Donald Trump says he has spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"These two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a ten-day ceasefire," Trump writes on his Truth Social platform, stating that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the effort to create a lasting peace from the American side.
Lebanon's crippled government is not directly involved in the war. Israel is primarily fighting the armed and influential Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is not at the table. However, Trump does not mention Hezbollah in his speech.
Inviting the leaders
Hezbollah politician Ibrahim al-Moussawi told AFP that the Iran-backed group would "carefully respect" the ceasefire, but that this depended on whether Israel ceased all hostilities. He thanked Iran for the ceasefire and claimed that it would not have come about without Iranian pressure.
Trump stated in a later post that he will invite Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House; it is unclear when this meeting might take place.
"Both sides want to see peace and I believe it will happen quickly," he writes.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes on X that the announcement of a ceasefire "is a relief, this conflict has already claimed far too many lives."
She also points out that what is needed is a lasting peace, not just a temporary cessation of fighting.
Bombed bridge
Following Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, Israel has launched massive bombing in several parts of southern Lebanon, reports the Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour. In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has urgently convened the Security Council for discussions on the ceasefire.
The announcement of a ceasefire comes after a day of statements and counter-statements about talks between Netanyahu and Aoun - and reports of Israeli attacks. Among other things, a bridge along the road connecting southern Lebanon with the country's north was bombed.
At least 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon since the outbreak of the war. Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2, in retaliation for Israeli and US attacks on Iran on February 28. Since then, over a million people have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon.
