Trump prohibits Israel from bombing Lebanon after rebuking Netanyahu
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 9
Trump prohibits Israel from bombing Lebanon after rebuking Netanyahu
11 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 9
The April 17 order followed Israel's exclusion from US-Iran ceasefire talks brokered with Pakistan, despite Netanyahu's claim of near-daily coordination with Trump.
Reports say Trump had already warned Israel against strikes such as the South Pars gasfield attack, while Israeli officials feared a truce that ignored Iran's missiles and regional proxies.
Although Israeli media later reported renewed military coordination, no new joint strikes have emerged, and both leaders face political fallout from a war that disrupted Gulf shipping and the global economy.
After a disastrous miscalculation on Iran, how can the US-Israel alliance regain its strategic credibility?
As China steps in as peacemaker, is the era of US dominance in the Middle East ending?
Trump’s Unprecedented Ban on Israeli Strikes in Lebanon: Ceasefire Violations, Regional Realignment, and Global Market Impact
Overview
On April 17, 2026, a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel began, but was quickly tested when an Israeli drone strike hit southern Lebanon just before President Trump's scheduled interview. Israeli sources claimed the strike was in self-defense after Hezbollah allegedly violated the truce by attacking Israeli forces. In response, President Trump made a direct public statement urging Hezbollah to respect the ceasefire and calling for peace. This immediate sequence of events highlighted the fragile nature of the truce and the complex, conflicting interpretations of its terms by the involved parties.