Netanyahu: Long ‘road to peace’ begins, as Trump says Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing Lebanon |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the road to peace with Lebanon was long, “but we have begun,” as he defended his decision to accept a 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah, framing it as a strategic opening for both diplomacy and continued military pressure.
However, the impression that this was a truce imposed upon Israel was reinforced by US President Donald Trump, who declared in a Truth Social post that Israel “will not be bombing Lebanon any longer.”
“They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the USA. Enough is enough,” he added in an unprecedented expression of US control over Israel’s actions.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu sought to give the truce a positive spin.
“One hand holds a weapon; the other is extended for peace,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, explaining that at the request of Trump, Israel was “giving an opportunity to advance a combined diplomatic and military solution with the Lebanese government.”
Still, Netanyahu made clear the campaign against Hezbollah was far from over. He argued that since October 7, 2023, Israel had removed the threat of infiltration and anti-tank fire from the group and eliminated roughly 90% of its rocket arsenal.
“I will say honestly, we have not yet finished the job,” he added, warning that further action was planned against remaining rocket and drone threats. Dismantling Hezbollah, he said, would require “sustained effort, patience, and careful navigation in the diplomatic arena.”
His remarks came as the fragile ceasefire, brokered by Washington after some six weeks of fighting, took effect overnight.
Despite the truce, Lebanese media on Friday evening reported one killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle between the southern towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun. There was no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.
The terms of the ceasefire do allow Israel to carry out defensive strikes against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”
Earlier in the day, Hezbollah signaled it remained on high alert hours after the ceasefire began, saying its fighters were keeping their........