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(SeaPRwire) –   On Thursday, President Donald Trump declared that Israel and Lebanon have consented to a 10-day ceasefire, set to commence at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, a move he characterized as a significant advancement in halting weeks of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Trump stated he held separate discussions with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming that both parties agreed to initiate formal negotiations targeting a more comprehensive peace accord.

“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel,” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday.

The president said he has tasked Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin'” Caine with collaborating with both sides to secure what he termed a “lasting peace.”

Trump later indicated his intention to host Netanyahu and Aoun at the White House for what he referred to as the first substantive discussions between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.

“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” Trump wrote.

This announcement followed days of vigorous U.S. diplomatic efforts and seemed to settle a prior disagreement regarding the possibility of a direct conversation between Aoun and Netanyahu.

“We are trying to create a little breathing room,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, noting that the Israeli and Lebanese leaders had not communicated in approximately 34 years and predicting, “it will happen tomorrow.”

Earlier on Thursday, Lebanese officials had maintained that Aoun would not engage in direct talks with Netanyahu prior to a ceasefire being established.

Three Lebanese officials informed Reuters that Aoun had no intention of speaking with Netanyahu in the immediate future, with two of them stating that Lebanon’s embassy in Washington communicated this stance to the Trump administration before Aoun’s phone conversation with Marco Rubio.

A high-ranking Lebanese official subsequently told Digital that there was substantial internal pressure within Lebanon against further engagement with Israel while hostilities persisted.

Per the official, many in Lebanon felt the government had already commenced negotiations without gaining any concessions, establishing a ceasefire as a mandatory condition for any direct communication.

However, soon after, the Lebanese presidency announced that Aoun had spoken directly with Trump.

According to the Lebanese presidency’s official X account, Aoun expressed gratitude to Trump for his work in securing a ceasefire for Lebanon and achieving what it called a lasting peace and stability that might facilitate a wider regional peace process.

Aoun, who served as commander of Lebanon’s U.S.-backed armed forces before his 2025 presidential election, stated that an Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon would be an essential initial step before Lebanese forces could completely take up positions in the border area.

This diplomatic tension arises as the White House advocates for a broader agreement to conclude the regional war that began after the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group joined the conflict on March 2 in support of Iran.

Hezbollah’s involvement initiated a new front in Lebanon merely 15 months after the last major war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Pakistan, which assisted in mediating the April 8 ceasefire between Israel and Iran, stated that ceasing the fighting in Lebanon is crucial to upholding that agreement.

“Peace in Lebanon is essential for peace talks,” said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi.

The Israeli security cabinet convened late Wednesday to consider a potential ceasefire in Lebanon, as reported by Israeli media.

Israeli officials have indicated a willingness to negotiate, but are also adamant about continuing military actions until Hezbollah is forced back from the border.

Israeli cabinet minister Gila Gamliel told Israeli media that Netanyahu had been anticipated to speak with Aoun “for the first time after so many years of no contact between the two countries.”

Israel and Lebanon are still officially at war and have not had direct contact between their leaders for decades.

The recent U.S. diplomatic initiative comes after a uncommon meeting on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.

Those discussions, which took place at the State Department with U.S. mediation, represented the first in-person talks between high-level Israeli and Lebanese officials in over thirty years.

Nonetheless, the possibility of a direct call between Netanyahu and Aoun has encountered significant resistance within Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which has historically opposed any interaction with Israel, continues to publicly reject negotiations.

Concurrently, Lebanon’s government has progressively distanced itself from Hezbollah since the terror group entered the war.

The Lebanese government officially prohibited Hezbollah’s military activities on March 2 and has been working for the past year to disarm the Iranian-backed faction without sparking a wider internal conflict.

Meanwhile, combat escalated on Thursday in southern Lebanon.

Fighting persisted around the border town of Bint Jbeil, a long-standing Hezbollah stronghold—an Iran-backed terror group—that Israeli officials consider a primary target in the ongoing offensive.

Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israeli forces were nearing the point of “overcoming” Hezbollah in Bint Jbeil.

The Israeli military’s short-term goal is to force Hezbollah further from the border and stop anti-tank missiles and other direct-fire weapons from endangering northern Israeli communities, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani in an interview with Digital.

He stated that Israeli soldiers are currently maintaining what the military refers to as “defense lines” a few kilometers inside Lebanon, positions intended to prevent Hezbollah fighters and anti-tank units from having sightlines on Israeli towns again.

“We’re going to make sure we keep diminishing them,” Shoshani said.

Lebanese security officials also reported that an Israeli airstrike demolished the last remaining bridge over the Litani River providing access to southern Lebanon.

The attack successfully isolated nearly ten percent of the country from the remainder of Lebanon after previous Israeli strikes had destroyed other river crossings.

Israel has pledged to transform the territory south of the Litani River into a “no-go zone” for Hezbollah.

Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir stated Wednesday that Hezbollah members would be prohibited from operating south of the river.

The Litani River, which flows approximately 20 miles north of Israel’s border, has been regarded by Israel for a long time as the boundary beyond which Hezbollah forces must not be permitted to function.

Hezbollah retaliated on Thursday with new rocket attacks into northern Israel.

Alert sirens were activated in several Israeli communities, prompting residents to seek safety in bomb shelters. No injuries were immediately reported.

Lebanese authorities report that more than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, with over 1.2 million displaced.

Israeli officials state that Hezbollah attacks have resulted in the deaths of two Israeli civilians and 13 Israeli soldiers during the same timeframe.

Digital contacted the State Department, Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, and the Israeli government for comment but did not get replies before publication.

Reuters contributed to this report.