Trump Meets Lebanon and Israel Negotiators at White House as Ceasefire Extended by Three Weeks

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended by three weeks following talks at the White House involving envoys from both nations.

The extension comes as the previous ceasefire agreement was set to expire on Sunday, with the goal of ending more than seven weeks of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Trump stated that the United States will work with Lebanon to help it protect itself from Hezbollah, emphasizing that both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to visit the White House in the coming weeks.

The announcement was made during Oval Office discussions attended by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and the respective ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter praised Trump’s role in facilitating the talks, with Leiter noting that both countries share the aim of removing what he described as “this malign influence called Hezbollah” from Lebanon.

Despite the ceasefire extension, reports indicate that violations have occurred on both sides, including Hezbollah firing rockets at northern Israel in response to an alleged Israeli violation, which the Israeli Defense Forces said it intercepted.

Trump also reiterated that Israel would have to defend itself if attacked by Hezbollah and stressed that any lasting peace deal with Iran would require Tehran to stop funding the militant group.

The White House hosted ambassador-level talks earlier in the day, which Trump described as having gone “very well,” and said the U.S. Continues to pursue broader negotiations to end the Iran-related conflict, though he cautioned against rushing a deal with Tehran.