Updated: April 17, 2026
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon officially took effect at midnight local time on Thursday, April 16, 2026, following a deal brokered by the United States. President Donald Trump announced the agreement and said he is now working to arrange an unprecedented direct meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House within the next week. The ceasefire marks the first formal pause in hostilities since the conflict expanded into Lebanon in early March, and comes amid a broader U.S. diplomatic push to contain the West Asia war that began with strikes on Iran in February.
The war’s regional escalation started when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, prompting sustained Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire across southern Lebanon. Since then, the fighting has taken a heavy toll. Lebanese health authorities report that Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over one million civilians, with entire villages in the south emptied. Israeli ground forces also crossed into southern Lebanon in late March, establishing positions along the border as part of what Israel described as a limited operation to dismantle Hezbollah launch sites.
President Trump said the ceasefire was secured after what he called “excellent” phone conversations with both Netanyahu and Aoun on Wednesday. Posting on Truth Social, Trump stated that the two leaders had agreed to “formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” which corresponds to 2100 GMT and midnight in Beirut and Jerusalem. He added that he expects both leaders to travel to Washington “over the next four or five days” for talks aimed at turning the temporary ceasefire into a longer-term arrangement. If the meeting occurs, it would be the first direct encounter between sitting leaders of Israel and Lebanon in the history of both states.
The ceasefire took effect amid continued violence right up to the deadline. An Israeli hospital spokesman confirmed that three people were injured in northern Israel on Thursday, shortly before the ceasefire began, due to incoming fire from Lebanon. In southern Lebanon, the health ministry said an Israeli strike on the town of Ghazieh earlier on Thursday killed at least seven people and wounded 33 others. The strike hit a residential area, and rescue teams were still searching rubble as the midnight ceasefire approached. Both sides have accused the other of trying to gain tactical advantages in the final hours before the pause.
Speaking after the deal was announced, Prime Minister Netanyahu framed the ceasefire as a potential opening for a “historic peace agreement” with Beirut. However, he stressed that any permanent deal would require the full disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that operates as both a political party and an armed force in Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel would not accept a return to the pre-war status quo in which Hezbollah maintained an arsenal of rockets near the Israeli border. He described the 10-day ceasefire as a test of Lebanon’s willingness and ability to rein in the group.
President Trump confirmed that Hezbollah is covered by the ceasefire terms, but the U.S. State Department later clarified that the agreement commits the Lebanese government itself to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. The distinction is significant because Hezbollah is not a formal signatory to the deal, and its leadership has not publicly commented on whether it will abide by the halt in fighting. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has limited direct authority over Hezbollah’s armed wing, which complicates Beirut’s ability to enforce the ceasefire across all actors on its territory.
The Lebanon ceasefire is closely tied to wider U.S. efforts to de-escalate the conflict with Iran. Tehran has publicly insisted that any negotiation to end hostilities must include a stop to the fighting in Lebanon, where its ally Hezbollah is based. Washington has been shuttling between regional capitals to build a framework that links the Israeli-Lebanese front to the U.S.-Iran confrontation. The 10-day ceasefire is seen by diplomats as a pilot for whether a broader cessation can hold, and whether Iran will reciprocate with its own de-escalatory steps if Hezbollah stands down.
For civilians on both sides of the border, the ceasefire brings immediate but fragile relief. In southern Lebanon, displaced families have begun assessing whether it is safe to return to inspect damaged homes, while Israeli towns near the border remain under military guidance not to resume normal activity yet. Aid agencies are using the pause to move food and medical supplies into hard-hit areas of southern Lebanon. Whether the 10 days lead to talks in Washington, or collapse back into fighting, will depend on compliance in the coming hours and on whether the core demand — Hezbollah’s disarmament — can be bridged politically. As Trump wrote, the goal is “PEACE between their Countries,” but the path from a temporary ceasefire to that outcome remains untested.
Edited By: Kimbawinu Vaiphei
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