Trump says Lebanon and Israel agree to extend Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire by three weeks

President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday.

- AGENCIES

Trump said the meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, the second in the past week, went “very well,” but during an Oval Office gathering he acknowledged that “they do have Hezbollah to think about.” The Iranian-backed group has opposed the talks, and since the initial ceasefire went into effect last Friday, there have been multiple violations by both sides.

Despite that, these were the first direct diplomatic talks in decades between Israel and Lebanon and represented a major step for neighbouring countries that officially have been at war since Israel’s inception in 1948. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.