US President Donald Trump announced Monday that Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have agreed to halt attacks following indirect talks through intermediaries. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, through “highly placed representatives”, Hezbollah.

“I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop – that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” Trump wrote. If confirmed, this would be the first time a US president has communicated with Hezbollah, which Washington designates as a “terrorist” organization, either directly or via intermediaries.

According to a statement from Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, the proposal would see Hezbollah stop attacks on Israel in exchange for Israel halting strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs. Trump also said Netanyahu agreed to pull back Israeli troops preparing to attack the Lebanese capital.

However, Netanyahu’s office said Israel reserves the right to strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continue. “If Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens … Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut,” he said. On Tuesday morning, no Israeli attacks on Beirut were reported, but strikes continued in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese officials and Hezbollah figures expressed support for the ceasefire. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the group backs a “full ceasefire on all Lebanese territory”. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, vouched for the group’s “full, comprehensive and immediate” adherence to a truce, but questioned who would force Israel to halt its aggression.

Iran announced it was suspending message exchanges with Washington in protest. Analysts view the development as a potential breakthrough, though previous ceasefire attempts between Israel and Lebanon have repeatedly collapsed. The agreement could also mark a shift in US-Hezbollah relations, which have been hostile since the 1980s.

Source: www.aljazeera.com