Displaced family members pack their belongings as they prepare to return home following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A ten-day ceasefire deal agreed between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he was trying to set up the first-ever face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries.
The truce, which Trump said would begin at midnight local time in Lebanon and Israel (2100 GMT), comes as Washington steps up efforts to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, with Tehran insisting a Lebanon truce must be part of any agreement.
Gunfire rang out in Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah's heartland, as the ceasefire came into effect — an apparent bout of spontaneous celebration, although that could not be confirmed.
The Middle East war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and Lebanon was pulled in when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2.
Since then, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, while Israeli ground forces have invaded the country's south.
As the ceasefire came into force, Israel's military said it had struck over 380 "Hezbollah terror organization targets in southern Lebanon" and was on "high alert" to resume strikes.
The U.S. leader said the deal to halt hostilities came after "excellent" phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
"These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," or 2100 GMT, Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
He later said he expected Netanyahu and Aoun to visit the White House "over the next four or five days".
A top-level face-to-face meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli leadership would be a watershed moment for the region.
An Israeli hospital spokesman said three people were injured on Thursday, shortly before the truce began.
An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh killed at least seven people and wounded 33, Lebanon's health ministry said earlier Thursday.
Netanyahu said the ceasefire with Lebanon offered an opportunity for a "historic peace agreement" with Beirut — but insisted disarmament of militant group Hezbollah remained a precondition.
Trump said Hezbollah was included in the ceasefire, but according to the U.S. State Department the truce committed Lebanon itself to dismantle the Iran-backed militant group.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, and pointedly called on "all actors to fully respect" it — phrasing that would include Hezbollah.
Trump spoke about the ceasefire with reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Las Vegas.
"It's very exciting," Trump said in response to a question from an AFP reporter. "Today they're going to be having a ceasefire, and that'll include Hezbollah."
Trump later said Lebanon would "take care of Hezbollah", adding that he believed the Tehran-backed group would stick to the ceasefire.
Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the truce but will maintain a ten-kilometre (six-mile) "security zone" along the border in southern Lebanon.
He added that Israel maintained two conditions for the ceasefire: Hezbollah's disarmament, and a lasting peace agreement "based on strength."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, saying a truce was a "key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war" between Hezbollah and Israel.
Ahead of the ceasefire, Aoun's office thanked Trump for his "efforts" to secure the truce. But the Lebanese president rejected Trump's request for a direct call with Netanyahu, an official source told AFP.
The ceasefire comes after the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met in Washington this week — the first meeting of its kind since 1993.
