The ceasefire in Lebanon enters into force

The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon entered into force at midnight on Thursday (21:00 GMT), hours after it was announced by US President Donald Trump, who also said that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet within days at the White House.

If this happens, it will be the first meeting at this level between the two countries, which have been in an official state of war since 1948.

Both Hezbollah, which began the confrontation on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, and Israel announced their commitment to the ceasefire.

Trump wrote on his “Truth Social” communication platform: “I just had excellent discussions” with both Aoun and Netanyahu, adding that they “agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will officially begin a ten-day ceasefire starting at five o’clock in the afternoon, Eastern United States time,” that is, nine o’clock at night GMT, and midnight on Thursday, Friday, Beirut and Jerusalem time.

Later, Trump told reporters that the ceasefire was “a wonderful thing,” noting that Aoun and Netanyahu “will meet, most likely at the White House, within the next four or five days.”

Trump’s announcement came two days after the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the United States held the first direct talks between the two countries in decades, during which they agreed to hold direct negotiations at a date to be determined later.