US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks. The announcement followed a rare meeting between Israeli and Lebanese envoys at the White House.

The initial 10-day ceasefire, which took effect last Friday, was set to expire on Monday. Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that the extension was agreed upon, adding that he sees a "great chance" for a peace deal between the two countries this year. He also expressed hope to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House in the near future.

"The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump said. Lebanon is not an active party to the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, but the Beirut government has been urging de-escalation since fighting flared again following the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. Lebanon and Israel do not have diplomatic relations; their last direct high-level talks were in 1993.

Despite the ceasefire, strikes have continued on both sides. On Wednesday, a Lebanese journalist was killed in an Israeli attack. On Thursday, the Israeli military hit targets in southern Lebanon and intercepted Hezbollah missiles aimed at northern Israel.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid stalled US-Iran peace talks. Tehran claimed to have captured two container ships attempting to exit the Gulf via the strategic waterway. Both Iran and the US are using the vital shipping lane as leverage in the ongoing conflict.

Source: www.dw.com