How Trump stunned Netanyahu with 'Israel prohibited' post
Donald Trump stunned Benjamin Netanyahu by declaring Israel was "prohibited" from striking Lebanon, contradicting a US-backed ceasefire that still allows self-defence.
Israel sought clarification from the White House after Donald Trump posted that Israel was “prohibited” from conducting airstrikes in Lebanon, according to a US source and another source familiar with the matter, as reported by Axios.
The post stunned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers, as it contradicted the text of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that the State Department published on Thursday.
Trump’s statement suggested he was issuing an order that Israel had no choice but to obey, a move that sources said would have been unthinkable under other US administrations. Netanyahu was personally alarmed when he learnt of the post, the sources added.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. The US had been pushing for such a truce for several days while also working in parallel on a peace deal with Iran.
Under the agreement, Israel retains the right to take military action, even during the ceasefire, in self-defence “at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” At the same time, Israel committed not to carry out offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military and other state sites.
The ceasefire remains politically sensitive for Netanyahu, whose government has stressed that it is not constrained from striking Hezbollah if required.
However, Trump used markedly stronger language on Friday. “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough!!!” he wrote. In an interview with Axios, he reiterated his stance, saying, “Israel has to stop. They can't continue to blow buildings up. I am not gonna allow it.”
Netanyahu and his team learnt about Trump’s remarks through media reports and were caught off guard. Israeli officials, including Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, began scrambling to determine whether US policy had changed.
They sought clarification from the White House and emphasised that Trump’s statement contradicted the ceasefire agreement. After Axios approached the administration, a US official clarified that the agreement prohibits offensive military operations but preserves Israel’s right to self-defence against imminent or ongoing threats.
Later on Friday evening, shortly before Trump’s interview, an Israeli drone carried out a strike in southern Lebanon. An Israeli source claimed Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire by attacking Israeli forces within the security zone.
“Our forces acted in self-defence to remove the threat in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States and Lebanon,” the Israeli source said.