The Dispatch
On April 16, 2026, President Donald J. Trump posted to Truth Social that he had spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that the two leaders had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 PM EST. The President announced he would invite both leaders to the White House for what he described as the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983. He directed Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Razin Caine to work toward a lasting peace. The post stated: “It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!”
The President’s war count has been updated at intervals since July 2025. In July 2025 he posted that he had stopped six wars, averaging about a war a month. In August 2025 he said he had solved seven. In September 2025, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, he listed the seven conflicts: Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. By December 2025 the count had reached eight. The count now stands at nine. The conflicts described as solved include the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, and concluded with a ceasefire on April 8. The ceasefire is currently in effect. The President has previously stated that the United States is not at war with Iran. The operation has been described by the administration as a military operation, not a war. It is worth noting the United States is not at war. Trump remains a peace-time president.
The first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel in 34 years were held on April 14, 2026, in Washington, mediated by Secretary of State Rubio. The ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel sat across from one another while U.S. officials sat between them. No ceasefire was reached. Rubio told reporters: “This is a process, not an event.” Lebanon entered the talks seeking a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese prisoners, and the return of more than one million displaced persons. Israel entered the talks seeking the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons. Israel has maintained a military presence in southern Lebanon despite agreeing to withdraw as part of a 2024 ceasefire agreement. As of April 15, Israeli strikes had killed 2,164 people in Lebanon and wounded 7,061, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The night before the April 16 announcement, the President posted that he was trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon and that it had been a long time since the two leaders had spoken, like 34 years. He added: “It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”
Lebanon will be his 10th.
Source Block
Original source: Truth Social @realDonaldTrump
Screenshot on file: screenshots/trump-9-wars-lebanon-10th.png
Retrieved: 2026-04-16
Additional sources:
- CNBC — Israel-Lebanon talks background, death toll: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/16/trump-israel-lebanon-talks-hezbollah-ceasefire-conflict.html
- PBS — what to know about the talks: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-to-know-about-new-direct-talks-between-lebanon-and-israel
- Al Jazeera — April 14 Washington meeting: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/14/israel-and-lebanon-hold-rare-talks-in-washington-dc-amid-iran-war
- Washington Times — April 16 announcement: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/16/donald-trump-says-lebanon-israel-meet-talks-thursday/
- FactCheck.org — war count history through August 2025: https://www.factcheck.org/2025/08/addressing-trumps-claims-about-ending-multiple-wars/
- PolitiFact — UN speech September 2025, seven wars listed: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/sep/23/donald-trump/trump-ended-seven-wars-un-general-assembly/
- AP/ADN — eight wars December 2025: https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2025/12/09/trump-claims-he-has-solved-8-wars-heres-what-to-know-about-that/
