Lebanese Official Says Beirut To Seek One-Month Cease-Fire Extension

14:41 22.4.2026

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a second round of talks in Washington on April 23, with a Lebanese official saying Beirut will seek a one-month extension of a fragile US-mediated cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which is due to expire on April 26.

The official told the AFP news agency that Lebanon would also seek an end to Israeli bombing and destruction in areas where Israeli troops remain and a renewed commitment to the truce.

The 10-day cease-fire has come under strain, with Hezbollah saying they fired rockets at northern Israel this week in response to Israeli violations, while Israel accused the group of breaches and said it killed two militants in south Lebanon.

On April 22, an Israeli strike killed two people in southern Lebanon in a strike on a car, Lebanon’s state news agency reported. Hezbollah said it launched an attack drone at Israeli forces in the south.

Hezbollah is a Tehran-backed militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.

Cross-border hostilities escalated on March 2 after Hezbollah opened fire in support of Iran during the regional war.

The Lebanese government says extending the cease-fire is a prerequisite for broader negotiations covering an Israeli troop withdrawal, the return of Lebanese detainees, and land border demarcation between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend the meeting.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has called the talks a “historic decision” after more than four decades without direct negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel have remained formally in a state of war since Lebanon joined the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli conflict following Israel’s creation, though hostilities have flared only intermittently since.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

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