U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt hostilities, while also indicating that negotiations involving Iran were continuing despite recent tensions linked to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
In a post on social media, Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured him that Israeli forces would not enter Beirut’s southern suburbs as previously threatened. He also claimed that Hezbollah had agreed to cease attacks.
According to Trump, he held what he described as a productive conversation with Netanyahu, during which the Israeli leader confirmed that troops heading toward Beirut had been recalled and that no further advance into the area would take place.
Trump further stated that, through intermediaries, he had communicated with Hezbollah representatives, who allegedly agreed to stop attacks provided Israel also refrained from military action against the group.
“Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” Trump wrote.
In a separate post shortly afterward, Trump said discussions with Iran were progressing rapidly despite reports suggesting a setback in diplomatic efforts.
His remarks came after Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran had suspended talks with mediators in protest against Israel’s expanding military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said, expressing optimism about the negotiations.
However, earlier in the day, the U.S. president appeared less confident about the prospects of the talks. During a telephone interview with CNBC, Trump suggested he was not overly concerned about the possibility of negotiations collapsing.
“If they’re over, they’re over,” he said. “Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring.”
Speaking separately with NBC News, Trump said he had not been briefed on reports that Iran had suspended negotiations but argued that reducing public commentary on the discussions could be beneficial.
“I think we’ve been talking too much, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said.
“I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time.”
The latest developments come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East following months of conflict involving Israel, Hezbollah and Iran.