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Security cabinet said to consider one-week Lebanon ceasefire amid US pressure

16 April 2026 09:05 (UTC +04:00)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet convened on Wednesday night, reportedly to discuss a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, amid growing expectations in Jerusalem that a truce may be unavoidable in the face of US pressure, The Times of Israel reports.

“Our assessment is that within a few days, we will have no choice but to fully cease fire in Lebanon,” a senior Israeli political source told Channel 12.

The network said that the US is pressing Israel to agree to a temporary one-week ceasefire in its fight against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, hoping such a step will aid US-backed negotiations between Israel and Lebanon as well as Washington’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war there.

Sources in Hezbollah and the Lebanese government told Reuters that efforts at reaching a ceasefire were underway. The reports came a day after a historic Israeli-Lebanese meeting in Washington, and six weeks after Hezbollah began attacking Israel amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, drawing a heavy Israeli military response.

For its part, the US denied pressuring Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon.

“This is not something we have asked for, nor is it part of the peace negotiations with Iran, but the president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” read a statement attributed to a senior US official that was sent to querying reporters.

The Wednesday night security cabinet meeting ended without a decision, Channel 12 later reported, citing two Israeli officials familiar with the matter.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued on Wednesday. Five IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously and four lightly, in a Hezbollah rocket attack in southern Lebanon, the military announced. The troops were taken to a hospital and their families were notified, the IDF added.