Trump Persuades Israel to Agree to Ceasefire with Hezbollah: Use Common Sense!
United States (US) President Donald Trump has claimed he persuaded Israeli authorities to agree to a ceasefire with the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group. The claim was made after Israel and Hezbollah were announced to have agreed to extend the ceasefire starting Friday (19/6) afternoon.
Speaking to NBC News, as reported by Anadolu Agency and The Guardian on Saturday (20/6/2026), Trump said he spoke by telephone with Israeli authorities on Friday (19/6) morning and asked them to agree to the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
“This is a positive thing,” Trump said in the interview. “It’s like a sweet addition,” he added.
After the continuation of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah this week, Trump told NBC News that he is “always good” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also revealed the message he conveyed to Tel Aviv to agree to the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
“Sometimes you just need to calm down and use common sense,” Trump said in his message to Israel. He declined to say whether he spoke directly with Netanyahu.
The extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was confirmed by a senior US official, who declined to be named, speaking to Anadolu Agency and Reuters. The senior US official said the ceasefire extension took effect on Friday (19/6) afternoon at 4:00 p.m. local time. No further details were provided about the agreement to extend the ceasefire.
It is known that a barrage of Israeli attacks continues in various regions of Lebanon. At least 47 people were killed and several others injured as a result of a series of Israeli air strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon since Friday (19/6) morning. Four Israeli soldiers were also killed by Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon.
This marked the deadliest escalation since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The MoU was signed electronically and remotely by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday (17/6) evening.
According to official data, the series of Israeli military attacks in Lebanon since 2 March have killed a total of at least 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and caused more than one million residents to flee their homes. Israel continues to occupy areas of southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the latest conflict erupted. During recent military operations, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory.