Trump says leaders of Israel, Lebanon set to speak on Thursday

'Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years,' says US president

US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would speak directly with each other on Thursday for the first time in roughly three decades. "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. The announcement follows a meeting Tuesday at the State Department between Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, State Department Counsellor Michael Needham and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. The Hezbollah group was not represented in the meeting. Trump said last week that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce strikes on Lebanon and was told Israel would be "scaling back" operations. Israel has continued attacks in southern Lebanon following a cross-border strike by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a November 2024 ceasefire agreement. Lebanese health authorities say more than 2,000 people have been killed and more than one million displaced since March.