Trump’s phone call with Hezbollah, what happened?

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he had very productive talks with Hezbollah to end the ongoing conflict in Lebanon and implement a ceasefire with Israel.

He made this sensational information on Monday (June 1) after the Israeli forces ordered a new forced evacuation of the suburbs of Beirut.

Trump said in a post on his own social media 'Truth Social' that he had a very good phone call with Hezbollah through high-ranking representatives and both sides agreed to a ceasefire. According to the agreement, Israel will not carry out any further attacks on Hezbollah and Hezbollah will not attack Israel.

At the same time, the US President also mentioned a productive discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He made it clear that no US troops would be sent to Beirut and that those on their way there had already been withdrawn. However, when contacted for details on the discussions, the White House press office declined to comment beyond Trump’s social media posts.

Meanwhile, Trump’s message has also received positive responses from the Lebanese political scene. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said in a statement that Hezbollah supports a “complete ceasefire” across Lebanon, which would pave the way for the subsequent withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory.

However, they have flatly rejected any proposal for a partial ceasefire that would halt Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel in exchange for an end to attacks on Beirut. The Lebanese presidency has also confirmed that Hezbollah has agreed to a US proposal to “cease mutual attacks” across Lebanon.

In contrast to the positive tone of President Trump and Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his tough stance. In a post on social media, Netanyahu said that during his conversation with President Trump, he made it clear that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking Israeli cities and citizens, Israeli forces will continue to attack terrorist hideouts in Beirut.

He made it clear that there has been no change in Israel's position and that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will continue their pre-planned operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned that there will be no peace in Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continue. Residents of southern Beirut are fleeing their homes again in the face of this threat.

On the other hand, Donald Trump denied rumors that Iran has withdrawn from the ongoing US talks. A report by Iran's Tasnim News Agency said that Iran has suspended all talks with Washington through mediators due to the increasing Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Iran is demanding an end to Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and has threatened to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait if its demands are not met. However, Trump dismissed the report, insisting that talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding at a "very rapid pace."

Behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict continue. Last week, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Israeli and Lebanese military delegations.

In addition, current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who replaced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, held a direct meeting in Washington with the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, the highest-level face-to-face talks in four decades. While Washington considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, any permanent solution without eliminating them as the main military and political force in Lebanon is difficult, as Trump's recent phone call claims make clear.

Source: Middle East Eye.