US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he had apparently secured a lull in the fighting in Lebanon, after Iran issued threats throughout the day that the developments would lead to the collapse of the ceasefire.
"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back. 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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a separate post, Trump added that "Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
In an interview with CNBC before his call with Netanyahu, Trump said he intended "to ask" the prime minister "what is going on with Lebanon."
This came despite an earlier report by the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that the Iranian negotiating team was freezing exchanges of messages with Washington over the strikes in Lebanon.
Earlier, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement saying they had ordered the IDF to strike terrorist targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh district. "In light of Hezbollah's repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and its attacks on our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to strike terrorist targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh district," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
Later, Netanyahu released a video statement: "Together with the defense minister, I instructed the IDF to strike terrorist targets in Beirut. There will not be a situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens while its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, remain off-limits. We are continuing to deepen our activity on the ground in southern Lebanon and eliminate Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah is on the run. We are determined to restore security to the residents of the north, just as we did for the residents of the south."
