Trump Says Israeli, Lebanese Leaders To Speak as Ceasefire With Hezbollah Appears Imminent

Leaders from Lebanon and Israel are expected to speak on Thursday amid reports of an imminent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, President Trump said. “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! President DJT,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. It’s unclear which leaders Mr. Trump referred to, but Israeli minister Gila Gamliel told Israel’s Army Radio that Prime Minister Netanyahu would speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday. AFP meanwhile cited a Lebanese official saying that Beirut was “not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels.”Israeli and American media reported that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was in the making, following pressure from the United States. Mr. Netanyahu said that the peace talks with Lebanon are happening now “because we are very strong, and nations are coming to us, not just Lebanon.” “In the negotiations with Lebanon, there are two central goals: First, the disarming of Hezbollah, and second, a sustainable peace. Peace through strength,” Mr. Netanyahu said. The prime minister also announced that he had instructed the IDF to continue “widening the security zone” in southern Lebanon and to also “spread it eastward toward the slopes of Mount Hermon, so that we can better assist our Druze brothers in their time of distress.”This comes after Israel’s security cabinet convened on Wednesday evening reportedly to discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah. A senior Israeli political source told Channel 12 that Jerusalem’s assessment is “that within a few days, we will have no choice but to fully cease fire in Lebanon.”Washington is attempting to bring about a week-long ceasefire to assist negotiations with Iran, the report added. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf attempted to take credit for any future ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying that it would be the “result of the resistance and steadfast struggle of the great Hezbollah and the unity of the Axis of Resistance.”“The United States must comply with the agreement. Resistance and Iran are one soul, both in war and in ceasefire. America should withdraw from ‘Israel First’ mistake,” he added.IDF chief Eyal Zamir meanwhile visited Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon on Wednesday where he revealed that he ordered the entire area of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River become a “no-go zone” for Hezbollah operatives.“Yesterday I approved further plans together with the General Staff Forum. We continue to conduct ongoing situational assessments and approve plans, both in Lebanon and in Iran,” he said. Mr. Zamir also said that the IDF killed over 1,700 Hezbollah members since the terror group launched its war against Israel on March 2. The Lebanese Health Ministry says more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon during the war but the ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants when announcing death tolls. Thirteen Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks so far.

Trump Says Israeli, Lebanese Leaders To Speak as Ceasefire With Hezbollah Appears Imminent

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