JERUSALEM, Israel – As fighting reaches Lebanon’s capital of Beirut, Iran has leveraged the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to pressure ongoing negotiations with the U.S. President Trump has personally stepped in to secure a ceasefire, yet questions remain about whether any truce can hold.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a red line on Monday after Hezbollah continued attacking towns in northern Israel.
He announced, “I have instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to strike terrorist targets in Beirut. There will not be a situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens, and its terrorist headquarters in Beirut…remain out of bounds.”
That declaration triggered a flurry of high-stakes diplomacy, as Iran threatened to walk away from the negotiations with the U.S. over Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he spoke directly with Netanyahu and with leaders of Hezbollah.
Trump posted, “He turned his troops around. Thank you, Bibi.” The president added, “I also had a conversation with representatives of the leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel.”
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The announcement came as Axios reported that Trump sharply criticized Netanyahu during a phone call, warning that further military action would derail efforts to reach a deal with Iran.
That message was echoed in Tehran by Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
He said, “We emphasized and continue to emphasize that the ceasefire in Lebanon is an integral part of any ceasefire and any final agreement to end the war.”
Iran has already suspended indirect message exchanges with the United States and is demanding the immediate cessation of Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
However, despite the diplomatic push, attacks last night continued, as the IDF reported intercepting two Hezbollah rockets launched toward the city of Safed in northern Israel and a Hezbollah drone strike on a military position in the western Galilee. No injuries were reported.
From his side, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains unchanged.”
U.S. Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.) told Fox News that the scale of the violations gives Israel every reason to respond.
“Iranians have fired 2,400 or so missiles and drones into northern Israel in that short span of time,” Keane observed. “We actually have Justification right now to go back into military operations. The president is certainly fully aware of that.”
For now, the White House is working to preserve both the fragile ceasefire and a possible deal with Iran, although the future of any deal remains on shaky ground.
