round of talks in more than 30 years on April 14 at the State Department.
The US-brokered 10-day ceasefire, which went into effect on April 16, had been slated to expire on Sunday (April 26).
More than 2,200 people have been killed and over 1 million displaced by expanded Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, soon after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. The attacks have continued despite the April 16 ceasefire. – Bernama
