Under Pressure from Iran, Trump Orders Israel to Stop Bombing Lebanon
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump announced a ban on Israel conducting attacks in Lebanon. This follows Iran’s stance urging that Lebanon be included in the ceasefire agreement.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump lamented the situation in Lebanon and stated that the presence of the armed group Hezbollah in the country would be handled separately from Iran and in the “appropriate manner”, said the US president.
“Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon,” Trump said on Truth Social. “They ARE FORBIDDEN from doing so by the US. Enough is enough!!!.”
Meanwhile, Israel has not finished dealing with Hezbollah, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He promised to continue the “dismantling” of the Lebanese group just hours after the 10-day ceasefire took effect.
“We have not finished this job. There are a few things we plan to do to address the remaining rocket threats and unmanned aerial vehicle threats,” he said in a recorded speech, adding that his main goal is “to disarm Hezbollah”.
The speed of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement demonstrates Trump’s influence over Netanyahu when he chooses to wield it, said Michael Hanna, director of the US programme at the International Crisis Group.
“As in his second term in Yemen, Iran and Gaza, Trump has shown his ability to bring Israel into line when Israeli policy threatens his own priorities,” Hanna told Al Jazeera.
Like other analysts, Hanna downplays the prospects of a more comprehensive agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, but says the ceasefire in Lebanon increases the chances of easing a wider regional war.
Since Israel launched its aggression against Lebanon on 2 March, the death toll has reached 2,294 people. At least 7,544 people have also been injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc cautiously supports the ceasefire – but only if it is comprehensive, covers all of Lebanon, and marks the beginning of a full Israeli withdrawal.
The group praised Iran for successfully securing the ceasefire, saying that it was “achieved mainly due to Iranian pressure and diplomatic contacts.”
Hezbollah sharply criticised the government for engaging in direct negotiations with Israel, and warned that the authorities have placed Lebanon on a “dangerous path of concessions” that they cannot fulfil. “The government has reneged on every commitment previously stated as a prerequisite for entering any negotiation process,” it said.