The Biden administration kept President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming team informed about its efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Lebanon, which took effect early Wednesday, according to the outgoing Democratic administration.
However, Trump’s team quickly seized the moment, claiming credit for the breakthrough in what has been a rare success for the Biden administration amid ongoing crises in Lebanon and Gaza.
“Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” Florida Representative Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, declared in a post on X late Tuesday, just hours before Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal. “His resounding victory sent a clear message to the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps toward de-escalation in the Middle East.”
The Biden administration’s coordination with Trump’s team on the ceasefire represents a notable instance of cooperation during a transitional period that has otherwise been marked by tension.
Coordination Amid Transition
The Trump transition team on Tuesday finalized an agreement with the Biden administration allowing coordination between transition staff and the federal workforce ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20. This included direct talks between Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and Waltz, signaling high-level engagement between the outgoing and incoming teams.
In remarks from the Rose Garden on Tuesday, President Biden hailed the ceasefire as a critical step toward stability in the Middle East after nearly 14 months of war in Lebanon. The conflict claimed nearly 4,000 lives, injured over 16,000, and displaced more than a million people.
“This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden stated, expressing hope that it could act as a foundation for broader peace in the region.
A Broader Mideast Focus
The Biden administration is optimistic that calm in Lebanon could breathe new life into multi-nation efforts to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians—70% of them women and children—injured over 110,000 and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.4 million.
Biden announced plans for upcoming talks involving the U.S., Israel, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt aimed at reinitiating negotiations for Gaza.
“This is a step forward,” Biden said, “but considerable work lies ahead.”
Political Undercurrents
Despite Biden’s measured success, Trump’s shadow loomed over the moment. The ceasefire announcement coincided with Trump’s transition team taking the opportunity to highlight what they claim is a new tone of strength in U.S. leadership.
Biden’s aides remain hopeful that the ceasefire will stabilize the region and bolster his administration’s international standing, even as Trump’s incoming administration positions itself as a decisive force in shaping the Middle East’s next chapter.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
