Trump has announced a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
US President Donald Trump announced on 16 April that Israel and Lebanon had reached an agreement on a ten-day ceasefire.
According to him, the ceasefire is due to come into effect at 17:00 US Eastern Time, which corresponds to 21:00 GMT. The ceasefire is aimed at halting hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Trump noted that he had held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He said the parties had agreed to formally begin the ceasefire and were committed to achieving peace.
The US President also announced that he had instructed Vice-President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane to work together with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a long-term settlement.
The announcement of the ceasefire was welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She described the news as a relief and noted that the conflict had already resulted in significant losses.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also welcomed the agreement, describing the ceasefire as a key demand of Lebanon since the start of the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on 2 March, when the Lebanese group opened fire in support of Iran against the backdrop of the US and Israeli war against it.
On 14 April, representatives from Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in Washington in over 30 years.
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