Trump shocked Netanyahu with post declaring Lebanon strikes "prohibited"
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Netanyahu and Trump at the White House. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty
Israel asked the White House for clarifications about President Trump's post that Israel was "prohibited" from conducting airstrikes in Lebanon, a U.S. source and another source familiar tell Axios.
Why it matters: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers were shocked by Trump's post, which contradicted the text of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that the State Department published on Thursday.
- The implication of Trump's post — that he was issuing an order that Israel had no choice but to obey — would have been unthinkable under other U.S. administrations.
- Netanyahu was personally stunned and alarmed when he learned of the post, the sources said.
Catch up quickly: Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
- The U.S. had been pressing for such a truce for several days, while working in parallel on a peace deal with Iran.
- According to the agreement, Israel reserves the right to take military action, even during the ceasefire, "in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks."
- Israel committed not to take offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military and other state targets.
- The ceasefire is incredibly politically sensitive for Netanyahu, and his government has emphasized that it is not constrained from striking Hezbollah if necessary.
On Friday, Trump used starkly different language:
- "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!"
- In an interview with Axios Trump reiterated that he wants Israeli strikes on Lebanon to end.
- "Israel has to stop. They can't continue to blow buildings up. I am not gonna allow it," he said.
Behind the scenes: Netanyahu and his team found out about Trump's Lebanon comments in the media and were caught off guard.
- Aides, including Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, began scrambling to understand whether the U.S. had changed course.
- Israeli officials asked the White House for clarification and stressed that Trump's comment contradicted the agreement.
- After Axios asked the White House for a comment, a U.S. official clarified Trump's remarks.
- "The President's ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks," the U.S. official said.
What to watch: On Friday evening, shortly before Trump's interview with Axios, an Israeli drone conducted a strike in southern Lebanon.
- An Israeli source claimed later that Hezbollah violated the ceasefire and attacked Israeli forces within the security zone.
- "Our forces acted in self-defense to remove the threat in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States and Lebanon," the Israeli source said.
