Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced yesterday, two days after the countries held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington.

The truce that Trump said was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern follows more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group. The president also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what he said would be “the first meaningful talks” between the countries since 1983.

“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 saying Lebanon would formally recognise Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon.

The deal fell apart during Lebanon’s civil war and was formally rescinded a year later, reports The Associated Press. Trump said the pause in fighting followed “excellent” conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s powerful army chief met yesterday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to a ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war between Israel, the US and the Islamic Republic. It was unclear whether the frantic diplomacy could lead to a lasting deal as the two-week ceasefire passes the halfway mark.

The Iran war has killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil. Iranian state television did not provide details on the meeting between Pakistani Army Gen. Asim Munir and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has emerged as his country’s chief negotiator.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, which has become a key mediator after hosting direct talks between the US and Iran that authorities said helped narrow differences between the sides. Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire expires next week.