Middle East crisis live: Netanyahu confirms Israel has agreed to 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon

US president Donald Trump has said he would visit Lebanon “at the right time”, and confirmed that a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon starting Thursday would include Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“Today they’re going to be having a ceasefire, and that’ll include Hezbollah,” Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said “at the right time I would visit Lebanon”.

In the same press conference, Trump said it’s “very important” for Pope Leo to understand that Iran is a threat to the world. This comes as the pontiff and president are feuding over the United States’ war on Iran.

Earlier today, the pope used a speech in Cameroon to decry leaders who use religion to justify wars. He also criticised leaders who spend billions on wars. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”

On Sunday, Donald Trump took aim at the pope and called him “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” in a post on Truth Social. The US president’s comments have been widely condemned by Catholics and the international community, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

When asked by reporters on Thursday if he would meet with the pope, Trump said: “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

And Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally confirmed that he has agreed to the 10-day cease-fire with Lebanon to try to advance a peace accord with between the two countries.

“We have the opportunity to make a historic deal with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader maintained that his key demand is that Hezbollah must be dismantled.

We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.

Further to that last post, in a written statement, Hezbollah ally and speaker of Lebanon’s parliament Nabih Berri urged Lebanese people to “postpone their return to their towns and villages until the situation becomes clearer, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.”

A senior Hezbollah source has told Al Jazeera Arabic that any ceasefire must not allow Israeli forces unrestricted movement in Lebanon – and that as long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory, the country retains the right to resist.

A ceasefire cannot include any freedom of movement for the enemy that would take us back to before March 2.

As long as the occupation remains on our land, Lebanon and its people have the right to resist by all means to force it to withdraw.

Donald Trump has said Israel and Lebanon will begin a 10-day ceasefire. In a post on Truth Social, he said he had spoken to the leaders of both countries today and claimed this would be the “tenth war” he has “solved”. Israel reportedly has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the ceasefire, it has been reported.

In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to senior international correspondent Julian Borger.

We’ve yet to hear from Israel on the ceasefire announcement, after Donald Trump basically demanded a halt to fighting from Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shortly before the ceasefire was announced by the US president, though, Netanyahu convened his security cabinet for an urgent discussion on the ceasefire, Reuters reported citing a cabinet source. Some reports suggest those on the call had only five minutes’ notice.

I’ll bring you more on that – and any official comment from Israel on the ceasefire – as I get it.

Meanwhile, as we reported earlier, Israeli military sources have indicated that Israel has no intention of withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, where it has destroyed civilian infrastructure and announced plans to occupy, during any pause in fighting.

Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam has welcomed the ten-day ceasefire agreement with Israel, which he notes Lebanon has demanded since the outbreak of the war.

Salam said the agreement was Lebanon’s “primary goal” in talks between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington on Tuesday.

He praised international efforts to secure the ceasefire, and said he hopes it will mean that Lebanon’s (1.2 million) displaced civilians will be able to return to their homes as soon as possible.

• US president Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5pm EST, signalling a pause in Israel’s conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has raged in parallel to the war with Iran. Trump’s statement, posted on Truth Social, did not specify which day the ceasefire would begin but a US official said it would start on Thursday.

• Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the announced ten day ceasefire, it has been reported. An Israeli security official confirmed the position, according to Reuters.

• Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group had been briefed on a possible short-term ceasefire to start on Thursday night by Iran’s ambassador to Beirut. Fadlallah spoke to Reuters minutes before US president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire would start at 5pm US eastern time.

• Iran wants to hold the US and Israel accountable for the assassination of its leaders, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Ismail Baghaei, told Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency. “We must do this. And I believe that it is not only Iran, but the entire international community that is calling for those responsible to be held to account,” he said.

• European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed on a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US president Donald Trump, and reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon’s territorial integrity. “I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives,” wrote von der Leyen on X.

• German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he intends to discuss US participation in any potential mission to secure the strait of Hormuz in talks co-hosted by France and Britain. The video conference is scheduled for Friday, and the French president’s office has said it aims to bring together “non-belligerent countries” ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission”.

• More than 10,000 American troops are helping enforce the blockade on Iranian ports, and while no ships have yet been boarded, the US military said Thursday that it is warning Iran-linked ships that it could fire warning shots or escalate to other force if they try to outrun the Navy. Thirteen vessels have turned around rather than confront a naval blockade that began earlier this week, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

• The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned Iran to choose “between a bridge to the future and an abyss of isolation and destruction”, saying his country could strike harder if threats persist. Speaking at a memorial ceremony, Katz said targets not yet hit by Israel would be “even more painful”, according to Israeli media reports.

• An Israeli airstrike has destroyed the last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency. The Israeli military struck the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani river, destroying it completely, the news agency reported.

• Pope Leo XIV has said the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war, in comments that will be seen as another sharp escalation in his almost week-long feud with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran. The first American-born pontiff did not mention Donald Trump by name, but used his speech in Cameroon on Thursday to denounce world leaders who invoke religion to justify violence against other nations.

In the US, the House of Representatives backed Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran on Thursday, narrowly voting to block a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorised by Congress.

The measure was defeated by 214 to 213 in the Republican-majority chamber, a day after a similar measure was blocked in the Senate for the fourth time. The vote was almost exclusively along party lines, with every Republican except one opposing the resolution, and one voting present. One Democrat voted against it.

Federal law requires congressional approval to continue military actions for more than 60 days. The US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February. Some Senate Republicans signalled yesterday that they may reassess their thinking on this issue if the war reaches 60 days.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed on a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US president Donald Trump, and reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

“I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by President Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives,” wrote von der Leyen on X.

“Europe will continue to call for the full respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we will keep supporting the Lebanese people through substantial humanitarian aid,” she added.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said he intends to discuss US participation in any potential mission to secure the strait of Hormuz in talks co-hosted by France and Britain.

The video conference is scheduled for Friday, and the French president’s office has said it aims to bring together “non-belligerent countries” ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission”.

The strait, a key route for global oil and gas shipments, has been largely closed since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Donald Trump says he has invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for the countries’ first high-level talks since 1983.

Writing on Truth Social, he said:

In addition to the statement just issued, I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago.

Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group had been briefed on a possible short-term ceasefire to start on Thursday night by Iran’s ambassador to Beirut.

Fadlallah spoke to Reuters minutes before US president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire would start at 5pm US eastern time.

When asked whether Hezbollah would abide by a possible truce, Fadlallah said everything depended on Israel halting all forms of hostilities.

Israel has no plans to withdraw its military from southern Lebanon during the announced ten day ceasefire, it has been reported.

An Israeli security official confirmed the position, according to Reuters.

US president Donald Trump has said Israel and Lebanon will begin a ten day ceasefire from 5pm EST.

In a post on Truth Social, he said he had spoken to the leaders of both countries today and claimed this would be the “tenth war” he has “solved”.

He wrote:

I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. 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.

On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.

It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun held a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday during which he thanked the US leader for his “efforts” to secure a ceasefire with Israel, the presidency in Beirut said.

“President Aoun reiterated his thanks for the efforts Trump is making to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon and to secure lasting peace and stability as a prelude to implementing the peace process in the region,” the statement said.

The call comes after Aoun rejected a US request for a “direct call” with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an official Lebanese source, and a day after Trump announced an expected call between the two countries’ “leaders”.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan told AFP on Thursday that the Lebanese government’s decision to hold direct negotiations with Israel was a “grave error”, urging Beirut to stop making concessions to Israel and the United States.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on Tuesday to begin direct talks following a landmark meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, weeks after Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.

“Direct negotiations with the enemy are a grave sin and a grave error,” Hajj Hassan said from his parliamentary office.