Israel and Lebanon on April 24 agreed to extend the ceasefire for another 3 weeks after a high-level meeting at the White House chaired by US President Donald Trump.
The talks were attended by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Moawad. This is the 2nd round of dialogue mediated by the United States, taking place after Israeli attacks killed at least 5 people, including a journalist.
Mr. Donald Trump said the meeting achieved positive results. "The meeting went very well! The US will cooperate with Lebanon to help this country protect itself from Hezbollah," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hezbollah, an armed group linked to Iran fighting against Israel, was not present at the talks. This group claims to have "the right to resist" the occupying forces.
Mr. Trump also expressed his expectation to soon welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to discuss, and assessed the possibility of reaching a peace agreement this year.
The ceasefire previously scheduled to expire on April 26, has significantly reduced violence but fighting continues in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army currently controls a 5-10km deep buffer zone inside Lebanese territory to prevent attacks from Hezbollah.
The Lebanese side hopes that the next rounds of negotiations will promote Israel's withdrawal of troops, release of detainees and re-demarcation of land borders. Meanwhile, Israel is seeking to coordinate with the Lebanese government to deal with Hezbollah, a force claiming the right to "resist".
The situation on the ground remains tense. The Israeli military announced that it had killed 2 gunmen in southern Lebanon, claiming they were threatening soldiers. At the same time, the Lebanese health agency said the airstrikes killed 3 people and injured 2 others.
The day before was recorded as the bloodiest day since the ceasefire took effect. Among the victims was journalist Amal Khalil. Israel said it was reviewing related reports and affirmed that it did not target journalists.
Hezbollah declared that it had conducted many military operations in response to the attacks, and emphasized its support for a ceasefire but requested Israel to fully comply. This force also opposed direct contacts between the Lebanese and Israeli governments.
The conflict that broke out again from the beginning of March has killed nearly 2,500 people in Lebanon, while Hezbollah fired hundreds of missiles into Israeli territory. The extension of the ceasefire is expected to create more time for diplomatic efforts, although the prospect of long-term stability remains challenging.
