Donald Trump has announced that Israel has halted planned attacks on Beirut, a move that had threatened to jeopardise a ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The US President reportedly made this announcement after a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sources indicate that the call between the two leaders was far from cordial, with reports from Axios suggesting a heated exchange where Trump used expletives when speaking to Netanyahu.
Tensions Flare Over Beirut Strikes
The primary catalyst for Trump’s alleged outburst appears to have been Israel’s intentions to target the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Two US officials speaking to Axios described Trump as calling Netanyahu “crazy” and ungrateful, with one official summarising the President’s sentiment as: “You’re f—ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Another official relayed that Trump had yelled “What the f— are you doing?” at Netanyahu at one point.
On Monday, Netanyahu had stated that he had informed Trump that Israel would strike “terror” targets in Beirut if Hezbollah did not cease its attacks on Israeli cities. He added, “At the same time, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon,” referring to the Israeli Defence Forces.
Ceasefire Claims and Shifting Oil Prices
Trump also asserted on Monday that Hezbollah had agreed to a complete ceasefire and insisted that negotiations with Iran were progressing “at a rapid pace.” This claim stood in contrast to reports from Iranian state-affiliated media, which suggested that Tehran was pausing negotiations due to increased violence.
The price of oil had surged to nearly $US100 a barrel as hopes for a significant agreement to end the three-month conflict and reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz diminished. However, Trump’s subsequent remarks appeared to stabilise prices during afternoon trading.
Earlier, Israel had issued evacuation warnings to residents in Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah located in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Netanyahu announced that he and Defence Minister Israel Katz had directed Israeli forces to carry out strikes against “terrorist targets” in the area.
Netanyahu explained on X, formerly Twitter, that these actions were a response to Hezbollah’s “repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and the attacks against our cities and citizens.”
Despite the ceasefire, Israel had also initiated a ground invasion, with troops undertaking their deepest incursion into southern Lebanon in over twenty-five years.
Trump’s Social Media Diplomacy
Trump, who had previously indicated to news outlets that he would contact Netanyahu to ascertain the situation in Lebanon, suggested via social media that the planned attack on Beirut would not proceed. However, his posts referred to troops rather than airstrikes.
“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,” Trump posted, using Netanyahu’s familiar nickname.
He further claimed, “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.”
The precise nature of these agreements remained unclear at the time. Netanyahu had previously warned of strikes against Hezbollah targets in the area, distinct from a ground invasion of southern Beirut.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament had informed the Trump administration that Hezbollah was amenable to a full ceasefire with Israel.
In a separate social media update, Trump added, “Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Conflicting Messages on Iran Talks
However, the President conveyed a markedly different message in brief phone interviews with several US media outlets, suggesting that talks with Iran were becoming “very boring” and that a temporary pause from negotiations might be beneficial.
Speaking to NBC News, Trump indicated that the potential collapse of peace talks would not lead to renewed US military action. “If they don’t want to talk, that’s OK with me,” he reportedly stated. “I think it’s fine. I don’t particularly want to talk either. We talk too much.”
These contradictory developments emerged just days after Trump publicly announced he was finalising a memorandum of understanding intended to end the war and initiate a 60-day period of negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
However, following a national security meeting on Friday, he sought revisions to key aspects of the agreement, insisting that he would not enter into a disadvantageous deal with Iran.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had earlier reported that Iran was suspending negotiations due to the escalation of US and Israeli strikes during the ceasefire. Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not explicitly confirm this, but stated that it considered any ceasefire violation, including in Lebanon, to be a breach on all fronts and warned that the US and Israel would be held accountable for the repercussions.
US Central Command, responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, confirmed the successful interception of two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces stationed in Kuwait on Monday. This incident followed defensive strikes against Iranian radar and drone command and control sites over the weekend, which Centcom stated were in retaliation for Iran shooting down an American drone.
Internal Discontent and Hardline Stances
There is growing discontent among some of Trump’s allies and close associates regarding his approach to the situation and the administration’s perceived inability to secure a more favourable deal with Iran.
Laura Loomer, a prominent MAGA internet activist with a substantial following and known to have the President’s attention, expressed concerns that by continuing to offer Iran further opportunities, Trump risked “damaging his record” of strength.
“It’s time to kill every single IRGC member and end all negotiating,” she posted on X. “The only negotiation left with these Islamic terrorists should be whether they want to be shot to death in the head or die in a drone strike. Enough. Let’s get this over with.”
