Washington: Israel and Lebanon will enter a 10-day ceasefire within hours, US President Donald Trump has announced, in another potential step towards ending the broader conflict with Iran.
But it was not clear how the ceasefire would work in practice, as Israel is fighting the terrorist group Hezbollah rather than the Lebanese state.
Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday (US time), following talks between top diplomats in Washington earlier in the week.
“These two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10-day CEASEFIRE,” Trump declared on social media. The truce will begin at 5pm Washington time (7am AEST).
Israel has continued to launch strikes against targets associated with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon that is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia, the US and elsewhere.
Read more from North America correspondent Michael Koziol here.
