President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, moments after presiding over the second round of direct ambassador-level talks at the White House. The initial ten-day truce, brokered in Washington last week, was due to expire on Sunday and had been repeatedly breached by exchanges of fire along the southern Lebanese border. Trump described the Oval Office meeting as having gone “very well” and declared that the United States would work with Lebanon “to help it protect itself from Hezbollah,” the Iran-backed militia whose cross-border attacks triggered the latest round of hostilities more than seven weeks ago.

Viewed from Washington, the extension represents a tactical gambit to prevent a return to full-scale conflict while the administration seeks a more durable diplomatic settlement. Trump told reporters he expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House “in the near future,” remarking that the two leaders had never met despite living next to each other. The prospect of a summit is fraught with domestic political complications: Lebanese law still criminalises contact with Israelis, a point Trump acknowledged before insisting the provision would be scrapped. In Beirut, officials welcomed the truce extension but underscored that any normalisation would require progress on border demarcation and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from disputed areas.

On the ground, the ceasefire remains fragile. Israeli air strikes killed at least five people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including a journalist, and Hezbollah retaliated with rocket fire while Thursday’s talks were under way. Analysts in London note that the militia, excluded from the negotiations, retains the capacity to derail the process if its interests are ignored. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has signalled it will abide by a Lebanese government decision to disarm only as part of a comprehensive national dialogue, a condition that Washington has so far rejected.

Looking ahead, the three-week window provides a critical breathing space. The White House is betting that sustained American mediation – coupled with Trump’s personal investment in what he calls a “historic” opportunity – can nudge both sides towards a formal peace agreement this year. Yet the path is strewn with obstacles: the unresolved role of Hezbollah, deep mutual mistrust, and the parallel standoff between the United States and Iran over the wider regional war. For now, the extension keeps diplomacy alive, but the coming weeks will test whether words on a White House statement can translate into a lasting calm along the Blue Line.