By Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Alexander Cornwell and Katharine Jackson
BEIRUT/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 p.m. EST (2100 GMT), signalling a pause in Israel's conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has raged in parallel to the war with Iran.
Trump's statement, posted on Truth Social, did not specify which day the ceasefire would begin but a U.S. official said it would start on Thursday.
Pakistan had earlier said that peace in Lebanon was essential for talks it is mediating to end the war between the United States and Iran.
Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters the group had been informed by Iran's ambassador to Lebanon that a one-week ceasefire could begin on Thursday evening.
Asked if Hezbollah would commit to the truce, Fadlallah said everything was tied to Israel's commitment to halt all forms of hostilities, and credited Iran's diplomatic efforts for the possible ceasefire.
Trump said he had held excellent conversations with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An Israeli cabinet source said Netanyahu's security cabinet had convened for an urgent discussion on the Lebanon ceasefire.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran spilt into Lebanon on March 2, when Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon just 15 months after the last major conflict.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 2,100 people in Lebanon since March 2 and forced more than 1.2 million to flee, Lebanese authorities say. Hezbollah attacks have killed two Israeli civilians, while 13 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since March 2, Israel says.
An Israeli security official said the Israeli military had no plans to withdraw forces from southern Lebanon during any ceasefire.
Trump, in another social media post, said he will be inviting Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House for "meaningful talks" between the two countries, which have remained in an official state of war since Israel was established in 1948.
(Reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem and Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Saad Sayeed in Islamabad; Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Bhargav Acharya in Washington; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by William Maclean, Aidan Lewis)
