The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has reported that Israel will ultimately not carry out the attack against the Lebanese capital, Beirut, after holding a "very productive" conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the same time, Trump has announced that the Shiite militia Hezbollah has committed to ceasing its attacks.
"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister 'Bibi' Netanyahu of Israel and there will be no troops going to Beirut and the troops that were on the way are already returning," Trump explained in a message posted on social media.
The US leader also pointed out that he also spoke by phone "with Hezbollah" and "they have agreed to stop firing." "Israel will not attack them and they will not attack Israel," he explained.
Netanyahu later confirmed the conversation with Trump. "I spoke this afternoon with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop firing at our cities and citizens, Israel will attack terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains," he explained.
"At this time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon," he added, without referring to his previous orders regarding the bombing of southern Beirut.
Reactions in the Israeli Government and the Opposition
Following Trump's announcement, Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that the US President "has adopted our premise: firing at our communities means bombings in Beirut." "That is what those statements mean," he stressed.
In contrast, the Minister of Internal Security and leader of the far-right party Jewish Power, Itamar Ben Gvir, has asked Netanyahu to reject Trump's stance. "You said that a strong prime minister says 'yes' to the President of the United States when possible and 'no' when necessary. It is time to tell our friend 'no, President Trump'," he posted on social media.
"It is time to do what is necessary to attack Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters and restore security to the north," he added.
From the opposition, the leader of Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, has censured what he considers Israel's subordination to Washington. "First and foremost, a client state," he disseminated on his networks.
His main ally, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, has denounced that "there is no prime minister" and has criticized Netanyahu for not being able to solve Israel's vulnerability to Hezbollah drones despite being a technological power and having "the best minds in the world." "We will soon replace the government of chaos and return to govern Israel," he promised.
Recent Escalation and Background of the Conflict
During the day, Netanyahu had announced that he ordered attacks on Hezbollah positions in Beirut in response to the group's attacks, including one that caused the death of a soldier in the area of the Crusader castle of Beaufort, taken by Israeli forces on Sunday.
After those orders, the Israeli Army ordered the evacuation of Dahiyé, the southern neighborhoods of Beirut considered a Hezbollah stronghold, in anticipation of new bombings.
The last major escalation began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched projectiles against Israeli territory in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the offensive launched on February 28 by Israel and the United States against the Asian country.
Both sides had agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024, after thirteen months of fighting triggered by the attacks of October 7, 2023. However, since then Israel maintained frequent bombings on Lebanese territory and the presence of troops in several areas, alleging operations against Hezbollah, while Beirut and the militia itself denounced these actions.