The White House announced a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. They spun this as the tenth war that President Trump has ended.
That requires some creative accounting. They are counting temporary ceasefires and de-escalations as “war endings.” Israel has been continually violating the Gaza ceasefire, so that shouldn’t count. The war in Ukraine is still ongoing. The only example that resembles something durable is the cooling of tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and even that is fragile.
Further, you cannot claim the title of “War Ender” while also acting as a “War Starter.” The U.S. has provoked conflict with Iran twice in the last year, and that ceasefire is on shaky ground.
Nevertheless, the President says he has invited “the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House” to work toward a permanent agreement to end Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
Netanyahu may show up, but he has already said he has no intention of ending Israel’s presence in Lebanon. He says Hezbollah is demanding a return to internationally recognized borders and a condition of “quiet for quiet.” Netanyahu’s response is no. Israel will remain, and Hezbollah must disarm.
That is not a realistic demand. Hezbollah exists specifically to resist Israeli incursions into Lebanon. They are not going to agree to disarm while Israel maintains a presence on that land.
Will they suddenly wake up and think: Oh, we wanted Israel to stop invading us—but I guess it’s fine now?
Did President Trump pressure Netanyahu for undermining the prospect of a deal before it even began? No. Instead, he scolded Hezbollah and told them to “act nicely…No more killing.”
Last week, Israel killed over 300 civilians in a massive bombing campaign across Lebanon. There was no comparable public rebuke for that.
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