Netanyahu slammed at home after Trump halts Beirut strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a fierce political backlash at home after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to halt planned Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah in Beirut, shaking Netanyahu's political standing ahead of a crucial election.

The political firestorm erupted after President Trump declared Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a fresh halt in hostilities. The announcement came mere hours after Netanyahu had ordered a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs—a move that prompted a sharp warning from Iran. Shortly after Trump's intervention, the Lebanese government officially announced a new ceasefire agreement, binding Israel to cease its bombardment of southern Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah stopping its rocket attacks, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

With national elections looming by October and polls showing his coalition trailing the opposition, Netanyahu’s political rivals immediately seized on the development. Right-wing security hawk and former Premier Naftali Bennett slammed the administration on social media, calling it "a government that has lost control of Israeli sovereignty." Centrist leader Yair Lapid echoed the fierce criticism, effectively accusing Netanyahu of turning Israel into an American client state by allowing Washington to dictate independent military policy.

Even within the defense establishment and his own coalition, the dissent was palpable. Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff also gunning for the premiership, labeled Trump’s demands "humiliating," while far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly argued that Israel should simply tell Trump "no."

Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Israel Katz, have rushed to damage control, insisting Israel's core military stance remains unchanged. Katz confirmed Israel paused the Beirut strikes strictly at the request of the U.S., but explicitly warned that any fresh Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel would immediately re-trigger heavy bombardments on the militant group's strongholds in southern Beirut.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada