Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a 10-day cessation of hostilities from April 16 2026 at 17:00 EST to facilitate US-brokered direct negotiations for a permanent peace agreement the State Department said. The pact affirms both nations are not at war and requires Lebanon to curb non-state armed groups while allowing Israel to defend itself.
According to the State Department statement the truce is intended as a goodwill gesture by Israel to create conditions for good-faith talks on security stability and mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The initial period may be extended by mutual agreement if progress occurs in the negotiations and Lebanon demonstrates its ability to assert sovereignty over its territory. Israel committed to avoiding offensive military operations against Lebanese targets by land air or sea during the cessation although its right to take all necessary self-defense measures against planned imminent or ongoing attacks remains fully preserved.
Lebanon pledged with international support to take meaningful steps preventing Hezbollah and all other rogue non-state armed groups from carrying out attacks operations or hostile activities against Israeli targets from the start time onward according to the announcement. The statement stressed that only Lebanon’s security forces including the Lebanese Armed Forces Internal Security Forces Directorate of General Security General Directorate of State Security Lebanese Customs and Municipal Police are authorized to bear arms in the country. Both parties recognized the significant challenges that non-state armed groups pose to Lebanese sovereignty and regional stability the release added.
Israel and Lebanon requested that the United States facilitate further direct negotiations to resolve all remaining issues including demarcation of the international land boundary with the objective of concluding a comprehensive agreement the State Department reported. The commitments were accepted concurrently by both governments alongside the April 16 announcement. The United States further intends to lead international efforts to support Lebanon as part of its broader work to advance stability and prosperity in the region according to the statement.
The development follows a November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that has been repeatedly violated. The United Nations has counted more than 10 000 Israeli ceasefire violations since then Al Jazeera reported. Those violations have led to at least 127 civilian deaths in Lebanon according to data from the UN human rights office.
In the 2024 war that preceded the initial truce more than 3 700 Lebanese were killed and 1.2 million displaced Al Jazeera figures show. The April 14 talks that produced this understanding were described as productive in the joint statement. The announcement affirmed that the two countries are not at war and commit to engaging in good-faith direct negotiations facilitated by the United States with the objective of achieving a comprehensive agreement that ensures lasting security stability and peace.
“Both countries recognize the significant challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups which undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and threaten regional stability” the statement said. It further noted that all parties recognize Lebanon’s security forces as having exclusive responsibility for Lebanon’s sovereignty and national defense with no other country or group having claim to be the guarantor of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
