President Trump has instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restrict military operations in Lebanon to targeted strikes, explicitly rejecting broader military escalation as the fragile ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration shows signs of collapse.
In a phone interview with Axios, Trump told Netanyahu to operate with precision rather than flatten buildings. "I told Netanyahu he has got to do it more surgically. Not knock down buildings. He can't do it. It is too terrible and makes Israel look bad," Trump said.
The ceasefire, which was set to expire in mid-May, is deteriorating rapidly. Hezbollah continues launching rocket and drone attacks against Israeli forces stationed in southern Lebanon and villages across the border. Israel has responded with expanded airstrikes, and Netanyahu has signaled to Trump that he feels compelled to intensify the response further. Israeli military operations have included ongoing occupation of southern Lebanon and the destruction of homes Israel claims were Hezbollah positions.
Trump has spoken to Netanyahu daily this week as the situation deteriorated. Israeli officials are increasingly frustrated by what they view as restrictive constraints imposed by the Trump administration, which has urged Israel to show restraint and allow space for diplomatic negotiations.
Trump framed the conflict in regional terms, claiming that Iran's influence through its proxy Hezbollah has ruined Lebanon. "When Iran gets taken out, Hezbollah automatically gets taken out," he told Axios. He expressed optimism about Lebanon's future, saying the country can "make a comeback."
State Department officials are defending the ceasefire arrangement while acknowledging the challenges. According to a U.S. official, Hezbollah is not technically a party to the agreement and is deliberately attempting to undermine it. "Hezbollah's strategy is clear: provoke, attack, and then blame Israel in order to kill the negotiations and make the Lebanese government look bad," the official stated. The Trump administration argues that it cannot reasonably expect Israel to absorb attacks without responding.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hosted two separate meetings with Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in an attempt to launch direct peace negotiations, but no progress has been made. The Trump administration plans to intensify its campaign against Hezbollah and work to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces on an accelerated timeline.
Lebanese leadership faces a difficult position. President Joseph Aoun is under pressure from the U.S. to isolate Hezbollah while managing domestic anger over Israel's military presence in the south, ongoing airstrikes, and destruction of villages. The situation has grown so tense that Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and Aoun exchanged public accusations of treason this week.
Lebanese officials are particularly concerned that Israel's continued occupation of southern Lebanon will paradoxically restore Hezbollah's credibility as a resistance force against an occupier, potentially undoing diplomatic gains. Hezbollah's attacks partly aim to punish the Lebanese government for pursuing direct negotiations with Israel.
Trump wants to host a trilateral summit with Netanyahu and Aoun, but analysts doubt the Lebanese president would attend without significant diplomatic progress first. According to Firas Maksad of Eurasia Group, while refusing a Trump invitation carries risks, sustaining negotiations with Israel becomes increasingly untenable as Israeli military operations continue to destroy Lebanese communities.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump is trying to manage a ceasefire that neither side particularly wants to maintain, and his insistence on surgical strikes rings hollow when the underlying conflict drivers remain unresolved."
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