US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that understandings had been reached to stop the escalation on the Lebanese front after contacts he made with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mediators who contacted “Hezbollah”.
Trump said in a statement posted on his Truth Social account that he had a “very productive call” with Netanyahu, stressing that “there will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that were on their way have been turned back.”
He added that high-level representatives had contacted Hezbollah, which, he said, had agreed to a complete ceasefire, whereby Israel would refrain from attacking it in exchange for Hezbollah ceasing its attacks on Israel. He continued, "Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel," referring to an understanding aimed at solidifying the truce and preventing the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon.
Later, Netanyahu said in a statement that he had informed Trump that Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel.
Netanyahu said, “I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut.”
He added, “Our position on this matter has not changed. At the same time, the Israeli army will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority stated that “the United States intervened in the past few hours to prevent the implementation of a large-scale Israeli strike against the southern suburbs of Beirut,” and pointed out that “Washington has not yet given the green light to launch a large-scale attack on the Lebanese capital,” noting that “Netanyahu is trying to convince the American administration of the necessity of carrying out a major strike against Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs.”
These developments coincided with a report by Axios stating that Hezbollah had sent a message to the US administration expressing its willingness to accept a comprehensive ceasefire without demanding an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. According to the report, this condition had been a major point of contention during recent political negotiations, leading to the move being interpreted as an attempt to open a new window for de-escalation efforts.
Meanwhile, MP Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc, told Reuters: “We support a complete ceasefire across all Lebanese territory, and it will be a prelude to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all Lebanese territory,” considering that “ending military operations is a fundamental priority at the present stage.”
For its part, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington announced in a statement, “Progress has been made in diplomatic efforts to contain the escalation in Lebanon,” noting that it had received assurances that Hezbollah had agreed to an American proposal calling for a mutual cessation of attacks with Israel.
The embassy explained that “these developments came after a call made by President Joseph Aoun to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, within the framework of Lebanese efforts to maintain stability and prevent the confrontation from escalating.”
According to the statement, the American proposal stipulates a halt to Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from carrying out attacks against Israel, with the ceasefire to be later expanded to include all Lebanese territory.
The embassy added that “US President Donald Trump informed the Lebanese Ambassador to the United States, Nada Mouawad, during a phone call, that he had obtained the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for this arrangement. Ambassador Mouawad conveyed the results of the contacts to President Aoun, who in turn informed Hezbollah of the developments, while the negotiation meetings continue on Tuesday and Wednesday to follow up on this progress and discuss mechanisms for consolidating and expanding it.”
Consultations took place between Presidents Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri, and Nawaf Salam, focusing on efforts to achieve a ceasefire. A US source reported that President Aoun received assurances from Hezbollah in recent hours that it would halt its escalation, a move Washington considered a positive development that contributed to advancing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli front.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened Beirut that it would not enjoy peace , claiming that this depended on providing security for settlements in northern Israel.
The Israeli army continues to violate the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, claiming that it is responding to Hezbollah attacks, while the party is mainly responding to Tel Aviv's violations.
Katz said during the ceremony in which Gil Reich took over as head of the Security Directorate at the Ministry of Defense: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I ordered the army to attack terrorist targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut.”
Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran has halted indirect negotiations with the United States after Israel ordered its forces to continue their incursion into Lebanese territory, complicating diplomatic efforts to end the three-month-long war.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Monday that Washington bears responsibility for the ceasefire violations with Iran, as well as the ceasefire violations committed by Israel in Lebanon.
She added that a ceasefire violation on one front is considered a violation on all fronts.
Trump stated in an interview with NBC News earlier on Monday that he had not received anything from Iran indicating a suspension of talks, adding that there was too much talk and that silence was best.
Trump added, “I think we’re talking too much, if you want to know the truth. I think silence would be very good, and could last a long time.”
Trump was quoted as saying, “This does not mean we are going to start dropping bombs all over there… We will remain silent, and we will continue the blockade.”
He added, “I think I can wait as long as they want. They are suffering heavy losses.”
Trump said the Iranians are better negotiators than fighters, but he was not informed of their suspension of talks.
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