Still, Netanyahu made clear the campaign against Hezbollah was far from over. He argued that since October 7, 2023, Israel had removed the threat of infiltration and anti-tank fire from the group and eliminated roughly 90% of its rocket arsenal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will say honestly, we have not yet finished the job,\u201d he added, warning that further action was planned against remaining rocket and drone threats. Dismantling Hezbollah, he said, would require \u201csustained effort, patience, and careful navigation in the diplomatic arena.\u201d<\/p>\n
His remarks came as the fragile ceasefire, brokered by Washington after some six weeks of fighting, took effect overnight.<\/p>\n
Despite the truce, Lebanese media on Friday evening reported one killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle between the southern towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun. There was no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.<\/p>\n
\t Netanyahu stunned<\/p>\n Netanyahu was reportedly \u201cstunned and alarmed\u201d by Trump\u2019s statement, learning of it from the media, a senior Israeli source told Axios, which noted that such pronouncements, implying that Israel had no choice but to obey, would have been under any other US administration.<\/p>\n Axios said that aides to Netanyahu, including Israel\u2019s envoy in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, scrambled to understand the implications of Trump\u2019s remarks, approaching the White House for clarification as they contradicted the terms of the agreement.<\/p>\n And a US official later clarified Trump\u2019s remarks, telling\u00a0The Times of Israel that the \u201cceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in the day, Hezbollah signaled it remained on high alert hours after the ceasefire began, saying its fighters were keeping their \u201cfinger on the trigger\u201d in the event of Israeli violations, citing fears of the \u201cenemy\u2019s treachery.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump similarly cautioned Hezbollah against undermining the truce in a separate Truth Social post, saying, \u201cI hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time\u2026 No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s top negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf tried to take credit for the Lebanon ceasefire, saying it \u201cwas nothing but a result of Hezbollah\u2019s steadfastness and the unity of the Axis of Resistance,\u201d despite the US and Israel framing the truce as the result of a separate channel of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.<\/p>\n \t As tensions remained high, diplomatic efforts pressed on. An Israeli official told The Times of Israel discussions had begun regarding a potential visit by Netanyahu to the White House for talks with Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun \u2014 a meeting Trump described as \u201cthe first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.\u201d<\/p>\n The visit won\u2019t happen before Israel\u2019s Independence Day, which takes place on Wednesday, said the official.<\/p>\n Trump later said the meeting would likely be held in the next week or two.<\/p>\n Crucial talks<\/p>\n Aoun, meanwhile, endorsed continued direct negotiations with Israel, calling them \u201ccrucial\u201d and describing the ceasefire as a \u201cgateway to proceeding with negotiations.\u201d He said Lebanon was working to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to bring back Lebanese citizens held by Israel and to solve border disputes.<\/p>\n The Lebanese Armed Forces \u201cwill play a fundamental role after the withdrawal of Israeli forces,\u201d Aoun said, promising they would deploy to the Israeli border and reassure residents of southern Lebanon, \u201cafter their return to their villages and towns, that there will be no armed forces other than the army and the legitimate security forces.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Seemingly contradicting Aoun, Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed that the ceasefire was only a \u201ctemporary freeze,\u201d emphasizing that forces would remain deployed inside Lebanon until Israel\u2019s remaining missions in that country are completed, by force if necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF holds and will continue to hold all the areas it has cleared and captured,\u201d Katz said in a statement, adding that while significant achievements had been made \u2014 including the killing of more than 1,700 Hezbollah fighters and the clearing of a buffer zone along the border \u2014 key objectives remained unfinished.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a 10-day ceasefire,\u201d he said, reiterating that dismantling Hezbollah\u2019s weapons remained the central goal, through both military and diplomatic means.<\/p>\n Katz acknowledged that the new security zone in south Lebanon, which stretches up to the Litani River, still has enemy fighters and weapons in it, and said it will be cleared through a diplomatic arrangement or by returning to fighting.<\/p>\n \u201cIf hostilities resume, any residents who return to the security zone will have to evacuate in order to allow the mission to be completed,\u201d he said, stressing that Israel would also strike Hezbollah targets north of the Litani River.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s Al-Mayadeen outlet reported that the Lebanese army had repaired and reopened the Qasmiyeh Bridge, which had been destroyed during the fighting, and had opened new routes into the south after Israeli forces blew up key crossings over the Litani River and issued sweeping evacuation orders for southern Lebanon, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26107331798577-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tDisplaced residents wave a flag with the image of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as they return to their villages following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in Zefta, southern Lebanon, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hassan Ammar)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3-combo-4-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tFrom left to right: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Collage\/AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26107404013859-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tLebanese soldiers stand guard near the destroyed Qasmiyeh bridge as people return to their villages in Qasmiyeh, south Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. (AP Photo\/Mohammed Zaatari)<\/p>\n
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