Three-Week Extension for Lebanon-Israel Truce Following Oval Office Meeting

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended by three weeks after White House talks

Lebanon and Israel have agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following high-level talks at the White House, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday. Trump hosted Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese envoy Nada Moawad in the Oval Office for a second round of US-mediated discussions. The meeting came a day after Israeli strikes killed at least five people, including a journalist.

“The meeting went very well. The United States will work with Lebanon to help it protect itself from Hezbollah,” Trump said on Truth Social. The Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has been engaged in hostilities with Israel, was not part of the talks and says it retains the “right to resist” Israeli forces.

Trump said he expects to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun soon, adding there was a “great chance” of a broader peace agreement this year.

The ceasefire, brokered last week through talks between the two countries’ envoys in Washington, had been set to expire on Sunday. While it has reduced violence, clashes have continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops hold a self-declared buffer zone.

Lebanon is expected to push for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of detainees, and formal border demarcation in the next phase of negotiations. Israel, meanwhile, has sought closer coordination with Beirut against Hezbollah, which Lebanon says it aims to disarm through political means.

Asked how Washington would support Lebanon against Hezbollah, Trump gave no specifics but reiterated US backing for Lebanon and Israel’s right to self-defence. He also called on Lebanon to scrap laws banning engagement with Israel.

Violence persists

Despite the truce, violence has continued. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed three people and wounded two others, including a child, marking the deadliest day since the ceasefire took effect on April 16.

Among the dead was journalist Amal Khalil, according to Lebanese officials and her employer, Al-Akhbar newspaper. Israel’s military said it is reviewing reports that journalists were wounded in strikes targeting vehicles it said were linked to Hezbollah. It maintained it does not target journalists.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group supports extending the ceasefire but only if Israel fully complies. He rejected direct talks with Israel and urged the Lebanese government to halt such engagement.

Hostilities reignited on March 2, and nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since then, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel says its operations, including a 5–10 km buffer zone in the south, are aimed at protecting its northern border from rocket fire.