U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he mediated an armed clash between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and repeatedly expressed his intention to resume stalled end-of-war talks with Iran.
Trump said on the 1st (local time) on his social media (SNS) Truth Social, "I had a very productive call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," adding, "There will be no troops heading to Beirut, and those on the move have already turned back."
Trump went on, "I also had a very good call with Hezbollah's top-level representatives," and claimed, "They all agreed to stop firing." He added, "Israel will not attack Hezbollah, and Hezbollah will not attack Israel."
Immediately after Trump's announcement of a "halt to hostilities," Israeli outlet Y-net reported that the Israeli military postponed an airstrike on Beirut at the request of the United States. A local source told Y-net, "The U.S. government is pushing a new cease-fire proposal and, accordingly, asked the Israeli side to hold off on the strike."
Nabih Berri, Hezbollah's ally and a powerful political figure who serves as speaker of the Lebanese parliament, was also said to have conveyed to the U.S. side that he is ready to accept an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire with Israel and that he would guarantee it.
Earlier, Netanyahu had ordered airstrikes on the Dahiyeh area on the southern outskirts of Beirut, Hezbollah's stronghold. But with the United States stepping in to mediate, the risk of escalation appears to be easing for now.
Analysts say Trump's rush to mediate is driven by an intent to salvage end-of-war talks with Iran. The United States and Iran were reportedly progressing to the stage of drafting a cease-fire framework, but the resumption of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah has greatly weakened the momentum.
Iran labeled Israel's attack a cease-fire violation and said it had halted the exchange of messages with the United States regarding end-of-war talks. However, Trump suggested talks could continue, stressing in an additional post that "talks with Iran are moving very quickly."
In a phone interview with NBC earlier, Trump said, "Iran did not notify us that it had halted talks," drawing a line on a military response by adding, "A pause in talks does not mean we immediately start bombing."
With international oil prices rising amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, Trump said in a CNBC interview that "oil prices will plunge soon." Early this morning, he also wrote on Truth Social, "Iran sincerely wants to negotiate, and it will be a good deal for the United States and all our allies," adding, "In the end, everything will work out well."