Israel-Lebanon ceasefire takes effect, halting six weeks of war
Shafaq News- Beirut
Israel and Lebanon entered a 10-day ceasefire on Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (21:00 GMT / midnight Beirut time), after US President Donald Trump held separate telephone calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ceasefire was announced by Trump two days after Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington. The US State Department worked with both governments to formulate a Memorandum of Understanding governing the ceasefire's terms.
Key Terms
Under the agreement, published by the US Department of State, the initial 10-day period may be extended by mutual consent if progress is demonstrated in negotiations and if Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty.
Israel retains the right to take all necessary measures in self-defense at any time against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks, but commits not to carry out offensive military operations against Lebanese civilian, military, or other state targets.
Lebanon, in turn, must take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other non-state armed groups from carrying out attacks against Israeli targets.
🚨 Ten Day Cessation of Hostilities to Enable Peace Negotiations Between Israel and Lebanon https://t.co/FtH9mlnl3G
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 16, 2026
Statements and Reactions
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the ceasefire as "a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war," and expressed hope that displaced Lebanese would be able to return to their homes as soon as possible.
Netanyahu said he welcomes the pause "in order to try to advance the agreement" discussed at the Washington talks, adding, "We have an opportunity to achieve a historic peace agreement with Lebanon." He also stressed that the Israeli forces would not withdraw from the buffer zone in southern Lebanon, which he described as "extensive," and that he wanted Hezbollah dismantled as part of any future agreement.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said that the halt in fighting in Lebanon falls within the framework of the ceasefire understandings reached between Tehran and Washington in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said that Iran had insisted, from the outset of its consultations with regional and international parties —including during the Islamabad negotiations— on the necessity of a simultaneous ceasefire across the region, Lebanon included, and on pursuing that track seriously following those talks.
Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a lawmaker affiliated with Hezbollah —the Iran-backed Shiite militant and political group that has been engaged in active combat with Israeli forces in Lebanon— told AFP that the group would respect the ceasefire if Israeli attacks on its fighters fully stopped.
Next Steps
Trump announced he has directed Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, to work toward a lasting settlement, and invited Aoun and Netanyahu to direct peace talks at the White House.
