Donald Trump Announces 10-Day Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Starting 5:00 P.m. Eastern Time

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, with the agreement set to begin at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Week reported that Trump said the ceasefire was agreed upon in a US-brokered meeting between Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C."

The Associated Press timing is reflected in الشرق الأوسط, which said the ceasefire would begin at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.

Sky News Arabia described Trump’s announcement as an agreement "to begin a temporary ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, to begin on Thursday night into Friday and last ten days."

SWI swissinfo.ch said Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the ten-day ceasefire announced by Trump and called it "a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives."

The ceasefire announcement was also framed by سكاي نيوز عربية as starting "at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time."

Multiple outlets tied the ceasefire to direct diplomatic contacts in Washington and to the sequencing of talks that Trump said he arranged.

The Week said Trump claimed that the Israel-Lebanon war would be the tenth conflict he allegedly helped resolve, and it described the meeting as occurring on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., between Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun, hosted by Marco Rubio.

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الشرق الأوسط added that Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington after more than a month of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

It also stated that Trump directed Vice President J. D. Vance and others to work with Israel and Lebanon to 'achieve a lasting peace.'

However, it reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected on Thursday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a government official familiar with the developments who spoke to The Associated Press.

The Week reported that Trump invited both leaders for further peace talks at the White House on a later date, calling it the "the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983".

In parallel, Reuters was cited by The Week for the claim that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would continue to maintain its positions and areas in southern Lebanon during the course of the ceasefire.

Hezbollah’s stance was reported as a condition for any ceasefire, with the group insisting that Israel not be allowed to move freely inside Lebanon.

The Week said that in its first comment after Trump’s Thursday announcement, Hezbollah declared that any ceasefire must not allow Israel to freely move within Lebanon, and it said Hezbollah pointed out that the presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory granted Lebanon and its people the "right to resist."

The Week also reported that Iran had not yet issued a formal response to Trump’s announcement, while quoting Iranian lawmaker M.B. Ghalibaf saying, "إنَّ استكمال وترسيخَ وقف إطلاق نارٍ شاملٍ في لبنان سيكون نتيجةَ صمود ونضال حزب الله العزيز وبطولاته" and adding that "على أمريكا أن تلتزم بالاتفاق."

الشرق الأوسط reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected on Thursday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it said the rejection came during a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

It further stated that Aoun’s office acknowledged making a call with Rubio but did not indicate the possibility of talks with Netanyahu.

The same article described Lebanon’s insistence on a ceasefire to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before entering direct negotiations, while also pledging to commit to disarming Hezbollah.

It also said Washington did not declare support for a preconditioned ceasefire, and it reported that the Israeli government framed the talks as peace negotiations focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Even as Trump announced the 10-day ceasefire, outlets described continued military activity and detailed geographic areas in southern Lebanon.

الشرق الأوسط said that during the fragile ceasefire with Iran, fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah continued, and it reported that cross-border exchanges of fire continued between Israel and Hezbollah.

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It said Hezbollah targeted towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones, while Israeli bombardment intensified in southern Lebanon, particularly around the cities of Tyre, Nabatieh, and the strategic town of Bint Jbeil near the border with Israel.

It also stated that Israeli forces crossed into southern Lebanon to establish what officials described as a 'security zone,' which Netanyahu said would extend at least 8 to 10 kilometers inside Lebanon.

The Week similarly said IDF would continue to maintain its positions and areas in southern Lebanon during the course of the ceasefire.

The Emirates Today outlet described the ceasefire as starting from midnight tonight and lasting 10 days, and it said this came on the ninth day of the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

Sky News Arabia described the ceasefire as beginning on Thursday night into Friday and lasting ten days, after contacts with Joseph Aoun and Benjamin Netanyahu.

European officials welcomed the ceasefire while emphasizing humanitarian and political conditions.

SWI swissinfo.ch said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump, and wrote, "I welcome the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump."

The Week

She added that it was "a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives."

The statement also said Europe would continue to demand full respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it said the EU would continue to support the Lebanese people by providing substantial humanitarian aid.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, also welcomed the ceasefire announcement, and SWI swissinfo.ch quoted her saying, "The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will urgently help end the fighting and provide the relief needed by civilians who have suffered greatly in the past weeks."

She added, "We hope both sides will reaffirm the ceasefire," and said the ceasefire should be used "to scale back violence and to pave the way for negotiations toward a lasting peace."

The Week reported that Trump invited both leaders for further peace talks at the White House on a later date, while Hezbollah insisted any ceasefire must not allow Israel to freely move within Lebanon.