By World Israel News Staff
The Hezbollah terror group continued attacking Israel just hours after President Donald Trump announced that the IDF would not strike Beirut, sparking outrage among Israeli officials who criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refraining from the offensive at Trump’s request.
Trump spoke with Netanyahu on Monday and asked the Israeli premier to hold off on attacking Hezbollah’s stronghold of Dahiyeh, a neighborhood in Beirut, after Iranian officials signaled that any agreement restoring normal maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would require an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
The phone call between the two leaders — which reportedly saw a “pissed” Trump explode at Netanyahu — was followed by a triumphant announcement on the president’s Truth Social platform.
“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” Trump wrote.
“I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them,” he added.
Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and numerous European countries, making Trump’s reported direct contact with the group’s representatives particularly significant.
However, within hours of Trump’s announcement, Hezbollah resumed firing on northern Israeli civilian communities and military targets.
At approximately 1:30 a.m., sirens sounded across northern Israel, including in the city of Safed, which lies well south of the Lebanese border. The attack marked a notable escalation, as Hezbollah has primarily targeted communities directly adjacent to the frontier.
In a statement issued several hours after Trump’s post, Netanyahu insisted that Israel retained the right to respond to Hezbollah aggression.
“I spoke with President Trump tonight, and told him that if Hezbollah doesn’t cease its attacks on our cities and civilians — Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu said.
“This position of ours remains.”
