Trump says Israel and Lebanon to hold talks Thursday

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, after they held a high-level face-to-face meeting in Washington Tuesday – the first such negotiation since 1993.

“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow,” Trump wrote on Truth Social without specifying who will be involved or offering further details.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel, and more than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since.

Israel’s cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said. Meanwhile, Lebanese officials believe a deal could be announced soon, according to the Financial Times.

Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in peace talks between the United States and Iran, along with how to deal with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as ‌the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough. Pakistan’s army chief and key figure in the mediation, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.