In a major diplomatic announcement from Washington D.C., former and current U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that Israeli and Lebanese officials have reached a preliminary agreement to implement a 10-day ceasefire set to commence at 5 p.m. EST Thursday. However, critical questions remain unanswered about whether the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah will uphold the truce.
Per Trump’s public post on his Truth Social platform, the tentative ceasefire deal emerged from what he described as productive, high-level discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The talks come just two days after formal peace negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese delegations were convened in Washington, marking the latest step in U.S.-led efforts to de-escalate months of open conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border.
“These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote in his signature all-caps emphasis for key terms. He added that he has already instructed Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to collaborate closely with both national governments to turn the temporary truce into a long-term, sustainable peace agreement.
Framing the diplomatic push as another milestone in his self-described record of global conflict resolution, Trump claimed, “It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” This conflict traces back to February 28, when Trump joined Israel in launching open military hostilities against Iran. Shortly after the offensive began, Hezbollah entered the fray in support of its patron Tehran, launching sustained rocket attacks against Israeli targets and dragging Lebanon into the broader Middle East war.
Months of sustained Israeli military operations in Lebanon have exacted a devastating humanitarian toll: official counts confirm more than 2,000 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and ground operations, over one million people have been displaced from their homes, and Israeli ground forces have established a presence in southern Lebanon.
While Trump noted late Wednesday that Aoun and Netanyahu were scheduled to hold direct talks on Thursday to move the process forward, no independent confirmation of that meeting has emerged as of Thursday morning, leaving the ceasefire’s implementation still uncertain amid conflicting signals on the ground.