A temporary cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon will commence at 10pm British time on Tuesday following what Donald Trump characterised as the first direct meeting between the neighbouring states in more than three decades.
The US President announced the 10-day ceasefire agreement via Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon, revealing he had personally brokered the arrangement through separate conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Trump’s account, the two leaders participated in groundbreaking face-to-face discussions in Washington DC on Tuesday—their first such encounter in 34 years—facilitated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The President has tasked Vice President JD Vance and Secretary Rubio, working alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Razin’ Caine, with coordinating efforts between the two nations to transform the temporary truce into what Trump termed “a Lasting PEACE.”
In his social media statement, Trump claimed credit for resolving nine international conflicts since taking office, declaring the Israel-Lebanon arrangement would represent his tenth such achievement. “It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” he wrote.
The ceasefire, scheduled to begin at 5pm US Eastern Time, represents a significant diplomatic development in a region where tensions have historically run high between the two neighbours, which technically remain in a state of war dating back decades.
Trump’s announcement portrayed the agreement as a mutual commitment by both Aoun and Netanyahu to pursue peace, with the 10-day window apparently designed to provide space for substantive negotiations towards a permanent settlement.
The involvement of senior US military and diplomatic officials suggests Washington intends to maintain close oversight of the ceasefire implementation and subsequent peace process, potentially positioning American intermediaries as guarantors of any eventual accord.
Neither the Israeli nor Lebanese governments had issued independent confirmation of the arrangement at the time of Trump’s announcement, though the President’s statement indicated both leaders had consented to the framework during their discussions with him.
The historic nature of Tuesday’s Washington meeting—the first direct encounter between Israeli and Lebanese leadership in over three decades—underscores the significance of the diplomatic breakthrough, regardless of whether the temporary ceasefire ultimately yields lasting results.
Details regarding verification mechanisms, geographical scope, or potential consequences for violations of the 10-day truce were not disclosed in Trump’s initial announcement.
