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Sunday, May 31, 2026
Netanyahu holds security meet on Lebanon amid reported push for US approval on Beirut strikes
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a high-level security consultation amid escalating fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, an Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.
The meeting comes amid Israeli efforts to get Washington to back strikes against the terror group in Beirut, Channel 12 reports.
Netanyahu held a similar discussion last night, as Jerusalem aims to shift from a strategy focused on holding territory in southern Lebanon to broader aerial operations, including in Beirut, according to the report.
Netanyahu spoke by phone yesterday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seeking to convince him and other senior Trump administration officials that Israel cannot effectively grant Hezbollah immunity in Beirut, even if targeted assassinations there remain permissible, the report continues.
The IDF has presented the political leadership with a series of operational plans in recent days, including ones in Beirut that would require civilian evacuations, Channel 12 reports, adding that Netanyahu has acknowledged in closed-door meetings that Israel cannot operate as freely as it would like because of American restrictions.
“The Americans are showing greater openness, but there is still no final approval — at least for now,” an Israeli official tells the network.
The Times of Israel Community.