U.S. president Donald Trump declared on Monday, June 1st, that Israel would halt scheduled attacks on Iran ally Hezbollah in Beirut. Iran had cited Israel Defense Forces retaliation directed into Lebanon as a stumbling block in the ongoing peace talks.
Previously, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah. Since March 2nd, Hezbollah has been firing into Israel—and sending drones—in support of Iran. On Tuesday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz admitted that the Jewish State had paused strikes on Beirut following the U.S. request.
Trump’s intervention has angered critics of the PM within Israel. Hawkish former premier Naftali Bennett, posted on X complaining of
A government that has lost control of Israeli sovereignty.
The impact of Trump’s involvement is likely to feature in the next round of Israeli elections, to be held no later than October, framed as a criticism of Netanyahu.
As the controversy unfolded in Israel, its representatives and Lebanon’s ambassador began a new round of direct talks in Washington.
