Israel and Lebanon Extend Ceasefire

Israel and Lebanon will extend their current ceasefire by 45 days, it was announced on Friday.

The ceasefire, originally brokered by the US in mid-April, will continue for a further six weeks, after two days of “productive” negotiations between the two countries in Washington DC.

“We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement on May 15.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said he is looking forward to the next phase of peace talks.

“The peace talks were frank and constructive, and are set to move forward on two tracks: security and political,” Leiter wrote in an X post on Friday.

“There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great. What will be paramount throughout negotiations is the security of our citizens and our soldiers.”

Hostilities between Israel and Lebanon resumed just days after the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, at the end of February.

Although a ceasefire has been in place since mid-April, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange attacks.

On Friday, Israel alleged that “several hostile aircraft” were launched into the country from Lebanon, while Lebanon’s health ministry accused the Israeli Defense Forces of injuring close to 40 people across the south of the country.

Around 3,000 people are reported to have died in Lebanon since the conflict began, and a further 9,000 are reported to have been injured.

Iran has insisted that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is a precondition for an end the war with the US.

On Friday, President Trump commented on the latest peace proposal from Iran, which he said did not go far enough in its nuclear guarantees.

“If they have any nuclear of any form, I don’t read the rest of it,” Trump told reporters.

He said he would be willing to accept a 20-year moratorium on nuclear weapons.

President Trump also said either the US or China could enter Iran to retrieve its “nuclear dust”—enriched uranium that remains buried after US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s enrichment facilities.

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