Trump Declares Hezbollah Will Be Included in Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Framework

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Hezbollah would be incorporated into the ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Lebanon, a declaration delivered just hours after he publicly disclosed a 10-day pause in hostilities between the two nations. The inclusion of the Iran-backed militant group in any formal truce represents a significant diplomatic development, given Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist organization by the United States and several allied governments.

The president’s remarks, delivered at the White House on Thursday afternoon, signal a notable recalibration of the U.S. approach to the long-running conflict along Israel’s northern border. By explicitly stating that Hezbollah would be part of the ceasefire, Trump appeared to acknowledge the reality that no cessation of hostilities can hold without the participation—tacit or otherwise—of the group that controls much of southern Lebanon and wields significant influence over Lebanese politics. Hezbollah, founded in 1982 during Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, has grown from a Shia militia into a sprawling political and paramilitary force with a parliamentary bloc and substantial backing from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The most recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, when Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in what it described as solidarity with Gaza. The conflict intensified dramatically in September 2024, when Israel carried out a coordinated pager and walkie-talkie attack that killed and wounded thousands of Hezbollah operatives, followed by airstrikes that killed the group’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. A U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire reached in November 2024 required Hezbollah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and mandated the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to the border region, but compliance has been uneven, and Israel has continued conducting strikes it characterizes as targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

The coming days will test whether the 10-day pause can be converted into a more durable arrangement, and whether Lebanese authorities—working alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces and international monitors—can persuade or compel Hezbollah to abide by the terms. Analysts will be watching for signals from Tehran, which has historically used Hezbollah as a strategic deterrent against Israel, as well as from the Lebanese government, which has been navigating severe economic collapse and political paralysis. The humanitarian stakes remain substantial, with communities in southern Lebanon and northern Israel eager to return to homes they have been unable to occupy safely for nearly two years.