Trump Calls Netanyahu to Reduce Attacks on Lebanon
US President Donald Trump has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce attacks on Lebanon. Trump stated that Netanyahu agreed to this.
According to NBC News on Friday (10/4/2026), Trump spoke with Netanyahu over the phone. Trump confirmed the conversation in his interview with NBC News, saying that Israel would reduce operations in Lebanon.
“I spoke with Bibi and he will calm down. I think we need to be a bit calmer,” Trump said.
Trump expressed great optimism that a peace agreement with Iran is within reach. Meanwhile, a diplomatic delegation led by US Vice President JD Vance is preparing to head to Pakistan for crucial talks aimed at ending the conflict that has lasted nearly six weeks.
“If they don’t reach an agreement, it will be very painful,” Trump added.
However, the temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran is showing signs of strain, as Israeli forces continue attacks across southern Lebanon, where the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah is based.
European leaders have also pleaded for Lebanon to be included in the limited ceasefire. Netanyahu has not shown public indications that he is ready to reduce attacks, although he stated that his government would seek “direct negotiations” with Lebanon.
“I insist that the temporary ceasefire with Iran does not include Hezbollah, and we continue to strike them hard,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the “deep friendship” between the Israeli government and Trump is changing the face of the Middle East.
Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are impacting activities in the Strait of Hormuz. The sea route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea has been closed by Iran again.
The Israeli military launched attacks on areas in Lebanon, killing 112 people. The attacks also injured hundreds of others in Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his forces carried out attacks targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon.
“The IDF conducted sudden strikes against hundreds of Hezbollah members in command centres across Lebanon. This is the biggest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since Operation Beepers,” Katz said in a video statement, referring to the major 2024 operation against Hezbollah involving pager bombs, according to AFP on Wednesday (8/4).
Israel launched a series of attacks in Beirut on Wednesday (8/4), causing panic among residents in the most intense assault on the capital since the war with Hezbollah began.
According to CNN on Thursday (9/4), the Lebanese Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks in various parts of the country, including the capital Beirut, have killed at least 112 people, according to the latest preliminary data. Another 837 people were injured in the day’s attacks, according to the ministry.
Iranian authorities reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz again following Israel’s military attacks in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The closure was reported by Iran’s state media, Fars.
Two tankers managed to pass through the strait, which carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, according to Marine Traffic, a ship tracking service.
The Greek-owned ship NJ Earth and the Liberian-flagged Daytona Beach successfully passed through the strait, the first vessels to cross the strategic waterway since the temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced.
The closure of the strait occurred alongside Israel’s military attacks in Lebanon on Wednesday, which killed hundreds of people.
According to The Hill on Thursday (9/4/2026), when asked about reports of the Strait of Hormuz closure from the Fars news agency, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the reports were “false.”