A 10-day ceasefire agreed on by Israel and Lebanon goes into effect
[April 17, 2026]
By KAREEM CHEHAYEB, ABBY SEWELL and ELENA BECATOROS
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — A 10-day truce began in Lebanon on Friday that
could pause fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and
boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States
and Israel after weeks of devastating war.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire
between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with
Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants
inside the country, who were not formally part of the agreement.
Barrages of gunshots rang out across Beirut as residents fired into the
air just after midnight to celebrate the beginning of the truce.
Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s
southern suburbs, despite warnings by officials not to attempt to return
to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the
ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli
troops would not withdraw.
Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the
border area as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what
officials have called a “security zone.” Netanyahu, in his video
address, said it will extend 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon.
“That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.
Hezbollah said that “Israeli occupation on our land grants Lebanon and
its people the right to resist it, and this matter will be determined
based on how developments unfold” — a stance that could complicate the
ceasefire.
Israel reserves right to defend itself
The U.S. State Department said that according to the agreement, Israel
reserves the right to defend itself “at any time, against planned,
imminent, or ongoing attacks.” But otherwise, Israel “will not carry out
any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including
civilian, military, and other state targets.”
The wording suggested Israel would maintain the freedom to strike at
will, as it did in the months following the ceasefire that ended the
previous war. This time, Hezbollah said it would respond to any strikes
by Israel.
It's unclear when the 1 million people displaced by the war will be able
to safely return.
Lebanon’s state-run National News agency reported that Israeli shelling
continued in the villages of Khiam and Dibbine about a half hour after
the truce went into effect. Israel’s military said it was looking into
reports of shelling and artillery fire in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah kept firing rockets at northern Israeli towns and communities
right up to the start of the ceasefire. Air raid sirens went off in some
often-targeted border towns less than 10 minutes before midnight.
Flurry of diplomacy
The agreement came after a meeting between Israel's and Lebanon’s
ambassadors in Washington and a flurry of subsequent phone calls from
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a White House
official.
They were the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in
decades. Hezbollah had opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Trump spoke Wednesday evening with Netanyahu, who agreed to a ceasefire
with certain terms, according to the official, who was not authorized to
comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rubio then called Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, who got on board.
Trump then spoke with Aoun, and again with Netanyahu.
The State Department worked with both governments to formulate a
memorandum of understanding for the truce.
“May have been a historic day for Lebanon. Good things are happening!!!”
Trump said in a social media post.
Trump extends White House invitation
Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel
and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to
disarming the group.
Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was
established in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic
engagement with Israel.
Trump also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House
for what he said would be “the first meaningful talks" between the
countries since 1983.
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Residents stand next to the rubble of a destroyed building that was
hit a week ago in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon,
Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen,
quickly,” Trump wrote on social media.
Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 saying Lebanon would
formally recognize Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon.
The deal fell apart during Lebanon’s civil war and was formally
rescinded a year later.
A Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was a result of Iran’s
negotiations with the U.S., in which Iran had insisted Lebanon be
included in its own ceasefire, and came about through efforts by
mediator Pakistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Pakistan army chief meets with Iranian parliament speaker
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with Iran’s parliament
speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension
to a ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war between
Israel, the U.S. and Iran.
It was unclear whether the frantic diplomacy could lead to a lasting
deal before the ceasefire ends next week. The Iran war has killed
thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the
flow of oil.
Iranian state television did not provide details on the meeting
between Pakistani Army Gen. Asim Munir and Iranian Parliament
Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, his country’s chief negotiator.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, a key mediator after
hosting the talks between the U.S. and Iran that authorities said
helped narrow differences between the sides.
The White House said any further talks regarding Iran would likely
take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision
had been made on whether to resume negotiations. The fragile
ceasefire is holding despite a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports
and Iranian counter-threats to target regional ports across the Red
Sea.
Trump suggested the ceasefire could be extended.
“If we’re close to a deal, would I extend?” Trump said in an
exchange with reporters. “Yeah, I would do that.”
The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as
shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have pounded military and
civilian infrastructure. Oil prices have fallen amid hopes for an
end to fighting, and U.S. stocks on Wednesday surpassed records set
in January.
Officials say US and Iran are making progress
Even as the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian
threats strained the ceasefire, regional officials reported
progress, telling AP the United States and Iran had an “in-principle
agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
But tensions simmered.
The commander of Iran’s joint military command, Ali Abdollahi,
threatened to halt trade in the region if the U.S. does not lift its
naval blockade, and a newly appointed military adviser to Iranian
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he does not support extending
the ceasefire.
Mediators seek compromise on sticking points
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than
2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab
states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking
points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and
compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official
involved in the mediation efforts.
Since the war began, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic through the
strait, which a fifth of global oil transited through in peacetime.
Tehran’s effective closure of the strait sent oil prices
skyrocketing, raising the cost of fuel, food and other basic goods
far beyond the Middle East.
___
Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece. Matthew Lee and Ben
Finley in Washington, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Melanie Lidman in Tel
Aviv, Israel, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this
report.
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