US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US has banned Israel from further bombing in Lebanon, using an atypically harsher tone than usual with the longtime US ally Israel.
“Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are prohibited from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough!” Trump said in a social media post.
Trump also said any deal the US reaches with Iran ‘is in no way subject to Lebanon’ but the US will ‘deal with’ the militant Hizbollah situation in an appropriate manner.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the road to peace with Lebanon was long, ‘but we have begun’, as he defended his decision to accept a 10-day ceasefire with Hizbollah, framing it as a strategic opening for both diplomacy and continued military pressure.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said yesterday that direct talks with Israel were both delicate and essential, and require a unified national approach.
“Direct negotiations are crucial … and a ceasefire is the gateway to proceeding with talks,” he said in a statement.
The objectives of authorities in Beirut are to consolidate this week’s ceasefire agreement, secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories in southern Lebanon, recover prisoners, and resolve outstanding border disputes, he added.
The Lebanese army will play a central role following any Israeli withdrawal, Aoun said as he reassured residents returning to their towns and villages that no armed groups would remain other than the army and legitimate security forces.
He stressed that Lebanon was facing a new reality, with Arab and international backing presenting the country with a rare opportunity that should not be squandered.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on Thursday evening following the announcement of a 10-day truce, including Hizbollah, under a six-point agreement.
Shortly after it began, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichai Adraee, said its forces would remain at their positions in southern Lebanon to counter Hizbollah activities. He also urged civilians not to return to areas south of the Litani River until further notice.
A senior Israeli source told Axios that Netanyahu was reportedly ‘stunned and alarmed’ by Trump’s statement, learning of it from the media, noting that such pronouncements, implying that Israel had no choice but to obey, would have been under any other US administration.
Axios said that aides to Netanyahu, including Israel’s envoy in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, scrambled to understand the implications of Trump’s remarks, approaching the White House for clarification as they contradicted the terms of the agreement.
Earlier in the day, Hizbollah signalled it remained on high alert hours after the ceasefire began, saying its fighters were keeping their ‘finger on the trigger’ in the event of Israeli violations, citing fears of the “enemy’s treachery’.
Trump similarly cautioned Hizbollah against undermining the truce in a separate Truth Social post, saying, “I hope Hizbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time… No more killing. Must finally have peace!”
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