Prime Minister Netanyahu said Sunday that President Trump did not ask him to stop Israeli operations against Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon, calling such reports 'fake news.' Netanyahu stated Trump did not raise the matter and that Israel acts on its own considerations, according to a quote reported by Amit Segal (N12). The denial follows The Zioneer's earlier report from 13:40 on the same day, when Netanyahu first dismissed the claims as 'legend, fake news.'
In a fresh statement issued Sunday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly refuted claims that US President Donald Trump instructed him to cease operations against Hezbollah's cross-border attack tunnels in Lebanon.
'Trump did not tell us to stop operating against Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon. That's fake news,' Netanyahu said, according to the quote reported by N12's Amit Segal. The prime minister added that Trump did not raise the issue and that Israel acts according to its own considerations alone.
This new remark builds on Netanyahu's earlier denial reported at 13:40, when he told the cabinet that reports of a Trump request were 'legend, fake news.' A SAME-THREAD bulletin from 13:40 first documented that cabinet denial. The current statement sharpens the denial by adding that Trump did not even raise the topic, and that Israel requires no permission.
The denial is set against a backdrop of multiple prior reports, covered in The Zioneer's archive, documenting tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the scope of Israeli military action in southern Lebanon. These include a June 30 statement by Defense Minister Israel Katz that Trump prevented Israel from launching a full-scale offensive against Hezbollah, as well as earlier reports of direct Trump-Netanyahu exchanges and reported US demands to halt Lebanon operations within a possible Iran deal. The prime minister's fresh denial appears aimed at reasserting the government's public position of unrestricted operational autonomy in the north. No US reaction has been reported yet.
2 developments
- StrongCNN: Netanyahu tells Trump Israel does not see itself bound by demand for permanent Lebanon ceasefire
- StrongNetanyahu tells Trump southern Lebanon strikes 'light casualties' so far, expects Hezbollah to hold fire
- DevelopingTrump denies asking Netanyahu to hold back, says he told him to 'do what's right' but stop soon
- StrongKatz: Trump blocked a full-scale Israeli offensive to destroy Hezbollah
Source and signal
- Internal intake