By SCM Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — In a startling departure from traditional diplomatic protocols, President Donald J. Trump declared on Friday that the United States has “prohibited” Israel from conducting further airstrikes in Lebanon.
The statement, delivered via his Truth Social platform, marks a significant hardening of the administration’s stance as it struggles to maintain a tenuous 10-day ceasefire brokered just 24 hours earlier.
“Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” the President wrote in a midday post that sent shockwaves through foreign ministries from Jerusalem to Beirut. “They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you!”
The President’s directive comes at a critical juncture for his Middle East policy. On Thursday, the White House announced a short-term truce intended to halt 45 days of intensive combat between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah—a conflict that has displaced over one million people and claimed more than 2,000 lives in Lebanon.
The current escalation began in early March 2026, following a massive Hezbollah rocket barrage into northern Israel.
The subsequent Israeli offensive, which included the destruction of the last bridge over the Litani River, aimed to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure but drew international condemnation for its humanitarian toll.
The President’s “prohibition” appears to be an attempt to clear the deck for a historic summit scheduled for next Tuesday in Washington. Mr. Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for what would be the first direct talks between the two nations’ leaders in decades.
While the President’s post focused on Lebanon, it is inextricably linked to a broader, high-stakes “grand bargain” with Tehran. Earlier on Friday, the Iranian government announced that the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most vital oil artery—would remain “completely open” for commercial shipping.
Mr. Trump clarified in subsequent posts that while the U.S. would continue its naval blockade of Iran until a final nuclear “transaction” is 100 percent complete, the Lebanon ceasefire was a necessary component of regional stabilization.
”This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon,” the President noted, though analysts suggest the U.S. is using the pause in Lebanon to pressure Hezbollah’s patrons in Tehran.
The reaction in Israel was one of stunned silence followed by cautious recalibration. While Prime Minister Netanyahu has previously stated that Israel agreed to the 10-day truce “at the request of my friend President Trump,” the IDF has maintained it reserves the right to strike “immediate threats.”
Reports of a lone Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Friday morning—minutes before the President’s Truth Social post—suggest that the “prohibition” may have been a direct response to a potential ceasefire violation that threatened to derail next week’s summit.
In Beirut, the mood remains skeptical. Lebanese officials, while welcoming the end of the bombardment, expressed concern over how the U.S. intends to “deal with the Hezbollah situation” without further infringing on Lebanese sovereignty.
For now, the skies over Beirut are quiet, but the President’s “Enough is Enough” ultimatum has placed the full weight of American prestige on a 10-day clock.
Meanwhile, displaced thousands have started returning to their homes in Southern Lebanon.
