Trump to meet envoys for Lebanon and Israel at White House talks, as ceasefire nears expiration

LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

DONALD TRUMP IS to meet Israeli and Lebanese envoys when they hold a second round of peace talks later today, a US official said.

“The ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon will now take place at the White House,” the official said on customary condition of anonymity.

“President Trump will greet both representatives upon their arrival.”

Earlier, Trump said he ordered the US navy to fire on Iranian boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening an already faltering ceasefire between the two countries.

He then claimed that the US now has “total control” of the vital maritime passage. 

In a statement posted on his social media site, Trump said he had ordered the navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines with “no hesitation”. 

“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said on Truth Social. 

“There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”

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Trump’s announcement came not long after the US Defense Department said its forces had boarded a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean. 

Iran had committed to opening the Strait of Hormuz for the duration of the ceasefire but has since resumed the halting of maritime traffic since the US began to impose a blockade on Iranian ports. 

Trump has since posted another statement on Truth Social, claiming the US has “total control” of the strait.

“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!

“The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!” Trump said. 

“We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!”

Trump has declared victory multiple times throughout the war, which the US launched alongside Israel on 28 February. 

His stated war aims have also changed on a number of occasions since the war began. 

One of those aims is the reopening of the economically vital strait, which was not closed until the war began.