Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that took effect at 17: 00 EST on 16 April, after an announcement by US President Donald Trump. The israel ceasefire is meant to open space for further talks, while both governments have said they welcome the truce. Trump also invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for more discussions.
What the deal says
The agreement sets the truce at 10 days, with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement if negotiations make progress. The US State Department said the pause is a gesture of goodwill by Israel intended to support good-faith negotiations toward a permanent security and peace agreement. Trump later urged Hezbollah to abide by the ceasefire, saying he hoped the group would act nicely and well during this important period of time.
Netanyahu called the ceasefire an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he hopes the deal will allow displaced people to return home. The israel ceasefire comes after six weeks of exchanges of fire involving Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon after the announcement
Despite the truce, Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain stationed 10km deep into southern Lebanon. Israel has described the area as a security zone, and Netanyahu said this week: We are there, and we are not leaving. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz previously said the occupied area would extend to the Litani River in southern Lebanon, about 30km from the border with Israel.
Hezbollah said it is willing to take part in the ceasefire, but wants a comprehensive halt to attacks across Lebanon and no freedom of movement for Israeli forces. The group is deeply embedded in Lebanon but is not part of the Lebanese government’s security apparatus. Iran’s foreign ministry welcomed the truce and expressed solidarity with Lebanon.
Immediate reactions in the region
UN Secretary General António Guterres commended the role of the US in helping to facilitate the ceasefire and urged all parties to fully respect and comply with international law at all times. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the deal a relief and said Europe will continue to call for full respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the truce must be used to step back from the violence and create space for talks for a more lasting peace.
UN figures show that more than 1. 2 million people have been displaced across Lebanon, most of them from the south. That scale of displacement is now one of the clearest signs of how much damage the fighting has already done.
What happens next
The next phase now turns on whether the ceasefire holds and whether talks can move beyond a short pause in fighting. The 10-day window is narrow, and the fact that Israeli troops are still positioned inside southern Lebanon keeps pressure on the truce. For now, the israel ceasefire offers a rare opening — but the coming days will show whether it becomes the start of a longer agreement or only a temporary break.
