On June 2nd, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a post on social media that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of the Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Both parties agreed to stop all firing.
The British newspaper The Guardian and Reuters said that although there were reports of gunfire after Trumps statement, this will help to ease tensions in Lebanon to some extent. It will also prevent potential attacks by Israel on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, as well as the possibility of a breakdown in ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Earlier, Iran stated that due to Israels ongoing military actions in Lebanon, dialogue with the United States through intermediaries should be suspended. Later, it was reported that Trump criticized Netanyahu harshly during a phone call, saying Youre really crazy.
No troops will enter Beirut. All troops currently on the road have been recalled, Trump wrote in a post on the 2nd. Similarly, through high-level representatives, I had a very good conversation with Hezbollah. They also agreed that all firing will cease.
According to a statement from the Lebanese Presidents Office, under the proposed arrangement, if Hezbollah does not attack Israel, then Israel will not attack the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Lebanese Embassy in China stated that this agreement will not end the conflicts throughout Lebanon.
However, after Trump announced these developments, there were still reports of attacks, and both sides issued statements questioning the durability of this agreement.
Hezbollah HezbollahX Hezbollah
Last September, Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House using his official White House account.
The current conflict began in March when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel as retaliation for the killing of Irans supreme leader by the United States and Israel. Since then, Israeli attacks against Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of over 3,300 people, including children and emergency responders.
Although a ceasefire was reached in April, the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has not stopped. Since the ceasefire was announced, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have resulted in another 800 deaths. Due to Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon and other areas, over one million people in Lebanon have been displaced. The actions of the Israeli military have received widespread condemnation from the international community.
According to Israeli media reports, in recent days, Netanyahus government has been lobbying Washington, hoping to obtain approval for the attack on Beirut. Last weekend, Netanyahu held high-level security consultations and spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, insisting that Israel cannot allow Hezbollah to enjoy so-called immunity in Beirut.
Sources revealed that as tensions between the United States and Iran intensified, Washington agreed last weekend to expand its attacks plans.
However, the situation is at risk of getting out of control immediately.
The Guardian reported that a few hours before Trumps latest statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to bomb the southern suburbs of Beirut, citing Hezbollahs repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement. As a result, residents in that area were forced to flee en masse.
Reports indicate that this bombing order marks the most significant escalation of Israels military actions in Lebanon since the ceasefire was announced on April 17th.
June 1st, Iran stated that, due to Israels ongoing military actions in Lebanon, its negotiation team had suspended dialogue with the United States through intermediaries. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbarzadeh said in a statement on the same day that any ceasefire on any frontline would be considered as having been broken, and the United States must bear responsibility for any violations of the ceasefire agreement.
June 1st, in the Dahiye area of Beiruts southern suburbs, citizens drove away from their homes. Oriental IC
According to reports, Trump initially seemed unconcerned. He told media reporters, I dont care at all. I think weve talked too much.
However, Trump made several phone calls later on, involving Netanyahu and Hezbollah.
According to a report by the American news site Axios, sources revealed that on January 1st, during a conversation filled with profanity, Trump criticized Netanyahu for escalating the situation in Lebanon. During the conversation, Trump described Netanyahu as crazy and accused him of being unthankful. He also prevented Israel from carrying out its plans to attack Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
An official quoted Trump as saying, Youre completely crazy. If it werent for me, you would have been in prison long ago. Ive been trying to save you. Now everyone hates you, and everyone hates Israel because of this.
Another source who knew the details of the conversation said that Trump was very angry. He shouted at Netanyahu, What the hell are you doing?
It is said that this conversation was one of the most tense conversations between Trump and Netanyahu since Trump returned to the White House.
An American official said that Trump was concerned about the number of civilian deaths caused by Israel in Lebanon. He also opposed Israels decision to destroy an entire building in order to eliminate a Hezbollah commander. The official noted that Trump suppressed Netanyahu during the conversation. Netanyahu said, Okay, okay. Just make sure everything is arranged properly.
Later that day, Trump told ABC News that he expected to reach an agreement with Iran next week. He also downplayed the tension that had existed during the day. He said, There were some minor problems today, but I quickly got things under control. You may have noticed that.
