U.S. Middle East Diplomacy

President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire set to begin Thursday, April 16 at 5 p.m. Eastern, and said he had directed Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and military leaders to work toward a lasting peace. The announcement followed a two-hour preparatory meeting in Washington between U.S., Israeli and Lebanese envoys — the first such high-level direct diplomatic contact in more than three decades — hosted by Secretary Rubio, who called it a "historic opportunity." Both sides reportedly agreed to continue talks in Washington in the coming weeks, but Hezbollah was not part of the negotiations and has publicly rejected any agreement that would require it to disarm.