President Donald Trump said on Monday he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah, through intermediaries, and he was able to convince both sides to back down from what appeared to be an imminent escalation.“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,” the president said on Truth Social Monday afternoon.Trump’s announcement came only hours after Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz authorized Israeli forces to start new operations targeting Beirut.
“There will not be a situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens, and its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, remains out of bounds,” Netanyahu said.
The Trump administration has tried in recent weeks to bring Israeli and Lebanese officials together to come up with a plan to squeeze out Hezbollah’s control of the Lebanese government as a way to improve the security concerns for both countries.
