Trump says Israel and Lebanon’s leaders will speak on Thursday

United States President Donald Trump says the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak for the first time in 34 years on Thursday.

Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform late on Wednesday.

“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” he wrote.

“It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”

Lebanon was pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, when Tehran-backed Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel on March 2. Israeli attacks since then have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million people.

Israel’s military has also launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, seeking to seize more territory and create what it calls a “buffer zone”.