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Hezbollah denies Trump contact
Hezbollah denied having direct contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, with senior Hezbollah figure Mahmud Qomati telling AFP that "there has been no direct contact between President Trump and Hezbollah officials."
“An official from Hezbollah told AFP that there had been no direct contact between the group and the American president after Donald Trump's statements last week in which he said he had spoken with Hezbollah and obtained its approval to halt strikes on Israel”
Trump had said last Wednesday that "We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time, ever" while discussing efforts to halt the latest war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
Qomati said Trump "perhaps" was referring to communications involving an adviser to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who “communicates with the U.S. ambassador and passes on messages.”
The denial came as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated Monday that "only the Lebanese state negotiates in the name of Lebanon."
Diplomacy and competing channels
Hezbollah’s rejection of direct talks was paired with continued U.S.-Lebanon engagement, as the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, met on Monday with the heads of the Republic, the Council of Ministers, and the Parliament.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Issa that "no one negotiates on behalf of Lebanon except the Lebanese state," according to a statement from his office.
In parallel, Qomati argued that Trump’s suggestion of direct contact showed the U.S. administration’s readiness to bypass Lebanese authorities, saying it indicates "how ready the U.S. administration is to abandon Lebanese authority" whenever there is contact with powerful actors in Lebanon.
The dispute over channels of communication unfolded alongside Washington’s position that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and the ongoing U.S.-sponsored negotiations between Israel and Lebanon that began in April under U.S. auspices.
War escalation imperils ceasefire
The Hezbollah denial landed as Israel and Iran traded strikes on Monday, their war’s 100th day, putting an already fragile truce in serious jeopardy, according to CBS News.
“Hezbollah denied, on Monday, any direct contact between itself and U”
CBS News said Iran blamed the United States for the resumption of fighting with Israel, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stating, "Without a doubt ... the actions of the Zionist regime in the region cannot be separated from U.S. policies."
In Lebanon, Trump urged more 'surgical' strikes against Hezbollah in an interview broadcast Sunday, telling NBC’s 'Meet the Press,' "I'd like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah."
CBS News also described how Israel launched airstrikes at Beirut's southern suburbs Sunday, which led to Iran retaliating with its own strike on Israel, then to Monday's attacks and counterattacks.
