US President Donald Trump held a “tense” phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday pushing him to ceasefire talks with Lebanon, US and Israeli media reported on Friday.
Citing a US and Israeli source familiar with the matter, CNN reported the conversation came shortly before Israel announced it would seek direct ceasefire talks with Lebanon.
The Israeli source told that Netanyahu came to understand that if he did not call for direct talks with Lebanon, Trump might simply declare a ceasefire.
The call marked at least the third conversation between the two leaders this week in which Lebanon featured prominently.
Earlier in the week, they spoke ahead of Trump announcing a two-week ceasefire with Iran. During that exchange, Netanyahu reportedly urged that Lebanon not be included in the broader framework.
A day later, Trump pressed Netanyahu to scale back Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, following reports from Lebanese health authorities that 303 people were killed in Israeli attacks.
Bloomberg reported that President Trump at the 11th hour informed Netanyahu about Lebanon’s inclusion in the ceasefire.
