US President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on Thursday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks.
His post came after he participated in the direct talks between Israel and Lebanon at the White House.
"The President of the United States, DONALD J. TRUMP, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, met today with High Ranking Representatives of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office. The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump wrote.
“The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS. I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. It was a Great Honor to be a participant at this very Historic Meeting!" he added.
Trump’s announcement followed Hezbollah’s latest blatant violation of the ceasefire, when the terrorist group fired four rockets towards Shtula in the Western Galilee just before midnight.
All of the rockets were intercepted by air defense systems. No impacts were reported inside Israeli territory, and there were no casualties.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement, “Following the sirens that sounded in the area of Shtula a short while ago, several launches that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were identified."
It added, “The Israeli Air Force intercepted the launches. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol."
In a separate statement, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that earlier on Thursday, the IDF struck and eliminated three Hezbollah terrorists who launched a surface-to-air missile toward an Israeli Air Force aircraft, unsuccessfully.
In an additional incident, terrorists launched an explosive UAV toward IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon. Shortly afterward, the IDF struck terrorist infrastructure in the area.
A reservist was lightly injured by the explosive UAV and required medical treatment. His family was notified.
Additionally, the Hezbollah terrorist organization launched rockets toward IDF soldiers operating south of the Forward Defense Line, in the Aainata area in southern Lebanon. Some were intercepted, while others fell near the troops. No injuries were reported.
In addition, the IDF identified and dismantled two loaded and ready-to-launch launchers.
“These constitute blatant violations of the ceasefire understandings. The IDF continues to operate in order to remove threats to Israeli civilians and IDF troops," the statement said.
Lebanon and Israel, formally at war since 1948, held an initial round of talks in Washington on April 14. Two days later, the US announced a ten-day truce in the conflict.
Despite the ceasefire, Hezbollah’s violations have continued, and Israel has retaliated by striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
The ceasefire framework published by the US State Department last week stipulates that Israel retains what it described as the right to self-defense against threats.
Hezbollah has criticized the decision to engage in direct negotiations, accusing the Lebanese government of making concessions without broad political or public consensus.
Lebanese officials have reiterated that decisions regarding war, peace, and negotiations rest solely with the state, stressing that the diplomatic track seeks to spare the country further suffering.