By Deutsche Welle
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed the importance of a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, before entering into direct talks, the holding of which has not been confirmed, after Donald Trump announced a meeting for this Thursday (04/16/2026) between the “leaders” of both countries.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and thanked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his “efforts toward a ceasefire” with Israel.
Washington has not publicly expressed its support for a ceasefire in Lebanon as a precondition, and the Israeli government has presented the possible meeting as peace talks focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Aoun’s office did not mention speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Iranian website NourNews reported that Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the influential speaker of the Iranian parliament, highlighted the importance of a ceasefire in Lebanon during a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri.
According to the report, published by the site, which maintains close contacts with Iranian security officials, Qalibaf emphasized that Iranian authorities are closely following developments in Lebanon and pushing for a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East war. “A ceasefire in Lebanon is as important to us as a ceasefire in Iran,” he reportedly declared.
