President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Lebanon and Israel will begin a 10-day ceasefire, a move seen as an important step toward easing hostilities linked to tensions between the United States and Iran.The ceasefire is e xpected to start this evening, Trump said.Trump said the agreement followed conversations he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The violence between Lebanon and Israel has been viewed as a proxy conflict, with the United States maintaining its strong alliance with Israel while Lebanon aligns with Iran.RELATED STORY | US hosts rare talks between Israel and Lebanon, but a ceasefire remains elusiveI 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, Trump wrote on Truth Social.Lebanon confirmed its agreement to the ceasefire, but had said Aoun would not speak directly with Netanyahu. Netanyahu also confirmed that Israel would agree to the temporary ceasefire to advance talks."I welcome the announcement of the ceasefire declared by President Trump, which is a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war, and was our primary goal in the Washington meeting on Tuesday," Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wrote on X.Trump said he has invited Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House for direct talks.Irans state-run Tasnim news agency reported that negotiations between the United States and Iran could resume once a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is confirmed. Iran said it was taking a principled approach by requiring a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon before continuing talks.The United States and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week cease-fire last week, which led to direct talks in Pakistan last Saturday. Those meetings ended without any peace agreement, and the two sides have not met since.RELATED STORY | Top diplomats from Israel and Lebanon meet for peace talksA key U.S. objective has been getting Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program.In recent days, the United States has deployed thousands of Navy personnel to the region to block ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports. ...read more read less