Lebanon’s President Says He Will Not Meet Netanyahu Until the War Ends: Live Updates on the US-Israel Conflict With Iran
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said he will not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until a war-ending agreement is reached, insisting that a military approach will not secure northern Israel. In remarks to CNN, Aoun said Lebanon has no choice but to negotiate and is trying to use U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal interest in ending the conflict to move diplomacy forward. He said any settlement under discussion would likely be a non-aggression or security agreement, not a peace deal, because Lebanon remains aligned with the Arab Initiative.
His comments came as Israel and Iran signaled a pause in direct attacks after a new round of exchanges that began over the weekend. Israel struck targets in southern Beirut and in parts of Iran, while Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the fighting had been contained after Israel’s strikes on Tehran and said Israel would respond with force to any future attack. Trump also said on Truth Social that both sides were looking toward an immediate ceasefire and that final peace talks were underway.
The temporary halt followed intense pressure from Washington. Trump told Axios that he warned Netanyahu Israel could end up “on your own very soon” if the offensive continued. According to Axios, Netanyahu had been preparing a larger attack on Iran before the intervention. Trump said he had also heard from several regional countries urging him to help stop the escalation, while Iran reportedly told the U.S. it would not launch more attacks and wanted Israel to stand down.
Despite the pause, tensions remained high. The Israeli military said it intercepted a suspicious aerial target heading toward Eilat from Yemen, an area controlled by Houthi forces allied with Iran. In Lebanon, officials said Israeli strikes on Tyre damaged a UNESCO-listed archaeological site, raising concerns over cultural heritage protection. The Lebanese Red Cross also reported that four paramedics were injured by glass shrapnel in Tyre.
Humanitarian issues added to the pressure. Israel’s COGAT said it would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza on a gradual basis to allow aid deliveries starting Tuesday, after having shut Gaza crossings in response to the Iranian attacks. The move had been criticized by aid organizations.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would both fight and negotiate “at our own time,” adding that Iran seeks an end to the war and stable security but does not trust its opponent. For now, the region appears to have stepped back from the edge of wider war, but the ceasefire remains fragile and heavily dependent on U.S. diplomacy and restraint from both sides.
