President Donald Trump said Friday that he has asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, telling Israeli media outlet Israel Hayom 'sometimes you need to calm down and use your head.' The statement adds public presidential pressure on Jerusalem to de-escalate the northern front, following weeks of reported diplomatic efforts.
President Donald Trump publicly called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, telling Israel Hayom in remarks published Friday evening: 'I asked Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Sometimes you need to calm down and use your head.' The statement — Trump's most direct appeal for a cessation of hostilities on the Lebanon front to date — comes as the latest in a sustained series of presidential interventions over the past week. By Fri 20:36 Jerusalem, the remarks have been reported by a single outlet (Israel Hayom) and have not yet been independently corroborated.
Earlier Friday, at 08:21 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Trump telling NBC that Netanyahu needs to 'relax' and 'use his head,' and separately that he told Hebrew media Netanyahu must be kept 'somewhat sane' and that Israel 'does what I tell it.' A preceding version, also at 08:21, quoted Trump claiming he could prevent an Israeli strike on Lebanon because of the 'respect' the Israeli leadership holds for him. Across these four reports Friday morning, the source quality evolved from a single unverified channel message (version 1) to attributed quotes from NBC and Hebrew media (versions 2-4).
As The Zioneer reported Thursday (21:10 Jerusalem), the Trump administration has demanded Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hezbollah. Trump separately told Channel 14 earlier Thursday that Hezbollah 'must definitely disarm' (20:21 Jerusalem), and on Wednesday he urged Netanyahu to adopt a 'softer touch' in Lebanon (14:11 Jerusalem). The backdrop includes reported US-Iran negotiations and ongoing Hezbollah drone activity over southern Lebanon, as The Zioneer reported Wednesday (19:38 Jerusalem).
It remains unclear whether Trump's latest request to Netanyahu was made in a private conversation or through diplomatic channels. No formal response from the Prime Minister's Office has been published, and the statement has not been verified by a second source.
4 developments
- DevelopingTrump calls Netanyahu, demands ceasefire as security cabinet convenes
- DevelopingTrump administration demands Israel agree to permanent ceasefire with Hezbollah
- DevelopingTrump reportedly sides with Iran on demand that Israel stop attacking Hezbollah
- DevelopingTrump tells Netanyahu 'it's time to end this war' with Iran, Axios reports
Source and signal
- Internal intake