Trump announces Israel–Lebanon ceasefire, invites leaders to the White House for talks
US President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to begin a temporary ceasefire, while also announcing plans to host both leaders at the White House for further negotiations, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he held talks with Joseph Aoun and Benjamin Netanyahu, during which both sides agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote.
He added that the agreement follows recent discussions in Washington involving US officials, including Marco Rubio, and said Vice President JD Vance would be involved in further efforts to reach a lasting settlement. In a separate post, Trump said he plans to invite both leaders to Washington for talks.
“I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago. Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” he stated.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the announcement, calling it a key objective pursued by Beirut since the start of the conflict.
أرحّب بإعلان وقف إطلاق النار الذي أعلنه الرئيس ترامب، وهو مطلب لبناني محوري سعينا إليه منذ اليوم الأول للحرب، وكان هدفنا الأول في لقاء واشنطن يوم الثلاثاء. وإذ أهنّئ جميع اللبنانيين بهذا الإنجاز، أترحّم على الشهداء الذين سقطوا، وأؤكّد تضامني مع عائلاتهم، ومع الجرحى، ومع المواطنين…
— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafsalam) April 16, 2026
“I welcome the ceasefire announced by President Trump, a key Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war, and which was our primary objective in the Washington meeting on Tuesday,” he said. “I also extend my gratitude to all the regional and international efforts that contributed to reaching this outcome, particularly those of the United States of America, France, the European Union countries, and all our Arab brothers, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt, in addition to the State of Qatar and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”
Israeli authorities had not publicly confirmed the ceasefire at the time of reporting.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that an extension of the current US ceasefire with Iran is "not true at this moment.”
