Trump signals support for possible Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon – report

The U.S. and Israel are in agreement that if Hezbollah doesn’t comply with the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm it, Israel will launch a new, broad operation to combat the terror group, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.

The newspaper cited an informed source, who said that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in broad agreement regarding the situation in Lebanon during their meeting this week.

“Hezbollah must be completely disarmed,” Trump reportedly agreed. “If the Lebanese army doesn’t succeed in disarming them, and Israel believes an action is the necessary thing to do [then the U.S. backs Israel],” the president said, according to the source.

The report added that Trump noted the terror group was “behaving badly” amid the Lebanese government’s effort to disarm the group. “The Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage with Hezbollah,” Trump added.

The Lebanese Armed Forces have claimed that the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of its own troops in the southern part of the country would be completed by year’s end. However, Hezbollah's most strategic weapons are stored in the north of the country and in Beirut, and Israel has said that Hezbollah has continued making efforts to rebuild itself even south of the Litani River.

Reports that Trump gave Netanyahu a “green light” to act against Hezbollah has given rise to concern in Lebanon. The Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar wrote, “It is difficult to predict the implications of the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump for Lebanon, but it can be assumed that changes and new developments are expected at the beginning of next year (2026).”

Political sources told the newspaper on Wednesday that they are concerned about the lack of clarity about Israel’s intentions for the new year.

The pro-Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat cited Lebanese government sources who said that Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are also pressuring Hezbollah to comply with the disarmament process.

They reportedly conveyed messages to Hezbollah with a “last-chance advice” to hand over the organization’s weapons to the state to spare Lebanon a new Israeli attack.

The sources noted that these messages were delivered amid mounting regional and international pressure and amid warnings from several sides that if Hezbollah continues to hold on to its weapons, Lebanon could be plunged into new political and economic isolation, in addition to the possibility of another military confrontation.

Speaking on Wednesday ahead of the new year, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun attempted to lighten the mood in the country, saying that “the current atmosphere reflects positivity on all levels.”

“The specter of war has become distant,” he said, while cautioning that this “does not mean it has been totally eliminated.”

“Efforts are still underway with the various friendly and brotherly countries in order to fully rule out war,” Aoun added.