From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 1, 2026
After 2 hour silence post-Trump truce announcement, PM says Israel to strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continue
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will carry out its earlier plans to strike Beirut if Hezbollah does not halt its attacks on northern Israel, after US President Donald Trump said earlier this evening that the IDF would not enter the Lebanese capital and that Israel and Hezbollah would refrain from attacking each other.
“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains unchanged,” Netanyahu says in a Hebrew-language statement.
“At the same time, the IDF will continue operating in southern Lebanon as planned,” Netanyahu says.
The terms of the apparent ceasefire announced by Trump remain unclear amid conflicting indications from Washington, Jerusalem, Hezbollah and Beirut.
Netanyahu’s statement comes roughly two hours after Trump announced the ceasefire, further bolstering claims that the deal was forced upon Jerusalem by Washington.
The Times of Israel Community.