Trump Announces Three-Week Extension for Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, April 23, extended a shaky ceasefire by three weeks, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, April 23, as he voiced hope for a historic three-way meeting soon and a potential peace deal. Trump, at a standstill in negotiations with Iran, spoke in glowing terms of peace prospects for Lebanon, even as Hezbollah fired new rockets following deadly Israeli strikes. 
 
Trump announced that a ceasefire would be extended by three weeks. An initial truce was announced after the first meeting between the ambassadors on April 14 and was due to expire on Sunday. He said that he expected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to meet jointly with him at the White House during the ceasefire.  
 
Lebanese officials said before the meeting that they were seeking a one-month ceasefire extension. Aoun said it should include "a halt to the destruction of homes and attacks on civilians, places of worship, journalists, and the medical and educational sectors." 
 
Israel last month launched a major attack on Lebanon, killing over 2,450 people and displacing one million, according to authorities. The offensive came in response to fire by Hezbollah, which has vowed to avenge Israel's killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of the US-Israel war on February 28. 
 
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