President Donald Trump drew a clear line that Israel's attacks on Lebanon are separate from the ceasefire agreement, even as the United States and Iran reached a sudden truce. His position contradicts Iran's claim that Israel's Lebanon strikes violate the ceasefire deal.
In a phone interview with PBS on Thursday, Trump said he was aware of Israel's attacks on Lebanon, adding that they "are not included in the ceasefire agreement." When asked why Israel's Lebanon attacks were not covered by the deal, Trump replied "because of Hezbollah," adding that "that part will also be addressed." Hezbollah is a pro-Iran militant group based in Lebanon. When asked whether it was acceptable for Israel to continue attacking Lebanon, Trump responded, "That's part of the negotiations and everyone knows it," calling it "a separate small skirmish."
Trump's remarks align with Israel's position. The Israeli military had earlier stated that while it would halt attacks on Iran under the two-week ceasefire agreement with the U.S. and Iran, it would continue using force against Hezbollah. Iran responded by claiming that such attacks violate the ceasefire agreement and threatened to withdraw from the deal, including the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also raised the issue with Pakistan, the mediating country, arguing that Israel's attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire terms.
Trump posted on his social network Truth Social that day, writing, "Numerous agreements, lists, and letters are coming from people who have nothing to do with the negotiations, and most of them are complete fraudsters, quacks, or worse," adding that "they will be quickly exposed after the federal investigation is completed." He continued, "There is only one meaningful point that the U.S. can accept, and it will be discussed privately during this negotiation period," adding that "this is reasonable content that can be easily implemented." Trump also wrote, "This is very similar to 'Fake News CNN' featuring a source who didn't even have the authority to draft the letter as if they had tremendous authority in major news."