BEIRUT, April 17. /TASS/. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the ten-day ceasefire agreement with Israel, which came into force at midnight on Friday.

"I congratulate all the people [of Lebanon] with this achievement. I express my condolences to the families of the deceased and affirm my solidarity with all those who were forced to flee their towns and settlements," he wrote on the X social network.

Salam went on to say that the ceasefire was among his government’s key demands.

"It was our main objective during the Lebanese-Israeli meeting in Washington, held under the US aegis on Tuesday," he added.

He also thanked the United States, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan for their peacekeeping efforts.

In turn, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said his country has high hopes for negotiations with Israel.

"Diplomatic solution has always been the only way to end Israeli attacks and ensure the withdrawal of troops, release of prisoners, and demarcation of land borders."

In his words, the transition to direct contacts with the Jewish state "allowed to separate the topic of Lebanon from the Iranian dossier once and for all."

"Now, the government of Lebanon is negotiating on behalf of its people," the Elnashra news portal quoted him as saying.

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a ceasefire. According to him, he spoke over the phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and "these two leaders have agreed that in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 p.m. EST (9 p.m. GMT - TASS)."