Donald Trump has stated that Israel will no longer be deploying troops to Beirut following discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah, according to a post by the US President on social media.
Trump additionally revealed that his “very good call with Hezbollah” has resulted in the organisation agreeing to cease all hostilities and has been assured they will not launch attacks on Israel.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump explained: “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’s intervention follows intensified clashes between Israel and the Lebanese militant organisation Hezbollah, notwithstanding their supposed ceasefire.
View 3 ImagesBenjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on Beirut(Image: Israeli Prime Minister Office/APAImages/Shutterstock)
Israel has deepened its military presence within Lebanon, while Hezbollah, which entered the conflict backing its principal ally, Iran, persists in dispatching drones towards Israel, reports the Daily Star.
Trump’s claims suggest that Israeli forces en route to Beirut have subsequently been recalled.
On Monday (June 1), Netanyahu authorised strikes against Hezbollah-held southern districts of Beirut, highlighting the threat of further conflict escalation in a war that has hindered diplomatic efforts to address the US-Iran tensions. Iranian state television subsequently reported that a ceasefire brokered between Iran and the US would very likely collapse if Israeli strikes continued in Lebanon, where conflict has been ongoing since Hezbollah joined the regional fighting on Tehran’s behalf on March 2.
Residents started evacuating Beirut’s southern suburbs, referred to as Dahiyeh, following reports of Netanyahu’s directive – marking the latest exodus in a conflict that has displaced over 1 million people across Lebanon.
View 3 ImagesIsraeli warplanes carrying out an airstrike in Beirut back in March(Image: Abdul Kader Al Bay/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
After targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs during the initial stages of the war, Israel has conducted just two strikes on the district since Trump declared a Lebanon ceasefire on April 16, despite continued fighting in southern Lebanon.
“There will be no situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens, and its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, will remain out of bounds,” Netanyahu stated in a video address.
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Netanyahu confirmed Israel was expanding its ground operations in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have established a self-declared security buffer in the south, claiming they seek to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah assaults.
The Israeli military subsequently announced it would target locations in the southern suburbs if Hezbollah persisted in firing rockets at Israeli towns and cities, urging residents to evacuate the district.