From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Trump says will invite Netanyahu and Lebanese President Aoun to White House
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Moments after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, US President Donald Trump says he will be inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House “for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”
“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” Trump writes.
The 1983 talks between Israel and Lebanon referenced by Trump were aimed at an Israeli withdrawal following the 1982 Lebanon war, though the agreement reached ultimately fell through.
Before Israeli and Lebanese envoys met in the US earlier this week, laying the ground work for today’s ceasefire announcement, the last time senior officials from the two countries met in-person was in 1993, as part of the Madrid Peace Conference, which sought to bring together Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Trump has referenced that previous meeting, while incorrectly stating that it took place 34 years ago.
A Netanyahu-Aoun meeting at the White House would be the Israeli premier’s seventh visit to the US, the most of any foreign leader by far.
The Times of Israel Community.