US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa during a US hosted meeting with Israeli and Lebanese delegations at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 2, 2026. (Credit: Kent Nishimura/AFP)
Since U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he secured a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, questions swirled over the circumstances that led to the agreement, its scope, its durability, and whether it could eventually be extended to all of Lebanese territory.What is becoming clearer now is that a combination of factors converged to push Trump to increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, persuading him to halt strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and open a new track of discussions on how to move gradually toward a comprehensive cease-fire. Read more Beirut spared, but Israel continues to attack the South Lebanon welcomed the development and sought to capitalize on it during the fourth round of negotiations held Tuesday at the U.S. State Department, pressing for the cease-fire to be consolidated....
Since U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he secured a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, questions swirled over the circumstances that led to the agreement, its scope, its durability, and whether it could eventually be extended to all of Lebanese territory.What is becoming clearer now is that a combination of factors converged to push Trump to increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, persuading him to halt strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and open a new track of discussions on how to move gradually toward a comprehensive cease-fire. Read more Beirut spared, but Israel continues to attack the South Lebanon welcomed the development and sought to capitalize on it during the fourth round of negotiations held Tuesday at the U.S. State Department, pressing for the cease-fire to be...
