Trump Tells Netanyahu Only Surgical Lebanon Strikes As Ceasefire Falters

President Donald Trump told Axios that Israel should only take “surgical” military action in Lebanon and avoid a full resumption of the war as the Lebanon ceasefire falters.

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Axios

In the phone interview, Trump said, “I told Netanyahu he has got to do it more surgically. Not knock down buildings. He can't do it. It is too terrible and makes Israel look bad,” while also claiming, “Iran ruined Lebanon. Their proxy [Hezbollah] ruined Lebanon. When Iran gets taken out, Hezbollah automatically gets taken out.”

CBS News

Axios reported that Trump helped broker a ceasefire in Lebanon that is being only partially observed, with officials in both Israel and Lebanon concerned it will collapse entirely before it is due to expire in mid-May.

The same Axios report said the Israeli military has continued to occupy southern Lebanon and flatten houses there it claims were used by Hezbollah, while Hezbollah has continued to conduct rocket and drone attacks against Israeli forces in Lebanon and villages across the border.

Axios also said Israel has expanded its airstrikes in Lebanon in response, and that Israeli officials are growing increasingly frustrated by constraints imposed by the Trump administration.

A separate report from Naharnet echoed Trump’s message to Israel’s Channel 12, saying he is working to prevent the collapse of the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire “over the next two weeks and beyond,” and repeating Trump’s line that Israel should act “in a more surgical manner, not to knock down buildings.”

Axios reported that there has been “no progress in launching Israel-Lebanon peace talks,” even though Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted two meetings with the respective ambassadors.

The Axios account also described the Trump administration’s position that the ceasefire in Lebanon is unconnected to the ceasefire with Iran, while noting that a resumption of war with Iran would further complicate diplomacy with Tehran.

Naharnet

In the same report, a U.S. official said, “Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire, and is trying to derail it,” adding, “Hezbollah's strategy is clear: provoke, attack, and then blame Israel in order to kill the negotiations and make the Lebanese government look bad.”

That U.S. official also said, “We cannot feasibly expect Israel to just take the hits. This is not the Biden administration,” and described the Trump administration’s request that Israel “show restraint” and give space to the new diplomatic process with Lebanon.

Axios said the White House is enthusiastic about launching Israel-Lebanon peace talks, but that the intended parties are not, and it quoted Firas Maksad of Eurasia Group saying, “It's difficult to say 'no' to President Trump and risk his wrath, but it is also increasingly difficult to sustain direct negotiations with Israel, let alone meeting Netanyahu at the White House, when the destruction of villages and loss of Lebanese lives continues.”

The Axios report further said Hezbollah’s recent attacks are intended in part to undermine the government over its decision to negotiate directly with Israel.

CBS News reported that President Trump said Tuesday, without offering further context, that Iran “informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.'”

The CBS account said Trump made the comment on social media as his administration discusses an Iranian proposal for both countries to drop restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz but delay talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

CBS also said oil prices continued ticking up, with international benchmark Brent Crude topping $112 a barrel Tuesday, and it described no clear indication of an imminent resolution.

In the same CBS report, the conflict’s maritime dimension was tied to the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran severely limiting access and prompting a surge in traffic through the Panama Canal.

CBS said Panama reaffirmed the “neutrality” of its canal on Tuesday along with the “need to preserve” maritime transit routes amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and it quoted Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha reasserting the canal’s neutrality during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar.

CBS reported that the two ministers discussed the international situation “marked by tensions in the Middle East,” according to a statement by Panama's foreign affairs ministry, and that Martinez-Acha emphasized “the importance of the Panama Canal's neutrality as a pillar of global trade” and highlighted “the need to preserve stability in key maritime and energy transit routes.”

CBS News said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face questioning from lawmakers Wednesday for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran, with the hearing before the House Armed Services Committee held to discuss the administration's 2027 military budget proposal.

The CBS report said the proposal would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion, and it said Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, are expected to stress the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.

Naharnet

CBS also said Democrats are likely to pivot to the ballooning costs of the Iran war, “huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions,” and “bombing of a school that killed children,” and it noted that some lawmakers may question how prepared the military was to shoot down swarms of Iranian drones, including “some of which penetrated U.S. defenses and killed or injured American troops.”

The CBS report also shifted to domestic economic pressure, saying the trade group for American budget airlines is asking the Trump administration for $2.5 billion to offset rising jet fuel costs and keep ticket prices affordable.

CBS said the Association of Value Airlines said smaller carriers are being hit hardest by the jump in fuel prices, despite carrying more than 90 million passengers last year, and it quoted the group calling for “Temporary government support” to help “preserve vital industry competition.”

CBS named the Association of Value Airlines members Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country, and it said Spirit Airlines is separately in talks with the U.S. government on a potential financing deal aimed at keeping the struggling carrier flying as it navigates fuel price shocks during its second bankruptcy since 2024.