Trump says Israeli and Lebanese leaders set to talk today
"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon," Trump said on Truth Social.
by AFP/ L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayThe leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday, President Donald Trump said Wednesday night, following the first direct talks between the two countries.
"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. Nice!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
Trump did not specify which leaders would be involved in the discussions or how they would take place. According to local media, the announcement followed a meeting at the White House between President Trump and U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa.
The Israeli cabinet met for several hours Wednesday night to consider the possibility of a cease-fire, but no agreement was reached.
Earlier, a senior U.S. official indicated that the U.S. president would welcome an end to hostilities in Lebanon with a peace agreement with Israel. He clarified, however, that this potential agreement was not part of the negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at achieving a lasting end to the Middle East war, which began on Feb. 28 with an Israeli-American attack on Iran. A truce has been in effect since April 8.
"The United States wants to see a lasting peace, but has not demanded an immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Hezbollah, the official told the press, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Israel and Lebanon agreed on Tuesday to begin direct negotiations following talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in the United States, the first such meetings since 1993. Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad said she called for a cease-fire in Lebanon during the meeting, a demand Israel has so far rejected.
Since March 2, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have killed 2,167 people, while the Israeli army continues its invasion of southern Lebanon, where it aims to establish a "safe zone," and is razing entire villages.
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