Trump Says Israel, Hezbollah Agreed to Halt Fire; Fighting Erupts Minutes Later

President Donald Trump announced Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to stop fighting following mediated talks — but missiles were already in the air before his message finished circulating.

Trump posted on social media that he had spoken directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and communicated with Hezbollah through intermediaries, declaring that "all shooting will stop — that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel." He said no Israeli troops would enter Beirut and that forces already en route had been turned back. Moments later, Israel detected missile launches from Lebanon and warned residents of northern Israel to shelter in place.

The announcement came as Israeli forces launched strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, including the outskirts of Haifa. Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Beirut strikes followed what they described as repeated Hezbollah violations of an April 17 ceasefire. Overnight Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed six people, including a Syrian national near Nabatiyeh, the state-run National News Agency reported. An afternoon strike on the port city of Tyre caused heavy damage to Jabal Amel Hospital, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.

Florida's Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits at the center of the diplomatic scramble. Rubio spoke with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu late Sunday to propose a path forward: Hezbollah halts all attacks; Israel refrains from escalating operations in Beirut, a U.S. official said. Aoun was described as receptive, though Lebanese parliament chief Nabih Berri — a key Hezbollah ally — demanded Israel first cease all military action. Rubio's role also carries weight for the wider Iran nuclear talks, which Tehran insists must include a Lebanon resolution. Any breakdown here could reverberate through negotiations affecting global oil prices and U.S. military posture in a region where many Treasure Coast service members have deployed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Monday that any U.S.-Iran ceasefire is a "ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon," warning that a violation in one theater constitutes a violation everywhere. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session on Lebanon Monday afternoon. Direct Israel-Lebanon talks — the first in more than three decades between the two nations, which have no formal diplomatic relations — were scheduled to resume in Washington on Tuesday.

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