US President Donald Trump hinted that an agreement with Iran to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz may be sealed “over the next week.”
In an interview with ABC News, Trump said a peace
agreement with Iran could be “even better than a military victory.”
When asked when the deal would happen, Trump said, “I think you’re talking about over the next week.”
Iran had earlier called off the negotiations over Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon. However,Trump intervened and spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah representatives. He later announced that Israel and Hezbollah would not attack each other.
“There was a little glitch today, but I turned that one around very quickly, as you probably noticed earlier. So, I spoke with Hezbollah, and I said no shooting, and I talked to Bibi [Netanyahu], and said, no shooting, and they both stopped shooting each other,” Trump said
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he asked Netanyahu not to go into a major raid of Beirut.
He further said Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to stop shooting and expressed hope that it would be for “eternity”.
“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi! I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” he said.
However, Trump’s words appear to have little impact on the ground as Netanyahu said that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.
But he said Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut if Hezbollah does not cease attacks.
“Tonight, I spoke with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens—Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut. This stance of ours remains unchanged. In parallel, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon,” he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese embassy in the US said that Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks.”
