The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is Hezbollah-affiliated, reported on Monday that Beirut has received intelligence from senior international officials and Western embassies detailing the recent summit between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
According to the information, the US President and the Prime Minister agreed during their meeting to launch an attack on Iran should it fail to reach an arrangement on their terms. The understanding also covers the transition to the second stage of the war in Gaza and the preservation of "neutrality" in Lebanon. Consequently, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun estimates that the likelihood of war in Lebanon has diminished.
The report states that this neutrality is contingent on Hezbollah not intervening in the campaign. Any involvement by the terrorist organization would reportedly be met with a broad, deep Israeli offensive targeting its strongholds in the Dahiyeh (a Hezbollah stronghold south of Beirut) and the Beqa'a Valley (a valley in eastern Lebanon). The report further noted that this neutrality does not imply a cessation of daily strikes.
Meanwhile, a source told Al-Akhbar that Saudi Arabia has been leading intense efforts with Iran to push it toward an arrangement with the West out of fear of war. Riyadh is reportedly concerned that chaos in Iran could spread to the gulf states and that the regime's fall would eventually force Tehran to assume the role of "policeman of the Gulf."
According to the source, the Americans are convinced that if Iran enters an arrangement on their terms – including a complete halt to its nuclear program and the termination of support for proxies (militia groups acting on Iran's behalf) in the region – it will lead to an arrangement in Lebanon. However, an attack on Iran would also have repercussions for Lebanon, as Hezbollah would be weakened in the event of the regime's collapse.
