Trump claims Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, but Netanyahu vows to keep striking

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed to have personally brokered a halt to fighting between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and said negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still on track. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly undercut that optimism, however, reaffirming that Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continued.

Trump said Monday, local time, on his Truth Social platform that he had held "a very productive call" with Israeli Prime Minister "Bibi Netanyahu," adding that "there will be no troops going into Beirut and the troops that were on their way have already turned back."

He then said he had also held "a very good call" with Hezbollah through top-level representatives, claiming "they have agreed to stop all shooting."

"Israel will not attack them and they will not attack Israel," Trump added.

Shortly after Trump's announcement, Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the Israeli military had postponed a planned airstrike on Beirut at Washington's request. A local source said the U.S. government had asked Israel to hold off on the strike while it pursued a truce proposal.

Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliament speaker and a key Hezbollah ally, also conveyed to the U.S. that Lebanon was ready for a full and immediate ceasefire.

Netanyahu, however, told a different story.

In a statement from his office Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had told Trump that evening that "if Hezbollah does not stop its attacks on our cities and citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut."

"Our position on this has not changed," he said, adding that Israeli forces would proceed with operations in southern Lebanon as planned.

While Trump had in effect declared a halt to hostilities, Netanyahu left the door open for further airstrikes.

Conditions on the ground also appeared to diverge from Trump's account.

According to Reuters, Israeli forces were already advancing in southern Lebanon beyond the Litani River toward the Zahrani River — assessed as the deepest Israeli incursion into Lebanon in 25 years.

Lebanon's presidential office said Hezbollah had agreed to a U.S. proposal for a mutual halt to attacks, but noted that further negotiations would be needed to extend any arrangement across all of Lebanon. That caveat fueled interpretations that Trump's "all shooting stopped" did not amount to an immediate, comprehensive ceasefire.

The mediation effort came as U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations showed signs of strain.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran had suspended message exchanges with Washington through intermediaries, citing Israel's escalating offensive in Lebanon. Iranian state television also warned that continued attacks on Hezbollah could make it difficult to sustain any truce with the United States.

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs went further, blaming the U.S. for violating the terms of the U.S.-Iran truce as well as for the collapse of the Lebanon ceasefire, ratcheting up pressure on Washington.

Trump rebuffed those claims in an NBC interview, saying Iran had not notified the U.S. of any suspension of talks. "Conversations with Iran are continuing at a rapid pace," he said.

He also struck a cautious note on military escalation, saying that a pause in dialogue did not mean "we go in and start dropping bombs all over the place."

In a separate CNBC interview, Trump predicted that oil prices would "drop substantially very soon, very shortly." On Truth Social he maintained his optimistic tone, writing that "Iran truly wants to make a deal" and that it would be "a good deal for the United States and our allies."

Yet with the Lebanon front destabilized again, Israeli-Hezbollah fighting ongoing, and Iran's distrust of Washington unresolved, whether the negotiations will produce an actual agreement remains deeply uncertain.