Israel and Lebanon have extended their fragile ceasefire by an additional three weeks, US President Donald Trump announced Thursday.

The extension comes despite a backdrop of stalled negotiations with Iran and continued regional volatility.

President Trump confirmed the truce extension during a meeting with ambassadors from both nations, even as the region witnessed recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon and rocket fire from the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Notably, Hezbollah was not a participant in the Washington talks.

"I think there's a very good chance of having peace. I think it should be an easy one," Trump told reporters, noting that the initial truce was set to expire this coming Sunday.

Despite the extension on the Lebanese front, the US President indicated he was in no rush to conclude the broader conflict with Iran.

"The clock is ticking" for the Islamic Republic, Trump remarked, as a third American aircraft carrier arrived in the Middle East. "I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn't — The clock is ticking!" he posted on social media.

Tensions escalated further as Iranian state media reported explosions over Tehran, the first such incident since the general ceasefire began two weeks ago.

While an Israeli security source told AFP that Israel was not currently striking Iran, Iran’s state news agency IRNA attributed the sounds to "air defence firing," and the Mehr news agency reported that systems were activated to counter "hostile targets."

Diplomatic efforts appear to be faltering elsewhere, with prospective peace talks in Pakistan hanging in the balance and no clear path toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway, which handles 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, in retaliation for the war.

In response to Iranian activities, Trump, who ruled out the use of nuclear weapons on Thursday, has issued stern directives to the military.

He stated he had "ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz."

The US military presence continues to surge with the arrival of the USS George H.W. Bush, joining two other carriers already operating in the region and the Red Sea.

Concurrently, US forces conducted a maritime interdiction in the Indian Ocean, boarding the sanctioned vessel M/T Majestic X, which was transporting Iranian oil.

The rhetoric from Israel remains aggressive. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated, "We are awaiting a green light from the United States — first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty... and additionally to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age."

For its part, Iran has vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to most traffic as long as the US Navy maintains a blockade on Iranian ports, defying President Trump’s demands to reopen the passage and surrender its enriched uranium.

Source: AFP