Israel's Netanyahu says he agrees to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, a truce that could boost attempts to widen the ceasefire betwixt Iran, the United States and Israel aft weeks of devastating war.

Israel has not been warring with Lebanon itself, but alternatively with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant radical wrong Lebanon. Hezbollah said successful a connection that “any ceasefire indispensable beryllium broad crossed each Lebanese territory and indispensable not let the Israeli force immoderate state of movement.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking successful a video message, said helium agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” bid efforts with Lebanon. “We person an accidental to marque a historical bid statement with Lebanon,” helium said.

Israel has staged a crushed penetration successful confederate Lebanon, wherever its forces person been engaged successful fierce battles with Hezbollah successful the borderline area.

Hezbollah added that “Israeli concern connected our onshore grants Lebanon and its radical the close to defy it, and this substance volition beryllium determined based connected however developments unfold,” a stance that could complicate the ceasefire.

Netanyahu said Israeli troops volition enactment successful an expanded information portion successful confederate Lebanon “much stronger, much extended and much continuous than before.”

“That is wherever we are, and we are not leaving,” helium said.

Trump posted the ceasefire announcement connected his Truth Social platform, saying it was to statesman astatine 5 p.m. Eastern clip (9 p.m. GMT). The announcement comes 2 days aft the countries held their archetypal nonstop diplomatic talks successful decades successful Washington. Hezbollah had opposed nonstop talks betwixt Lebanon and Israel.

Trump extends White House invitation

Lebanon has insisted connected a ceasefire to halt the warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah earlier engaging successful much talks, portion vowing to perpetrate to disarming the group.

Israel and Lebanon person technically been astatine warfare since Israel was established successful 1948, and Lebanon remains profoundly divided implicit diplomatic engagement with Israel.

Trump besides invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what helium said would beryllium “the archetypal meaningful talks" betwixt the countries since 1983.

“Both sides privation to spot PEACE, and I judge that volition happen, quickly,” Trump wrote.

Lebanon and Israel signed an statement successful 1983 saying Lebanon would formally admit Israel, and Israel would retreat from Lebanon. The woody fell isolated during Lebanon’s civilian warfare and was formally rescinded a twelvemonth later.

Trump said the intermission successful warring followed “excellent” conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu.

Pakistan service main meets with Iranian parliament speaker

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s almighty service main met Thursday with Iran’s parliament talker arsenic portion of planetary efforts to property for an hold to a ceasefire that has paused astir 7 weeks of warfare betwixt Israel, the U.S. and the Islamic Republic.

It was unclear whether the frantic diplomacy could pb to a lasting woody arsenic the two-week ceasefire passes the halfway mark. The Iran warfare has killed thousands of radical and upended planetary markets by disrupting the travel of oil.

Iranian authorities tv did not supply details connected the gathering betwixt Pakistani Army Gen. Asim Munir and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has emerged arsenic his country’s main negotiator.

There was nary contiguous remark from Pakistan, which has go a cardinal mediator aft hosting nonstop talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran that authorities said helped constrictive differences betwixt the sides. Mediators are seeking a caller circular earlier the ceasefire expires adjacent week.

The White House said immoderate further talks regarding Iran would apt instrumentality spot successful the Pakistani superior of Islamabad, though nary determination had been made connected whether to resume negotiations. The fragile ceasefire is holding contempt a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iranian counter-threats to people determination ports crossed the Red Sea.

The warfare has jolted markets and rattled the planetary system arsenic shipping has been chopped disconnected and airstrikes person pounded subject and civilian infrastructure. Oil prices person fallen amid hopes for an extremity to fighting, and U.S. stocks connected Wednesday surpassed records acceptable successful January.

Fighting continues betwixt Israel and Hezbollah

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged occurrence crossed the border, with Hezbollah targeting towns successful bluish Israel with rockets and drones. Israeli occurrence against confederate Lebanon intensified, particularly astir the cities of Tyre, Nabatieh and the strategical municipality of Bint Jbeil adjacent the borderline with Israel.

Israeli troops person pushed deeper into confederate Lebanon to make what officials person called a “security zone,” which Netanyahu has said volition widen astatine slightest 8 to 10 kilometers (5 to 6 miles) into Lebanon.

Officials accidental US and Iran are making progress

Even arsenic the U.S. blockade connected Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats strained the ceasefire, determination officials reported progress, telling AP that the United States and Iran had an “in-principle agreement” to widen it to let for much diplomacy. They spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon delicate negotiations.

But tensions simmered.

The commandant of Iran’s associated subject command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt commercialized successful the portion if the U.S. does not assistance its naval blockade, and a recently appointed subject advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said helium does not enactment extending the ceasefire.

Mediators question compromise connected sticking points

Mediators are pushing for a compromise connected 3 main sticking points: Iran’s atomic program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a determination authoritative progressive successful the mediation efforts.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran is unfastened to discussing the benignant and level of its uranium enrichment, but his state “based connected its needs, indispensable beryllium capable to proceed enrichment,” Iranian authorities media reported.

The Pentagon urged Iran to marque a deal, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling reporters astatine the Pentagon that “ultimately, they request to travel to the table.”

He said the U.S. volition guarantee that Iran ne'er has a atomic weapon.

“We’d similar to bash it the bully mode done a woody led by our large vice president and negotiating team. Or we tin bash it the hard way,” Hegseth said.

Iran insists it does not question a atomic limb and its atomic programme is for peaceful proposes.

The warring has killed astatine slightest 3,000 radical successful Iran, much than 2,100 successful Lebanon, 23 successful Israel and much than a twelve successful Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. work members person besides been killed.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump medication would ramp up economical symptom connected Iran with caller economical sanctions connected countries doing concern with it, calling the determination the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.

China calls for Strait of Hormuz to reopen

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the model of bid was opening during a telephone telephone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Since the warfare began, Iran has curtailed maritime postulation done the strait, which a 5th of planetary lipid transited done successful peacetime. Tehran’s effectual closure of the strait sent lipid prices skyrocketing, raising the outgo of fuel, nutrient and different basal goods acold beyond the Middle East, and the U.S. has responded with a blockade connected Iranian shipping.

U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that nary ships had made it past the blockade since it was imposed 2 days earlier, portion 13 merchant vessels complied with absorption from U.S. forces to crook astir and reenter Iranian waters.

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Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece. Samy Magdy successful Cairo, Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad, and Ben Finley successful Washington contributed to this report.

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