Trump "Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by 3 weeks"... Will it revive US-Iran war negotiation momentum?

U.S. President Donald Trump directly mediating high-level talks between Israel and Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 23rd (local time) that "the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by 3 weeks."

President Trump wrote on his social media Truth Social that he personally presided over the meeting with high-level representatives from Israel and Lebanon held in the White House Oval Office.

This meeting was the second one, taking place 9 days after the first high-level meeting in 33 years was held on the 14th in Washington D.C. between Nada Hamadeh Moawad, the Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S., and Yekiel Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Two days after the first meeting on the 14th, President Trump had announced on the 16th that the two countries had agreed to a ten-day ceasefire.

This ceasefire was scheduled to end on the 25th, and President Trump's announcement today means it will be extended until mid-next month.

President Trump stated that the meeting "went very well" and that "the United States will cooperate to help Lebanon defend itself from Hezbollah."

He also mentioned that not only he but also other high-ranking U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Issa, participated in the meeting as mediators.

Initially, the U.S. mediated the Israel-Lebanon war (the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian armed faction in Lebanon) ceasefire, which was linked to the war with Iran, because it judged that this conflict could be an obstacle to peace negotiations with Iran.

While the U.S. and Iran were engaged in peace negotiations after agreeing to a ceasefire, Iran had claimed that Israel's attack on Lebanon violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether this ceasefire extension will positively impact the peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, where uncertainty is growing.

President Trump reiterated his invitation to the leaders of both countries in his post, saying, "I look forward to welcoming Israel's Bibi (nickname for Benjamin) Netanyahu and Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (to the White House) soon," and added, "It was an honor to be part of this very historic meeting."