U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed on a 10-day ceasefire, as optimism grew that the Iran war may be nearing an end.
Trump said in a social media post that the ceasefire would start at 5 p.m. EST (2100 GMT), aiming to halt a conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah that was reignited by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
He said he had held “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
“These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” he said. “Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!”
Trump said he had directed U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with the two countries to achieve lasting peace.
The war with Iran spilt into Lebanon on March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon just 15 months after the last major conflict.
BREAKTHROUGH ON ‘STICKY ISSUES’ BETWEEN U.S. AND IRAN
Hopes of a deal between Iran and the United States have also been growing after nearly seven weeks of war.
A security source said a Pakistani mediator had made a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, although Tehran said the fate of its nuclear program had not been resolved.
The U.S. and Pakistan have been talking up prospects for a deal after nearly seven weeks of war, with Trump saying the accord would open the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows.
Closure of the strait has caused the worst oil price shock in history and forced the International Monetary Fund to downgrade its outlook for the global economy, warning prolonged conflict could push the world to the brink of recession.
Pakistan’s army chief and Field Marshal Asim Munir, an important figure in mediation efforts, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict after talks in Islamabad that ended without a deal.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday the trip had led to greater hopes for a second round of talks and an extension of a two-week ceasefire, but said fundamental differences remain over its nuclear program.
The war began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbours and reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. Soaring energy costs have rattled investors and policymakers globally.
(REUTERS)
