Donald Trump speaks to Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah; understanding reached to halt attacks

Donald Trump speaks to Benjamin Netanyahu (File Photo)

The cycle of destruction continues due to the war between Israel and Lebanon’s terrorist organisation, Hezbollah. Continuous attacks by the Israeli military to completely eliminate Hezbollah are causing heavy loss of life and property in South Lebanon. Hezbollah is also not backing down from retaliating against Israel. In this scenario, United States President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone on Monday and engaged with Hezbollah representatives through mediators.

Agreement reached to halt attacks

Following discussions with Trump, an agreement has been reached between Netanyahu and Hezbollah to halt attacks. Sharing a post on social media, Trump wrote, "I had a very productive conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and it was decided that no military forces will be sent to Beirut, and any forces that were being sent have been recalled. Similarly, through high-ranking representatives, I also had a good conversation with Hezbollah, and they agreed that the firing will be stopped. Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel either."

What did Netanyahu say?

Following his conversation with Trump, Netanyahu stated that if Hezbollah does not stop attacks on Israeli cities and citizens, Israel will attack terrorist positions in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Netanyahu made it clear that this stance remains unyielding, and the Israeli military will also continue its operations in South Lebanon as planned.

Will the ceasefire have an impact?

At present, it is too early to say whether the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will have any impact. Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon from 2 March. On 16 April, for the first time, both sides agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, but Israel did not stop its attacks even during this period. After its deadline expired, the ceasefire was extended for 3 weeks, but Israel violated the ceasefire during this time as well. On 15 May, both sides once again agreed to a 45-day ceasefire; however, despite this, Israeli attacks did not stop. In such a situation, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the Israeli military might violate the ceasefire once again and resume attacks on Lebanon.