Hours after President Donald Trump announced early Monday that Israel, and Hezbollah had reached an understanding to cease mutual attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had flatly rejected US President Donald Trump’s assertion of a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group which is popularly known as Hezbollah, declaring Monday that Israeli forces will maintain their offensive operations in Southern Lebanon regardless of American diplomatic efforts.
According to a report made by the Middle East Monitor on Tuesday, 2 June, 2026, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu in comments carried by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, said “I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and citizens, Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut. Our position remains unchanged. At the same time, the army will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”
It was gathered that the dramatic contradiction lays bare deepening tensions between the American Government, and their closest regional ally, with Israeli media reporting that the phone call between the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the Israeli Premier, covered the escalating situation in Lebanon as well as the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, but evidently produced no meeting of minds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public defiance suggests he is prepared to risk a direct rupture with the President Donald Trump’s administration rather than halt military operations against the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group which is popularly known as Hezbollah, which he had long described as an existential threat to northern Israel.
As it stands, the Israeli military has been escalating their campaign in recent days, with Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, reporting that the Government of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu had planned to attack Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday morning, but decided to postpone the bombardment due to direct US intervention.
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