June 2, 2026 — 5:29amWashington: Donald Trump said Israel was halting planned attacks on the Lebanese capital Beirut, which were threatening to derail the ceasefire between the US and Iran, after he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The US president also claimed Hezbollah had agreed to a total ceasefire and insisted talks with Iran were continuing “at a rapid pace” – despite reports from Iran’s state-affiliated media that suggested Tehran was suspending negotiations amid the uptick in violence.The US president said he had spoken with Israel’s Prime Minister regarding the impending attack on Beirut.AFRThe price of oil surged close to $US100 a barrel as prospects faded for a meaningful “deal” to the end the three-month-old conflict and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, although Trump’s comments calmed prices in the afternoon trade.Earlier, Israel issued evacuation warnings to residents of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Netanyahu said he and Defence Minister Israel Katz had instructed Israeli forces to launch strikes against “terrorist targets” in the area.This was in response to the “repeated and ongoing violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and the attacks against our cities and citizens”, Netanyahu said on X.Despite the ceasefire, Israel has also launched a ground invasion, with troops making their deepest incursion into southern Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.Thousands flee from Dahiyeh in Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel would soon launch air strikes.AP Photo/Bilal HusseinTrump, having earlier told news outlets that he would call Netanyahu to see “what’s going on with Lebanon”, suggested on social media that the attack in Beirut would not proceed – although he referred to troops, rather than air strikes, in his posts.“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 said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.“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 details of this were not immediately clear. Netanyahu had warned of strikes against Hezbollah targets in the area, not a ground invasion of southern Beirut.Meanwhile, US news site Axios reported the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament had told the Trump administration that Hezbollah was ready for a full ceasefire with Israel.In a separate social media post, Trump added “Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”However, the president conveyed an entirely different message in short phone interviews with several US media outlets on Monday (Washington time), in which he said the talks with Iran were becoming boring and that some time away from the negotiating table might be worthwhile.“I don’t care if they’re over, honestly. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told business television network CNBC. He added that the talks had “started to get very boring”.On the phone with NBC News, Trump said the possible collapse of the peace talks did not mean the US would start dropping bombs again.“If they don’t want to talk, that’s OK with me,” he reportedly said. “I think it’s fine. I don’t particularly want to talk either. We talk too much.”The confusing developments came days after Trump publicly announced he was making a final determination regarding a memorandum of understanding that would end the war and begin a 60-day period of negotiations about the Iranian nuclear program.But he concluded a national security meeting on Friday seeking revisions to key parts of the agreement and insisting that he would not make a bad deal with Iran.Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, earlier said Iran was suspending negotiations because of the uptick in US and Israeli strikes during the ceasefire.That was not explicitly echoed by Iran’s foreign ministry. Rather, it said Iran considered any violation of the ceasefire, including in Lebanon, to be a violation on all fronts, and warned that the US and Israel would bear responsibility for the consequences.US Central Command, which manages American military operations in the Middle East, said it successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait on Monday.That followed defensive strikes against Iranian radar and drone command and control sites on the weekend, which Centcom said was in response to Iran shooting down an American drone.There is growing frustration among some of Trump’s allies and confidantes over his handling of the matter and the administration’s inability to extract a better deal from Iran.Laura Loomer, a MAGA internet activist with 2 million followers and the president’s ear, said that by continuing to give Iran more chances, Trump ran the risk of “damaging his record” of strength.“It’s time to kill every single IRGC member and end all negotiating,” she wrote 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.”With AP, ReutersGet a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.From our partners