Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House as Marco Rubio, right, and JD Vance left listen, April 23, 2026, in Washington. Image: AP
(The Post News)- President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire with the Hezbollah for another three weeks following talks held at the White House on Thursday.
Trump said discussions between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States — their second meeting in a week — went “very well.” However, speaking in the Oval Office, he noted that both sides still have to consider Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that has rejected the negotiations. Since the ceasefire began last Friday, both sides have reported several violations.
First direct talks in decades
Despite ongoing tensions, the negotiations marked the first direct diplomatic engagement between Israel and Lebanon in decades. The two neighbors have technically been at war since Israel’s creation in 1948. The initial 10-day truce had been set to expire on Monday.
Trump backs Israel’s right to respond
Trump told reporters, alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that Israel has the right to defend itself if attacked, stressing that it would respond if fired upon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said earlier that his envoy would push for an end to Israeli home demolitions in areas occupied since the war escalated on March 2.
Plans for broader negotiations
Preparations are underway for more comprehensive talks aimed at fully halting Israeli strikes, securing a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, releasing Lebanese detainees held in Israel, deploying Lebanese troops along the border, and beginning reconstruction efforts, Aoun said.
The latest conflict erupted after Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel, two days after Israel and the United States carried out strikes on Iran. Israel retaliated with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive, taking control of multiple towns near the border.
Israel’s military currently holds a buffer zone extending roughly 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon, saying the move is intended to eliminate threats from short-range rockets and anti-tank weapons targeting northern Israel.
Lebanese officials hope the negotiations will lead to a lasting peace. While Iran has tied broader regional peace to its own talks with the U.S., Lebanon maintains it will negotiate independently.
The recent talks were the first since 1993, with both sides historically relying on indirect communication, often mediated by the United States or the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s leadership, critical of Hezbollah’s rocket attacks launched in support of Iran, had quickly pushed for direct dialogue in an attempt to prevent further escalation and avoid a ground invasion
Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued. An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed Amal Khalil, a prominent Lebanese journalist reporting from the south. Lebanese health officials accused Israeli forces of firing on an ambulance that attempted to reach her, delaying rescue efforts. Her body was later recovered from the debris of a destroyed building.
The Israeli military denied deliberately targeting journalists or emergency responders, but the incident sparked outrage across Lebanon ahead of the Washington talks.
Following a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the government is preparing a report on alleged Israeli war crimes and is considering joining the International Criminal Court.
The ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict has claimed around 2,300 lives in Lebanon, including many women and children, and has forced more than one million people from their homes.
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