Smoke rises behind a building after an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tire on May 15, 2026.
Khawant Haju | AFP | Getty Images
The US State Department announced Friday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of the ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump on April 16.
“The April 16 cessation of fighting will be extended for 45 days to allow for further progress,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said.
The State Department called the Israel-Lebanon talks held in Washington on Thursday and Friday “very productive,” and announced that the two sides would resume negotiations on June 2 and June 3.
This week’s meeting was the third meeting between the two sides since Israel stepped up airstrikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired a missile at Israel on March 2, three days after the US and Israel began their war against Iran. Israel had expanded its ground invasion into southern Lebanon last month.
Israel’s war in Lebanon, which runs parallel to the U.S.-Iranian conflict, has continued to roar since U.S. President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16, but fighting in southern Lebanon has since been largely contained.
