SAEDNEWS: Lebanon Ceasefire Leaves Benjamin Netanyahu Again Bound to Washington’s Decisions, CNN Reports
According to the political desk of Saed News Agency, citing CNN, Donald Trump said on Thursday morning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hold talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The call would have marked the first direct contact in decades between the leaders of two neighboring countries that have no diplomatic relations. Trump said the conversation would create “a bit of breathing space.”
However, amid an intense ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy group, Aoun declined the call.
Trump did not wait for any dialogue to take place.
Just hours later, he announced that a ceasefire would begin at midnight. Netanyahu had little choice but to comply. This is the latest example of a pattern in which Trump’s statements constrain his perhaps most vocal international ally, effectively forcing Netanyahu to make strategic decisions based on what the U.S. president permits.
Netanyahu regularly praises close coordination between the United States and Israel, and between himself and Trump. Yet at critical moments, Trump has repeatedly limited his freedom of action.
Less than a week earlier, Netanyahu had insisted that the war against Hezbollah was still ongoing, saying: “We are still at war with them. It is not over yet.” On Wednesday, Israeli Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir said that additional war plans targeting Lebanon and Iran had just been approved.
Residents of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon began returning home and moving freely in the city following the implementation of the ceasefire.
But without Trump’s approval, Netanyahu has little room for maneuver. Although the temporary ceasefire is expected to last 10 days, it is clear Trump intends to maintain it. He boasted on social media: “I have had the honor of settling nine wars around the world, and this will be the tenth.”
At a Wednesday night security cabinet meeting, Israeli leaders discussed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire. However, no vote was held, and no one admitted that the end of the war might be only days away. On Thursday evening, just before Trump announced the ceasefire in Lebanon, Netanyahu again convened his security cabinet for a remote consultation.
Israeli citizens, both politicians and civilians, learned of the ceasefire not from Netanyahu, but from a Trump social media post.
Amos Harel, military analyst for Haaretz, wrote: “At this stage of the war, which he largely entered after persuading Netanyahu, Trump has become the final arbiter, if not the only arbiter.” He added that Trump had already ended a previous 12-day war against Iran in June and was now imposing temporary ceasefires in both Iran and Lebanon.
Overall, Trump has restrained Netanyahu at least five separate times, including in two conflicts involving Iran. The U.S. president pressured Netanyahu into accepting a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza and forced him to call Qatar and apologize after a failed Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders. Lebanon is the latest case.
In each instance, Israel failed to achieve the decisive victory Netanyahu had promised. In Gaza, Hamas still controls part of the coastal territory not occupied by Israel. In Lebanon, Hezbollah remains a significant threat capable of launching drones and missiles at Israel. In Iran, the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has transitioned into the leadership of his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
The Israeli military has expanded its territorial control across multiple fronts, including parts of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. So far, there has been no real pressure from the White House for Israeli withdrawal. From Netanyahu’s perspective, these areas represent deeper security buffers that Israel may hold for years—but they are not considered outright victories.
Israel’s enemies have not disappeared.
Dani Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, said Tehran would enter the next round of negotiations from a position of strength. He wrote that given Iran’s proven ability to impose significant costs on its neighbors and the global economy, it is unlikely to yield under pressure, regardless of how much Washington escalates its threats.
On Friday, Netanyahu issued a statement saying he agreed to the temporary ceasefire “at the request of my friend, President Trump.” However, he warned that Israel was prepared to resume fighting. “One hand holds a weapon; the other extends toward peace,” he said.
Trump, however, rejected that framing entirely. Twenty minutes later, he posted on social media: “Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon. The United States has stopped them from doing so. Enough is enough!!!”
