US President on Friday (local time) claimed that he would be able to stop Israel from carrying out any more strikes in Lebanon, asserting that the Israeli leadership acts on his directions due to what he calls strong mutual respect.
Trump made these remarks during an interview on The Axios Show. When asked if he could influence Israeli military actions in the region, especially potential strikes on Beirut, the US President said that he would be able to exercise control over such decisions. He added, “Yeah, I will be. I mean, they have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say.”
Trump’s remarks come days after he signed the US-Iran interim peace deal, a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (), at Versailles, France. The agreement, which is aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict permanently, also seeks the permanent and immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, so far, Tel Aviv has continued with its military offensive in Beirut to target Iran-backed militants, a move that has irked Trump a lot more in the last few weeks and strained ties between the two leaders.
Trump-Netanyahu ties
During the interview, he also referred to Israeli Prime Minister and said that he maintains a strong but closely watched relationship with him and added, “It’s good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.”
His remarks came after the expressed frustration with Netanyahu over jeopardising the US-Iran deal. According to reports, the Israeli prime minister was also sidelined from the negotiations that led to the interim deal. The Wall Street Journal reported that the frequent phone calls between the two leaders have now become less friendly. During a recent phone call about Beirut, Trump asked , “Why are you blowing up buildings?” and asked him to “stop blowing up buildings.” In another call, he reportedly complained that the worldwide downturn sparked by the war could tie him to Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Since the war began in late February, the US President has yelled at Netanyahu on several occasions, a fact he acknowledged earlier this month. Earlier this week, he said, “Without the US, there would be no Israel. because no other President was willing to do what I did. I have had a great relationship with Bibi. Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”
Earlier this month, both Netanyahu and Trump downplayed their rift. Speaking with CNBC, he said that while they sometimes have “tactical disagreements,” they “agree on the main things.” He said, “Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, these tactical disagreements, but we always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends.”
The Israeli PM added, “We can disagree in the morning” and find common ground by the afternoon.
During the interview, Trump reiterated that without him, Israel would have been “eviscerated.” He added, “Remember this: if I don’t terminate the –road to–remember that was a road to a nuclear weapon legally. It says right there. And Obama thought he could pay them off. He gave them billions and billions of dollars, 1.7 billion in cash. You know, it was a well-known story, but it didn’t work. You can’t bribe your way out of it; you can’t pay your way. But if I didn’t do that and if I didn’t attack their nuclear supply 10 months ago with the B-2 bombers, Israel would not exist today.”
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
On Friday (local time), reports suggest that a renewed ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hezbollah amid efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.
CNN, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, reported that Israel and Hezbollah have reached an agreement to reinstate a ceasefire, which came into effect at 9 am (local time).
However, Israel Defence Forces () Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that the Israeli forces would continue to remove “immediate threats” against “Hezbollah’s violations.”
“We will continue to remove immediate threats, respond to Hezbollah’s violations, and do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians,” the IDF spokesperson said.
It remains to be seen whether Israel and Hezbollah will hold the ceasefire or violate it once again.
- Trump believes he holds significant sway over Israeli military decisions, especially regarding Lebanon.
- Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu have increased due to differing strategies pertaining to military actions.
- The recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah highlights the fragility of peace in the region.
