Trump Urges Israel to Scale Back Lebanon Strikes as Ceasefire Faces Strain
By Tahir Shah :
US President Donald Trump said he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce military strikes on Lebanon, signalling growing concerns that the ongoing attacks could undermine a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking in a brief telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu and was assured that Israeli operations would be reduced. “I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” the president said.
Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran earlier this week after more than a month of conflict that spread across the Middle East. Delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to meet in Islamabad on Saturday for negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent peace agreement.
The US president said he remained optimistic about the outcome of the talks, noting that Iranian officials appeared more willing to compromise during negotiations than in public statements. However, he also warned that failure to reach an agreement would have serious consequences.
Despite the truce, Israel intensified strikes across Lebanon, carrying out one of its largest attacks on Wednesday since launching an offensive against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah last month. Lebanese civil defence authorities said the bombardment killed at least 254 people and wounded more than 1,100.
The escalation has raised fears of a broader conflict and possible renewed Israeli occupation of parts of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to begin peace talks with Lebanon, including discussions on the disarmament of Hezbollah. In a statement, he said he had instructed his cabinet to initiate direct negotiations with Beirut “as soon as possible”.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also called for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon followed by direct negotiations, saying diplomatic efforts were gaining cautious international support. There was no immediate response from the Lebanese government to Netanyahu’s proposal.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned Israeli strikes during a telephone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. In a message posted on social media, Sharif expressed condolences for the loss of life and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating dialogue through the upcoming US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
Iran has warned that continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon could derail the peace process. President Masoud Pezeshkian described the strikes as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and said they threatened to make negotiations meaningless.
Israel has insisted its campaign against Hezbollah is separate from the US-Iran ceasefire. Washington has echoed that position, although several countries including Britain, France and Spain have called for the truce to extend to Lebanon.
The conflict has also shaken global energy markets. With the Strait of Hormuz partially disrupted, physical oil prices surged to near record levels, approaching $150 per barrel in some markets, as refiners struggled with supply shortages.
Iranian negotiators are expected to arrive in Islamabad later this week for the first peace talks since the conflict began in late February. The US delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance.
However, uncertainty remains over the scope of the ceasefire and the conditions for a final agreement. While Washington has demanded restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, Tehran has said its uranium enrichment activities will not be curtailed.
Regional tensions remain high, with Hezbollah resuming limited attacks on Israeli positions after Wednesday’s strikes and rescue workers in Lebanon continuing to search for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive last month, according to Lebanese authorities, while thousands have been displaced as the conflict continues to escalate.
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