U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 24th that, following the latest round of talks at the White House, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah by another three weeks, in an effort to provide more breathing space amid ongoing border tensions. He also revealed plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House in the coming weeks to further advance dialogue.
Trump said that the second meeting between the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington over the past week had gone “very smoothly.” The engagement is seen as a rare instance of direct diplomatic contact between Israel and Lebanon, two countries that have remained in a state of hostility since Israel’s founding in 1948. The original 10-day ceasefire was due to expire on the 27th, and the extension is viewed as an important step to prevent escalation.
On the Lebanese side, concerns remain over Israeli actions in areas occupied during recent clashes, including the demolition of buildings. Lebanon is expected to raise these issues in upcoming negotiations. The Lebanese government has also indicated that future talks will cover broader issues including a full ceasefire, Israeli troop withdrawal, the release of detainees, and border deployments.
Israel’s foreign minister has called on Lebanon to cooperate in disarming Hezbollah, stating that the remaining disputes are limited to manageable border issues. Despite diplomatic progress, analysts note that Hezbollah’s position and wider regional power dynamics remain key uncertainties affecting the durability of the ceasefire.
Commentary:
Trump’s announcement of a three-week extension to the Israel–Lebanon ceasefire aims to ease immediate tensions, but Hezbollah remains the decisive variable. As the group is not part of the negotiations and has rejected any agreement reached through direct talks, and given repeated violations since the ceasefire began on the 17th, stability remains fragile.
While Washington is actively facilitating leader-level meetings, such diplomatic gestures are largely symbolic with limited practical impact. Without effective mechanisms to constrain Hezbollah, any ceasefire arrangement is unlikely to hold in the long term. Ultimately, the trajectory of the situation will depend on the broader balance of regional forces rather than a single diplomatic intervention.