Perhaps Hezbollah finally got a whiff of utter defeat. Either that, or they just got a reprieve courtesy of Iran. If it's the latter, though, they didn't get much.
Donald Trump announced this afternoon that Hezbollah has had enough in Lebanon. The group had refused to comply with the ceasefire between Israel and the civilian government in Beirut, continuing to volley missiles at civilian targets. The IDF has captured strategic points in the sub-Litani region and had warned residents in Hezbollah-controlled areas of the capital to evacuate.
That's when Hezbollah sued for peace, and Trump intervened:
I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back. Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel. President DONALD J. TRUMP
The Jerusalem Post has more on the cessation, which came just before the IDF planned to strike Hezbollah's command operations in the suburbs of Beirut:
The speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, had earlier informed Trump's administration of Hezbollah's readiness for a ceasefire with Israel and that it has promised to guarantee that it would be implemented, Axios reported on Monday, citing Berri's top advisor Ali Hamdan. Berri is Shia, and heads Lebanon's Amal Movement.
"I called the US ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, on Sunday and told him on behalf of Speaker Berri that Hezbollah will be ready to totally commit to a comprehensive ceasefire and we are ready to guarantee it," Hamdan told Axios. ...
"The proposal we received was no Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel and that in return Israel will not bomb Beirut and then gradually the ceasefire will expand to other areas," Hamdan said. "Speaker Berri's reply was, "Why a partial ceasefire? Let's have a full ceasefire."
Why did Hezbollah reverse course? As I mentioned earlier, it was because Trump had reversed course. Trump had been restraining Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, hoping to preserve both 'ceasefires' to allow for negotiations. Yesterday, though, Trump made it clear that he was growing tired of Hezbollah's missile attacks under cover of the ceasefire, and that he'd give Netanyahu a green light for a full-scale war:
Reports had earlier said Israel was lobbying the US to grant permission to resume massive strikes on the terror group’s stronghold, and that an American official had hinted that such a green light could be coming. Israel has been striking Beirut, but only sporadically and in specific circumstances.
Reports also said Monday morning that Hezbollah has rejected a new US proposal for de-escalation in Lebanon that would have required the terror group to halt fire first, followed by Israel.
Following up on the joint statement, both Netanyahu and Katz reiterated that the terror group’s headquarters in Dahiyeh are not “off-limits.”
“There will be no situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and citizens while the terror headquarters in Dahiyeh remain off-limits,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “We are continuing to deepen our operations on the ground in southern Lebanon, eliminating Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah is on the run. We are determined to restore security to the residents of the north, just as we did for the residents of the south,” he said.
That is apparently what prompted the Iranian threat to end talks, but also prompted Hezbollah to back down. One key point is that the IDF will not retreat from its current positions as a condition of the cessation:
Israeli official to Al Hadath: Israel will not strike Beirut, but forces will hold their current positions.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 1, 2026
Hezbollah has since told media outlets that it expects the ceasefire to lead to a withdrawal, but the fact that it's not a condition of their compliance shows the desperate strait in which they placed themselves, pun intended. Hezbollah clearly expected Iran to prevail with their Strait of Hormuz strategy of ransoming the global economy, a bet that so far has failed badly. In fact, the ceasefire with Iran has allowed the Israelis to concentrate much more on Hamas and Hezbollah, while the US Navy enforces the blockade of Iran.
The question now is whether this has any impact on the talks with Iran. Trump claims that Iran has returned to negotiations:
Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
"A rapid pace" is a little difficult to believe, given the slowness of the proposals and counterproposals for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the table at the moment. This does make it clear, though, that Trump rejected Iran's counterproposal, even if he didn't announce it. If Iran had provided an acceptable response, Trump would have announced a deal at the end of last week when he received their counteroffer.
The sequence of this ceasefire also offers an insight into the leverage of all sides in these talks. Hezbollah had to reverse itself today when Trump made it clear that he was inclined to let the Israelis go scorched-earth on Hezbollah. If Iran didn't like that, he told reporters earlier today, then silence might be preferable to talks that were going nowhere. Only at that point, with IAF bombers warming up and Trump hinting loudly that he would let Israel move to full-scale war, did Hezbollah reverse their previously defiant position and tell Berri that they would stand down. And now, just as suddenly, Iran has apparently returned to the table.
Given the sequence, it seems pretty clear that the IRGC ran a bluff on Trump with an empty threat to expand the war to the Red Sea. Hezbollah didn't have the time to let that bluff ride, though, and had to sue for peace, at least momentarily. Perhaps that will convince the IRGC to cut a deal on Trump's terms, but ... I'll believe that when I see it, especially when it comes to compliance and verification.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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