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Israel and Lebanon agree to 45-day extension of ceasefire, US says

The ceasefire was first announced by President Donald Trump last month, but Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire since then

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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of the ceasefire, after another round of talks, the US State Department says.

It follows two productive days of talks and will be followed by further negotiations on June 23, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. A fragile truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been set to expire on Sunday.

We hope these discussions will help advance a lasting peace between the two countries, including full recognition of each others sovereignty and territorial integrity, while establishing real security along their shared border, Pigott said on social media.

Donald Trump announced the truce on 16 April, but Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire since then.

On Wednesday, Lebanons health ministry said Israeli air strikes killed 22 people across the south, including eight children.

The State Department said it would reconvene the political track of negotiations in June.

As talks between Iran and the US stalled during the fragile ceasefire, tensions remain high and risk pushing the Middle East back into open conflict while extending the global energy crisis triggered by the war.

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(Image: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through which roughly a fifth of the world s oil passed before the conflict, while the US maintains a blockade on Iranian ports.

Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who concluded talks on Friday, agreed the strait should be reopened.

In Washington, a second and final day of talks between Israel and Lebanon was underway on Friday, the US State Department said. A central goal is extending the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which is set to expire on Sunday, though both sides continue to exchange strikes.

The Israeli military said Friday it had targeted Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after reporting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border. Lebanons health ministry said nearly 40 people were wounded in Israeli strikes near the coastal city of Tyre. One strike reportedly leveled a primary health center and damaged the nearby Hiram Hospital, injuring six medical staff members.

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