Israel, Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that Israeli and Lebanese leaders had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 2100 GMT.

The Republican president said in a post on Truth Social that he held "excellent conversations" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

"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," he wrote.

He said he has directed US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with the two countries to achieve lasting peace.

His announcement came after Haaretz newspaper reported earlier that the Israeli army is preparing to announce a ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday.

The Israeli daily said the truce is expected to take effect between 7 pm (1600GMT) and midnight local time (2100GMT).

According to the report, Israeli military officials said preparations are under way for a halt in hostilities later Thursday, with senior commanders instructed to ready forces currently deployed in southern Lebanon for a potential truce.

‘Breathing room’ between Israel and Lebanon

Earlier, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that the Security Cabinet had discussed a US request for a ceasefire in Lebanon during a meeting held on Wednesday evening, adding that the meeting ended without an announcement.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday in a post on his Truth Social platform that Washington is “trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow.”

The announcement follows US-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations that took place on Tuesday at the State Department in Washington.

The Hezbollah group was not represented in the meeting, which rejects the move.

The two sides agreed to begin direct peace negotiations, the location and timing of which will be determined later, at a time when Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war of 2023-2024.