Beirut (AFP) — Israel and Hezbollah clashed overnight despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement that both sides had agreed to halt fighting ahead of US-hosted talks between Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday.
Israel’s growing offensive in Lebanon, including heavy bombardment and its deepest ground invasion in two decades, has threatened to scupper a ceasefire in the wider Middle East war between the United States and Iran.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the conflict on 2 March by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader, and Tehran has demanded that Lebanon be included in any peace deal with Washington.
The overnight clashes came after Lebanon said Iran-backed Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks” after Trump said he persuaded the warring sides to de-escalate.
Under the arrangement, Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from launching attacks against Israel, according to a statement from the Lebanese embassy in Washington.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to cast doubt on any truce, and a report by US news outlet Axios on Monday said Trump called him “fucking crazy” and accused him of putting Iran peace talks at risk.
“There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump said on his Truth Social network after a “very productive” call with Netanyahu.
“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he added.
Netanyahu later said he had told Trump “that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut.”
But Trump doubled down on his ceasefire push, posting on Truth Social that “hopefully” Israel and Hezbollah would stop fighting “for ETERNITY!”
The announcements came on the eve of a fourth round of US-hosted direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday. Military delegations held security talks last week.
But Hezbollah claimed multiple attacks on Israeli targets, mainly in south Lebanon, including after Trump’s announcement.
Hezbollah also claimed a rocket attack on an Israeli tank early Tuesday in Hadatha, in southern Lebanon, saying on Telegram it was fighting “the advance of Israeli forces.”