A 10-day ceasefire deal struck between Lebanon and Israel took effect on April 17th.
Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time, the army told residents of the south—many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings—not to return, citing “several Israeli acts of aggression.”
The ceasefire represents a key step in Washington’s efforts to reach a deal to end its war with Iran, with Tehran insisting a Lebanon truce must be part of any agreement.
Mediator Islamabad has been leading the international push to restart face-to-face talks between Tehran and Washington, with Trump signaling he might fly to Pakistan to sign any agreement—adding they were “very close” to reaching one.
As the ceasefire began, Israel’s military said it had hit over 380 Hezbollah terror organization targets in southern Lebanon and was on high alert to resume air strikes.
Trump said he had spoken to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ahead of the truce, adding the pair had agreed to the truce “in order to achieve PEACE between their countries.”
He later said he expected Netanyahu and Aoun to visit the White House “over the next four or five days”.
