Dialogue ends in Washington: Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by 45 days

international

International Desk

2026-05-16

Israel and Lebanon decided to extend the ceasefire by 45 days. This decision ended the two-day dialogue between the government representatives of the two countries in Washington.

US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed this information on social media on Friday, saying, “The two-day dialogue between Israel and Lebanon in Washington ended on Friday. The dialogue was very fruitful. The cease-fire announced by Israel-Lebanon on April 16 has been extended for another 45 days after this dialogue.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a military operation in southern Lebanon on March 2, 3 days after the US forces launched an air campaign against Iran on March 28. The main objective of this operation was to completely eliminate Hezbollah, a Shiite armed Islamic group based in Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon announced a ceasefire on April 16 with the intervention of the United States after a month and a half of continuous conflict. The break was supposed to end next Sunday; But before that, Israel-Lebanon extended the period for another 45 days.

From March 2 until the cease-fire was announced on April 16, 2,814 people were killed, more than 12,000 injured, and more than 1 million Lebanese were forced to leave their homes in search of safe haven in the IDF's operations in southern Lebanon.

However, despite the ceasefire, the IDF has carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon in the past month. Some Bangladeshis are among those killed in these attacks. They went to work there as migrant workers.

The dialogue between Israel and Lebanon in Washington from last Wednesday to Friday has another significance. It was mainly through this dialogue that the meeting between the two neighboring countries of the Middle East took place after a few decades. Tommy Piggott said in an interview that US military and security officials were included in the highest-level talks between Israel and Lebanon. By April 29, Pentagon officials will propose a new 'security line' between the two countries. Based on that, the representatives of Israel and Lebanon will meet again from June 2 to 3. That dialogue will also be held in Washington.

“We hoped that these dialogues would play an effective role in strengthening the foundations of lasting peace between the two countries, fully recognizing each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and enhancing the security of the border areas,” Pigot said in the interview.

Source: Reuters

Bangladesh /J