Israel, Lebanon truce to be extended by 3 weeks: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the current 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks, shortly after the two countries held their second ambassador-level talks here Thursday afternoon, reported Xinhua.

The United States is going to work with the government of Lebanon to help it protect itself from Hezbollah, Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump said he met with representatives of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office, along with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. ambassadors to Israel and Lebanon.

"The Meeting went very well!" Trump claimed, providing no details.

"I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun," Trump added.

Trump said last week he was expecting to meet Netanyahu and Aoun at the White House "over the next week or two" in hopes that the two sides could broker a peace deal, which will also address Hezbollah.

The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on April 16, following weeks of intensified cross-border fighting amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations, and Hezbollah has long been viewed by Israel as a "proxy" of Iran. The negotiating party with Israel is the Lebanese government, not Hezbollah.

The truce has remained fragile as tensions along Lebanon's southern border have continued during the current ceasefire.

3 killed in Israeli attacks on S. Lebanon

Three people were killed and two others, including a child, were injured in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center.

The deaths resulted from an Israeli airstrike on the Shoukine road in Nabatieh district, and the injuries from Israeli artillery shelling on the town of Yater in Bint Jbeil district, it said.

Israeli strikes and military activity have intensified across the south, with Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reporting a large explosion by Israeli forces in the town of Chamaa, along with additional detonations in other areas.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said Thursday it targeted Israeli troop positions in the village of Taybeh with an attack drone and additional weapons, citing Israeli violations of the ongoing 10-day ceasefire. The group said it also downed an Israeli reconnaissance drone over Majdal Zoun.

Also on Thursday, Lebanon's Disaster Risk Management Unit reported that the cumulative death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the country has risen to 2,483, with 7,707 others injured since March 2.

The developments came despite the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that came into effect at midnight between April 16 and 17, following weeks of intensified cross-border fighting amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Israeli and Lebanese officials held talks in Washington on April 14. A second round of discussions is scheduled for Thursday.