Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to halt fighting, Donald Trump has said. The US president announced the apparent breakthrough on Monday after holding separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of the Lebanese militant group through intermediaries.
"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
This came amid fears that Israel's escalating bombardment of southern Lebanon could complicate peace talks involving Iran. Trump said Netanyahu had assured him that Israeli troops would not advance into Beirut's southern suburbs, while Hezbollah had agreed to cease attacks on Israel. Track live updates
"Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop -- That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” the US President said.
A Lebanese official said Hezbollah had conveyed through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that it was prepared to halt attacks on northern Israel if Netanyahu refrained from striking Beirut and its suburbs, according to Reuters.
It is unclear who Trump communicated with in Hezbollah through intermediaries. Any such contact would be unprecedented for a US president, as Hezbollah is designated a foreign terrorist organisation by Washington.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon
Over 3,400 people have been killed and more than 10,200 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Israeli forces recently captured the strategic Beaufort Castle near Nabatieh after days of fighting and air strikes, and now control roughly 2,000 square kilometres of Lebanese territory, nearly one-fifth of the country.
On Sunday alone, at least 12 people were killed and 35 wounded in more than 36 Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon, according to an Al Jazeera tally.
The latest escalation follows Netanyahu's order to increase bombing Lebanon. During a visit to frontline positions on Sunday, he said Israel would "deepen and expand" its hold over areas previously controlled by Hezbollah. On Monday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, instructing them to move at least one kilometre away from the targeted areas ahead of planned attacks.
The fighting has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon since early March. In retaliation, Hezbollah, over the weekend, carried out one of its heaviest barrages against northern Israel since an April ceasefire.
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Trump on Iran-US peace talks
Earlier in the day, Tehran suspended discussions with mediators in protest against Israel's expanding offensive in Lebanon, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.
Trump later said in a separate Truth Social post that "talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran." Before that, Trump told CNBS "I don't care" if negotiations with Iran collapsed. "If they're over, they're over," Trump said. "Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring."