'Netanyahu cannot be trusted': Lebanese express caution as 10-day truce with Israel begins

A ten-day ceasefire deal agreed between Lebanon and Israel has taken effect, as US President Donald Trump said he was trying to set up the first-ever face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

Beirut residents, however, voiced cautious optimism, noting a lack of trust in Israel, which has breached the previous ceasefire agreed in 2024 almost everyday.

Israel committed first breaches of agreed truce with Lebanon early on Friday, said Lebanese army, urging residents in south to exercise caution "in light of a number of violations" by "several Israeli acts of aggression"

The truce comes as Washington steps up efforts to reach a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, with Tehran insisting a Lebanon truce must be part of any agreement.

Gunfire rang out in Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah's heartland, as the ceasefire came into effect — an apparent bout of spontaneous celebration, although that could not be confirmed.

In capital Beirut, housewife Jamal Shehab, 61, applauded the truce.

"We are very happy that a ceasefire has been reached in Lebanon because we are tired of war and we want safety and peace," she said.

Sitting at a cafe in Beirut, lawyer Tarek Bou Khalil told AFP news agency that "it's well known Netanyahu cannot be trusted".

"But we know that the result of the pressures of the war with Iran and the blunders of Netanyahu and the enemy army in south Lebanon forced them into a ceasefire," he added.

The Middle East war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Lebanon was pulled in when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2.

Since then, Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the invasion of southern areas have killed more than 2,000 people and uprooted more than one million.

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Trump expects Netanyahu and Aoun to visit White House

The US leader said the deal to halt hostilities came after "excellent" phone calls 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," or 2100 GMT, Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

He later said he expected Netanyahu and Aoun to visit the White House "over the next four or five days".

A top-level face-to-face meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli leadership would be a watershed moment for the region.

An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh killed at least seven people and wounded 33, Lebanon's health ministry said earlier on Thursday.

Trump said Hezbollah was included in the ceasefire, but according to the US State Department, the truce committed Lebanon itself to dismantle the group.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, and pointedly called on "all actors to fully respect" it — phrasing that would include Hezbollah.

A Hezbollah lawmaker told AFP it would "cautiously adhere" to the ceasefire if Israel stopped attacks.

Ibrahim al-Moussawi thanked Iran for having applied pressure in Lebanon's favour — adding that "the ceasefire would not have happened without Iran considering the ceasefire as equal to closing the Strait of Hormuz."

Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the truce but will maintain a 10-kilometre "security zone" along the border in southern Lebanon.

He added that Israel maintained two conditions for the ceasefire: Hezbollah's disarmament, and a lasting peace agreement "based on strength."

Iran deal 'very close'

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, saying a truce was a "key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war" between Hezbollah and Israel.

Ahead of the ceasefire, Aoun's office thanked Trump for his "efforts" to secure the truce. But the Lebanese president rejected Trump's request for a direct call with Netanyahu, an official source told AFP.

Trump later said he hopes Hezbollah "acts nicely and well" during the 10-day ceasefire.

"I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he arrived for a speech in Las Vegas. "It will be (a) GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!"

The ceasefire comes after the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met in Washington this week — the first meeting of its kind since 1993.

That truce could also boost continuing efforts to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

Trump said Washington was "very close" to a peace deal with Iran after six weeks of war and might travel to Pakistan to sign any agreement.