President Donald Trump made a major announcement relating to his war on Iran in a late-night Truth Social post.
Shortly before midnight, the 79-year-old announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would hold talks for the first time in more than three decades.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years.” He added that a meeting would take place between the two countries on Thursday.
He concluded: “Nice!”
It is unclear who will be involved in the talks. Israeli cabinet member Galia Gamliel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would speak to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, however Beirut said it was unaware of plans for high-level discussions.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The announcement comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese envoys in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
The talks concluded with “encouraging words and talk of further meetings” but no further commitments, including a promise from Israel to cease its military campaign against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, the New York Times reported. Representatives for Iran and Hezbollah were not present at the talks.
“We are on the same side, we and the Lebanese, that the evil of Hezbollah must be eradicated,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said following the meeting. Rubio described the talks as a step toward “bringing a permanent end to 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah’s influence in this part of the world.”
Tuesday’s meeting was separate from the president’s diplomatic efforts regarding his war with Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials have stressed that they do not consider Lebanon to be involved in those negotiations.
Lebanon was drawn into Trump’s war on Iran after Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel in March. Israel responded with attacks that have killed over 2,000 people, injured more than 7,000 and displaced over a million, including initiating a ground invasion in southern Lebanon in an attempt to seize territory and create a “buffer zone.”
After Israel’s security cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a potential ceasefire with Lebanon, a U.S. official told Axios that Trump would “welcome and be happy with an end of hostilities.”
“The U.S. hasn’t asked Israel for a ceasefire in Lebanon and it’s not part of the peace negotiations with Iran. But the president would welcome and be happy with an end of hostilities as part of an agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the official said. The cabinet meeting ended without making a decision on a ceasefire.
Citing Lebanese officials, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that a ceasefire could be announced soon.
The White House has said that talks between the U.S. and Iran regarding its war are “productive and ongoing,” with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that the U.S. “feels good about the prospects of a deal”.
Trump initiated war with Iran on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel began conducting joint strikes on the Middle Eastern nation.
The strikes, which resulted in the deaths of multiple senior Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have killed over 2,000 Iranians and injured at least 26,000 more.
Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed in retaliatory strikes, and hundreds have been injured.
With a two-week ceasefire in place, Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that his war with Iran is “very close to over” while bragging about the scale of destruction he has caused.
“You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” the 79-year-old told host Maria Bartiromo. “And we’re not finished. But we’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, initiated in response to Iran’s closure of the crucial passage, continues, and thousands of U.S. troops are expected to arrive in the region ahead of the ceasefire deadline in six days’ time.
