Israel, Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire deal

Israel and Lebanon, adversaries since Israel’s founding in 1948, have entered an unexpected 10-day ceasefire beginning at 12 a.m. local time on April 17 (6 a.m. in South Korea), with the United States acting as mediator. The agreement is being viewed as a potential stepping stone toward broader diplomatic efforts aimed at winding down the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which began on Feb. 28, raising expectations that a second round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran could take place as early as this weekend in Pakistan.

Iran had previously made a halt to Israeli strikes on Lebanon a precondition in a 2-week ceasefire arrangement reached with the United States on April 7. Israel, however, has pressed ahead with its military operations, saying it is targeting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, further complicating efforts to move forward with broader negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 16 local time that the war with Iran would “end pretty soon.” He also told reporters he could travel to Pakistan if necessary to help conclude a second round of talks, saying, “I might go if the deal is done.” Trump further claimed Iran had agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons for the next 20 years and had consented to the removal of its stockpile of enriched uranium, saying Tehran would hand over what he called “nuclear dust” to the United States.

Iran has not confirmed those assertions. Major gaps remain over limits on Tehran’s nuclear program and the status of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively restricted since the outbreak of hostilities. Trump also warned that military action could resume if no agreement is reached. The Washington Post noted that the United States has previously claimed Iran had scaled back or abandoned its nuclear ambitions, only for those assertions to later prove inaccurate.

Uncertainty also hangs over the Lebanon ceasefire. While Israel and Iran issued statements welcoming the deal, Lebanese authorities said on April 17 that Israel had violated the terms multiple times even after it took effect. Hezbollah also warned it would exercise its “right to resist” if Israeli forces remain in Lebanon during the ceasefire period.

On April 16, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Hezbollah “must behave in a calm and correct manner during this important period.” He also suggested that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon could meet at the White House in Washington within the next one to two weeks.


Woo-Sun Lim imsun@donga.com