At the White House, Israel and the United States call for getting rid of Hezbollah from Lebanon

The White House hosted a second series of discussions between Israel and Lebanon, concluding with a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Jerusalem and Beirut. Following the private meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump invited the ambassadors of both countries to speak to the press in the Oval Office.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, praised the American initiative and reiterated Israel’s commitment to achieving peace with Lebanon while ensuring the security of its citizens. He stated that Israel and the Lebanese government shared a common goal of ridding the country of the negative influence of Hezbollah. Leiter suggested that with Iran weakening under President Trump’s administration, there was now a real opportunity to marginalize Hezbollah and “free Lebanon from its grip.” He also expressed hope for a future formalization of peace between Israel and Lebanon.

On the other hand, Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh, thanked Donald Trump for his role in what she called a “historic moment,” without explicitly mentioning normalization with Israel. “With your support, we can restore Lebanon to its greatness,” she said, echoing a slogan reminiscent of the American president’s, which brought a smile to his face.

Several American officials then spoke, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Rubio believed that this ceasefire extension provided an opportunity to progress towards a “permanent peace” between the two countries. He emphasized that both Israel and Lebanon were victims of the same terrorist organization, Hezbollah, and that this threat needed to be eliminated.

Huckabee, on the other hand, likened Hezbollah to “a small neighborhood bully throwing rocks at everyone’s windows.” He suggested that if this behavior stopped, neighbors could finally cooperate and live in peace. He stated that the American initiative aimed precisely to eliminate this factor of regional destabilization.

Context: The article reports on recent discussions and a ceasefire extension between Israel and Lebanon at the White House, including statements from the ambassadors and American officials.

Fact Check: The date “23/04/2026” mentioned in the video caption is a future date and therefore inaccurate.