Israel and Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire as Trump seeks to overcome barriers to Iran deal

The Trump administration has announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, a move intended to dismantle a major hurdle in achieving a wider deal to end the war with Iran. The agreement, however, is conditional on the complete cessation of hostilities by the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia and the withdrawal of all its operatives from southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department following negotiations in Washington.

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The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia and the evacuation of all its operatives from the country’s south.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two nations, which lack formal diplomatic ties, will establish "pilot zones." In these areas, the Lebanese armed forces will assume exclusive control, barring any non-state actors. A Hezbollah official, however, stated that the group would not accept a partial ceasefire, and Hezbollah was not a party to the talks. A previous truce intended to take effect on April 17 failed, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

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the group would “not accept a partial ceasefire”

These Washington meetings marked the fourth round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli diplomats since fighting began on March 2. Hezbollah had renewed attacks against Israel in support of Iran. The latest developments occurred amidst continued cross-border attacks, with Hezbollah claiming responsibility for targeting Israeli troops and Israeli airstrikes resulting in at least nine fatalities in southern Lebanon.

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I had stopped an imminent Israeli strike on Beirut and had spoken to Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah who agreed that “all shooting will stop”.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his desire to separate discussions on the Lebanon conflict from those concerning the war in Iran. Tehran, however, maintains the conflicts are interconnected and had threatened to suspend peace talks with the U.S. in protest of Israel's actions in Lebanon, potentially jeopardizing negotiations with Washington. Trump confirmed reports of calling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu "crazy," stating he was "perturbed" that Israel's campaign against Hezbollah was complicating U.S.-led peace efforts with Iran. Analysts suggest Israel aims to inflict maximum damage on Hezbollah before any potential peace deal with Iran could halt its offensive. Netanyahu asserted that he and Trump share the goal of disarming Hezbollah to foster peace between Israel and Lebanon.

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he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon was complicating US-led efforts to advance peace talks with Iran.