Photo: Alamy
Lebanon’s embassy in Washington said Monday that Hezbollah had agreed to a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at reducing hostilities with Israel, as regional tensions continued to threaten broader negotiations tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
According to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency, the arrangement would halt Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, in exchange for Hezbollah ending attacks on Israel.
The announcement came shortly after President Donald Trump said he had a “very good call” with Hezbollah through intermediaries and claimed both sides had agreed to stop attacks.
“There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” the president wrote on Truth Social following what he described as a “very productive” conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, 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,” he added.
The developments come ahead of a fourth round of U.S.-hosted negotiations between Lebanon and Israel scheduled for Tuesday. Military delegations from both countries held security discussions last week.
The conflict in Lebanon has intensified in recent months amid the wider regional war involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Hezbollah entered the fighting in March after U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran and the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
Earlier Monday, Iran reiterated that a ceasefire in Lebanon remained a key condition for any broader agreement with Washington. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also warned that additional “fronts” could open in response to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes on more than 40 locations in southern Lebanon on Monday, including an attack that damaged a hospital in the city of Tyre. Videos released by Lebanon’s health ministry showed shattered glass, debris and damage inside hospital wards.