Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel supports the United States decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but clarified that the pause does not extend to Lebanon, where fighting with Hezbollah continues.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel welcomed US President Donald Trump’s efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to the United States, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbors and the wider world.
In a statement posted on X, Netanyahu’s office also clarified that the proposed two week pause applies only to direct hostilities between the United States and Iran, and does not extend to Lebanon, indicating Israeli operations there could continue.Israeli forces have continued operations against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, with reports of fresh strikes and cross border exchanges. Hezbollah has also claimed limited retaliatory attacks on Israeli targets.Iranian officials have repeatedly said any lasting ceasefire must include a halt to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
In its reported 10 point proposal to end the conflict, Tehran has called for an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, describing the group’s actions as self defense. Iranian officials have also linked progress on a broader US Iran ceasefire to de escalation along the Lebanon front, raising questions about whether the two week pause can hold.
