Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has agreed to a temporary 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon but insisted that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon despite Hezbollah’s demand for their full withdrawal.

In a statement, Netanyahu said he had agreed to a “temporary ceasefire for 10 days” in order to continue discussions launched between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington, DC earlier this week.

“Hezbollah demanded that we withdraw to the international lines and adopt the principle of calm for calm. I did not agree to either of these demands,” he said.

He added that Israeli troops would remain inside an “expanded security belt” in southern Lebanon.

“The army will remain throughout the buffer zone stretching from the sea to the Shebaa Farms and the approaches to Mount Hermon, all the way to the Syrian border,” he said.

Netanyahu said Israel is entering the talks with two conditions: the disarmament of Hezbollah and a lasting peace agreement with the Lebanese government.

“There is an opportunity for a historic peace agreement with Lebanon because we have changed the balance of power,” he claimed.

He also said that US President Donald Trump had told him he remains determined to destroy what he described as Iran’s remaining capabilities, arguing that this would increase the chances of reaching an agreement.

Earlier Thursday, Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon beginning at midnight local time (2100GMT) in Beirut and Tel Aviv.

“I just had excellent conversations with the highly respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

“These two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 P.M. EST,” he added.

The announcement follows US-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations that took place Tuesday at the State Department in Washington, DC. The Hezbollah group was not represented in the meeting.

Since March 2, Israel has launched an offensive on Lebanon that has killed 2,196 people and injured 7,185 others, according to official figures. The assault has also displaced more than 1 million people. (AA)

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