Hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Beirut‘s southern suburbs and pledged to deepen military operations against Hezbollah, US President Donald Trump stepped in with a declaration that appeared to pull both sides back from the brink. According to him, Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to halt hostilities, for now.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no troops going to Beirut,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Israeli forces heading toward the Lebanese capital had already been turned back.
Trump also claimed that Hezbollah had agreed to stop firing through discussions conducted by intermediaries.
“Likewise — through highly placed representatives — I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he said.
Whether this ceasefire proves durable is another question.
For months, Lebanon has found itself trapped between regional power struggles. The conflict began on March 2 after the US-Israeli strike on Iran. It has steadily drawn southern Lebanon deeper into instability. Thousands of families in Beirut’s southern suburbs fled after Israeli evacuation warnings.
Against that backdrop, Trump’s intervention was significant.
Israeli media reported that planned strikes on Beirut were postponed at the request of the United States. According to Ynet, Washington asked Israel to hold off while a ceasefire initiative was being advanced. Earlier reports indicated that Israel had coordinated its planned military action with the US.
THE BIGGER CHALLENGE REMAINS
The ceasefire, even if it holds, does not address the deeper issues that continue to fuel conflict in the Middle East.
Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly stated that Hezbollah’s military presence near Israel’s northern border remains unacceptable. Hezbollah, meanwhile, continues to present itself as part of a regional resistance movement backed by Iran.
The latest crisis also affected US-Iran peace talks. Iranian media reported that Tehran had suspended peace talks with Washington because of Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Iran said that attacks in Lebanon violated the ceasefire.
So far, Trump has been sending mixed messages over the Iran talks. Just before announcing the Lebanon-Hezbollah truce, the US President said that he had not been informed in advance about Iran’s decision.
The Republican leader also said he doesn’t care if talks with Iran collapse. Instead, he would be happy to wait.
However, minutes later, he changed his stance again. In a Truth Social Post, he said: “Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
– Ends
With inputs from agencies
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