May 16, 2026 | 07:40 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel and Lebanon have agreed to another extension of their shaky truce, the US State Department announced on Friday amid talks in Washington DC."The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said.The State Department described the talks on Thursday and Friday as "highly productive" and said the countries would reconvene in early June for more negotiations. However, the meetings also coincided with Israeli military strikes on southern Lebanon and drones crashing in northern Israel. The truce struck on April 16 and extended twice has considerably reduced the volume of strikes, particularly in more northern parts of Lebanon and the capital Beirut, but violations have taken place more or less daily. Iran-backed Hezbollah first fired missiles at Israel on March 2, in response to the strikes on Iran that killed much of the leadership in Tehran, with Israel soon launching a ground invasion into what it's declared a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon near the de facto border. Lebanon says ceasefire extension paves way for 'lasting stability'The extension of a ceasefire in Lebanon paves the way for "lasting stability," Lebanon's negotiating delegation in Washington said on Friday."The Lebanese delegation welcomes today's outcome," it said, in a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency. "The extension of the ceasefire and the establishment of a US-facilitated security track provide critical breathing space for our citizens, reinforce state institutions, and advance a political pathway toward lasting stability."Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter described the talks as "frank and constructive.""There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great. What will be paramount throughout negotiations is the security of our citizens and our soldiers," Leiter said on X.Meanwhile, in southern Lebanon, an Israeli strikekilled at least six people, including three paramedics, Lebanon's Health Ministry said on Friday, just as a shaky ceasefire in the country was extended for 45 days.The paramedics were from the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee, the French AFP news agency reported.The Health Ministry said the Israeli strike "directly targeted" the health center in Haruf in southern Lebanon. A fourth paramedic was critically wounded, and the center was "completely destroyed."Read: UN: Lebanon Crisis Deepens Despite CeasefireClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
