Trump Claims 10-Day Ceasefire in Lebanon Has Begun
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON - A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel is said to take effect on Thursday. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that the next meeting between the United States and Iran might occur over the weekend.
Trump said that Iran has offered not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were a key point in negotiations in Islamabad last weekend.
“We’ll see what happens. But I think we’re close to a deal with Iran,” he told reporters outside the White House.
The war with Iran, which began on 28 February with US-Israel strikes, has killed thousands of people and caused oil prices to surge, creating major political problems for the US president.
The war spread to Lebanon on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired shots in support of Tehran, triggering Israeli attacks in Lebanon 15 months after the last major conflict. At least 2,000 Lebanese martyrs have been killed due to Israeli strikes. Dozens of Israeli soldiers, as well as three Indonesian peacekeeping troops, have also fallen victim to the attacks.
The ceasefire in Lebanon should be part of the two-week package ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran last week. However, at that time, Israel instead launched a massive attack on Lebanon that killed around 300 people.
The current ceasefire in Lebanon paves the way for a broader peace agreement with Iran, amid Trump’s efforts, which so far have struggled to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and block Iran’s path to developing nuclear weapons.
Celebratory gunfire echoed across Beirut on Friday morning as the clock struck midnight, when the ceasefire took effect. For about half an hour, the sound of rockets fired in celebration could also be heard.
“I think we have a chance,” Trump said, referring to the potential deal with Iran. “And if it happens, oil prices will drop dramatically, prices will drop dramatically, inflation will drop dramatically, and… most importantly, a nuclear disaster will not occur.”