- Trump called Netanyahu Thursday with an unusually terse message: scale back Israeli strikes in Lebanon or risk derailing Saturday’s U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad — the first time the administration has asked Israel to restrain any military campaign since the Iran war began
- The request came after Israel launched roughly 100 simultaneous strikes on Lebanon Wednesday — hours after the Iran ceasefire was announced — killing more than 300 people and hitting residential buildings outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds
- Iran and ceasefire mediator Pakistan complained that Israel’s Lebanon offensive amounted to a truce violation; the White House feared Tehran could use the fighting to demand larger concessions or walk away from Islamabad talks entirely
- New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei publicly demanded war reparations and insisted Iran will retain control of the Strait of Hormuz — but Iranian officials privately signal “an overall willingness to negotiate, including the hard-liners”
What Happened?
In an unusually short and pointed call Thursday, President Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce the intensity of Israeli strikes in Lebanon, warning that the escalating campaign was threatening the fragile Iran ceasefire and the peace talks scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad. The intervention marked the first time the Trump administration has asked Israel to restrain any of its military campaigns since the Iran war began. The call came after Israel launched approximately 100 nearly simultaneous strikes on Lebanon Wednesday — hours after Trump announced the Iran ceasefire — killing more than 300 people according to Lebanon’s health ministry, and hitting residential buildings in neighborhoods largely outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds. Netanyahu said publicly there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and that strikes would continue — but a person familiar with Israel’s thinking confirmed attacks would be moderated in accordance with Trump’s request.
Why It Matters?
The Lebanon escalation has exposed the central tension in Trump’s regional strategy: Israel views the Iran ceasefire as a pause that leaves it free to press its military advantage against Hezbollah, while the U.S. and its peace mediators — particularly Pakistan — are treating any Israeli offensive activity as a violation of the broader truce spirit. The White House’s concern is strategic: Tehran could cite the Lebanon strikes to demand larger concessions at Saturday’s talks, or use them as a pretext to walk away entirely. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Khamenei further complicated the picture Thursday by publicly demanding war reparations and insisting Iran would retain control of the Strait of Hormuz — though U.S. analysts note that Iranian officials are simultaneously signaling genuine willingness to negotiate, including hard-liners within the IRGC.
What’s Next?
U.S.-Iran talks are scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad, with the two sides entering with widely divergent demands. Direct Israel-Lebanon talks are tentatively set for next week, expected to be U.S.-mediated and preparatory in nature. More than 1,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, and over one million displaced — with many beginning to return to southern Lebanon when the Iran ceasefire was announced Wednesday, only for Israeli strikes to resume hours later. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf was blunt: “Time is not on the administration’s side, and I think the president is really digesting that now.”
Source: The Wall Street Journal
