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US President Donald Trump has said that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals’ first direct talks in decades.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after pro-Tehran group Hezbollah attacked Israel.
Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million in Lebanon, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded the country’s south.
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“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to a meeting held in Washington the day before – the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993.
He said the leaders would speak on Thursday. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years,” he said, without identifying participants or giving further details.
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Meanwhile on Wednesday, Israel’s cabinet met to discuss a possible ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said. Lebanese officials believe a deal could be announced soon, according to the Financial Times.
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