Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of the ceasefire that has tamped down conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as two days of US-facilitated talks in Washington concluded on Friday.
“The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X, describing the discussions as “highly productive.” The previous ceasefire had been set to expire on Sunday.
It was the third meeting between the two delegations since Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2 — three days into the US-Israeli war with Iran. The bombing campaign and ground invasion into southern Lebanon displaced about 1.2 million people before President Donald Trump announced an initial ceasefire last month following ambassadorial talks in Washington.
The negotiations have now expanded beyond diplomats to include security and military officials. Pigott said a new “security track” will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29, while the State Department will convene the two sides on June 2-3 for a political track.
“We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” Pigott said.
Lebanon’s delegation — attending despite objections from Hezbollah — said it wanted to turn the ceasefire momentum into a lasting peace agreement. “The extension of the ceasefire and the establishment of a US-facilitated security track provide critical breathing space for our citizens, reinforce state institutions, and advance a political pathway toward lasting stability,” the delegation said.
Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter described the talks as “frank and constructive,” writing on X: “There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great.”
The Lebanon-Israel diplomacy has emerged in parallel to broader talks aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict. Iran has said ending Israel’s war in Lebanon is one of its demands in the wider standoff. The 45-day window runs alongside Trump’s Beijing summit with Xi Jinping, where both leaders publicly addressed Iran and the Strait of Hormuz as joint pressure points.
The Washington meetings, the highest-level direct contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades, follow earlier rounds in April and the opening political talks brokered by Marco Rubio.
