Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to ‘Low-Key It’ in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that there is currently no ceasefire in Lebanon. In a video message addressed to Israelis, Netanyahu stated that military operations against Hezbollah will continue. At the same time, he said Israel is preparing for direct negotiations with Lebanon that would focus on dismantling Hezbollah’s military capabilities and potentially moving toward normalized relations between the two countries. Netanyahu emphasized that Israeli forces will keep striking Hezbollah targets until Israel’s security is fully restored.

His statement followed a wave of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon a day earlier that Lebanese authorities say killed more than 300 people. Officials in Lebanon described the attacks, which hit densely populated areas, as a massacre.

Airstrikes continued on Thursday, although President Trump said Israel was beginning to reduce the scale of its operations. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu and urged a lower-profile approach to the fighting. According to Trump, Netanyahu agreed to ease the intensity of the campaign.

The developments come as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran faces its first dispute over whether the agreement applies to Lebanon. The United States and Israel maintain that the deal does not cover the Lebanese front. Iran and Pakistan, which helped mediate the ceasefire, argue that the arrangement should apply across the entire region. Sources told CBS News that Trump was initially informed that the ceasefire would extend region-wide, but the U.S. stance shifted after a phone conversation between Trump and Netanyahu. According to those sources, Lebanese and Israeli officials are expected to hold talks at the U.S. State Department next week under American mediation.

A senior Lebanese official said discussions are underway to pursue a temporary ceasefire with Israel through a separate process that would resemble the framework used for the U.S.-Iran truce. However, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad rejected the idea of direct negotiations with Israel, insisting that Israel must first agree to halt its military operations in Lebanon.

Under a U.S.-brokered agreement reached in 2024, Lebanon committed to ensuring that only official state security forces carry weapons, effectively requiring Hezbollah to disarm. Israel says the Lebanese army has not enforced that provision.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high in the Persian Gulf. Iran continues to tightly control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with shipping volumes reportedly reduced to less than 10 percent of prewar levels. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that the country would avenge the killing of his father and warned that management of the strait would enter what he called a “new phase.” In a statement broadcast on Iranian state television, he vowed punishment for countries he accuses of attacking Iran and suggested Tehran would seek compensation for damages caused by the conflict.

According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad on Thursday ahead of expected talks with a U.S. delegation. The American side is expected to be led by Vice President JD Vance when negotiations begin Saturday.