ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Lebanon and Israel have agreed to extend their ceasefire for another 45 days following US-mediated negotiations aimed at advancing toward a more permanent arrangement, the US State Department said on Friday.
“The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a post on X, adding that the parties would hold negotiations on June 2 and 3 to reach a permanent agreement, with the Pentagon hosting military delegations on May 29.
The ceasefire, established in mid-April, was due to expire on Sunday. Pigott said the US “hosted two days of highly-productive talks” between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday and Friday.
The US, Israel and Lebanon consider the ceasefire to be in effect despite continued violence, with Israel striking targets in Lebanon during the talks and near-daily exchanges reported between Israel and Hezbollah along the southern border since the truce began.
"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.
The war between Iran and the US-Israel alliance spilled across the Middle East, drawing several Iran-aligned groups into the confrontation, with Hezbollah - widely seen as Tehran’s most powerful regional ally - launching rockets, drones and missiles toward northern Israel since early March, opening what analysts described as a second front of the conflict.
Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted that the ceasefire Tehran reached with Washington on April 8 included Lebanon.