HUGE: President Trump Just Confirmed Major Middle East Ceasefire

With peace talks stalled after Iran refused to give up its nuclear ambitions, the future of hostilities in the region has remained in doubt this week.

In an announcement on Thursday, however, President Trump injected a dose of optimism by confirming that Israel and Lebanon had reached agreeable terms for a 10-day ceasefire.

CNBC provided coverage of the deal:

The temporary truce will start at 5 p.m. ET, Trump said in a Truth Social post.

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The development adds to growing hopes of a deal to end the Middle East war, which the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran on Feb. 28.

Israel’s heavy military strikes on Lebanon last week spurred accusations from Iran that a fragile two-week ceasefire had already been violated. Despite U.S.-Iran peace negotiations ending without a deal over the weekend, Trump said this week that the war “very close to over,” and the White House is projecting optimism about “the prospects of a deal.”

Trump’s announcement fueled widespread discussion on social media:

President Trump’s masterful brokering of this historic Israel-Lebanon ceasefire—his record-shattering 10th war-ending triumph—proves once again that only a strong, deal-making American leader like him can deliver real PEACE through unmatched strength and genius diplomacy, while…

— American Joshua The Alpha (@ripblackmamba) April 16, 2026

US president Donald Trump announces a ceasefire in Lebanon beginning at 5PM Washington time on Tuesday in a social media post after speaking with leaders from both Israel and Lebanonhttps://t.co/lYnWAfKqON pic.twitter.com/BEjtpFy9ja

— Patrick deHahn (@patrickdehahn) April 16, 2026

The Lebanese people are finally being treated as partners, not just Hezbollah's human shields. This ceasefire gives the Lebanese Army the chance to step up and take control of their own borders.

— Bonnie Click (@BonnieClick35) April 16, 2026

The positive development came just hours after an administration official said the president would “welcome” such a ceasefire, as Axios reported:

“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 U.S. official said.

• Israeli officials said the war in Lebanon and a potential ceasefire would be discussed during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday night.
• The meeting ended without the Israeli government making a decision on a ceasefire.

State of play: Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a rare meeting between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats on Tuesday.

Here’s some additional coverage of the fruitful negotiations:

How do you feel about it?