Donald Trump brokers 10-day Israeli-Lebanon ceasefire with deal set to begin in hours after historic talks

Ben Chapman
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:53:16 +0000

Israel and Lebanon have agreed a 10-day ceasefire that will begin at 17:00 EST, (22:00), President Trump has announced.

The US President says he has brokered a deal just hours after Israel destroyed the last operational bridge over Lebanon's Litani River.

Military chiefs from the warring nations arrived in Washington DC on Tuesday for historic talks, the first of their kind for 34 years, according to Mr Trump.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with Vice President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, conducted the discussions.

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Mr Trump boasted in a Truth Social post that a laying down of arms in Lebanon marks his 10th success in bringing wars to an end.

He said: "I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel.

"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. On Tuesday, the two countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

"I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin' Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a lasting PEACE.

"It has been my Honor to solve 9 wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let's GET IT DONE! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

In his post, Mr Trump said he spoke to the country’s respective leaders, but does not mention Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed militant group has been exchanging fire with Israel since the day after October 7 - a date now synonymous with Hamas’s multi-front attack from the Gaza Strip, which killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 240 taken hostage, including civilians and children.

Skirmishes between Israeli forces and the Lebanese group have continued in recent days while peace talks were underway in Washington.

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The US-Iran ceasefire has not brought peace in Lebanon, as Israel said the agreement does not apply to its campaign.

Tuesday marked the first time Lebanese and Israeli representatives have met for direct, high-level contact in three decades.

Mr Rubio mediated the talks between Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Moawad.

“This is a historic opportunity”, said the US Secretary of State.

President Aoun said he hoped the negotiations would “mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people”.

Israeli officials said the talks were part of a longer-term ploy to eradicate Hezbollah.

Mr Leiter described the negotiations as the “beginning of a battle against Hezbollah”.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has strongly rejected talks, with one of its MPs, Hassan Fadlallah, warning on Wednesday that Lebanon could become increasingly divided over its government’s decision.