Trump shocked Netanyahu with post declaring Lebanon strikes "prohibited"

Israel asked the White House for clarifications about President https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump's https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116420395293904982" target="_blank">post that Israel was "prohibited" from conducting any more airstrikes in Lebanon, a U.S. source and another source familiar tell Axios.

Why it matters: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers were shocked by Trump's post, which contradicted the text of the https://www.axios.com/2026/04/16/lebanon-ceasefire-trump-aoun-israel-netanyahu" target="_blank">ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that the State Department published on Thursday.

• The implication of Trump's post — that he was issuing an order which Israel had no choice but to obey — would have been unthinkable under other U.S. administrations.
• Netanyahu was personally stunned and alarmed when he learned of the post, the sources said.

Catch up quickly: Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.

• The U.S. had been pressing for such a truce for several days, while working in parallel on a peace deal with Iran.
• According to the agreement, Israel preserves the right to take military action, even during the ceasefire, "in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks."
• Israel committed not to take offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets.
• The ceasefire is incredibly politically sensitive for Netanyahu, and his government has emphasized that it is not constrained from striking Hezbollah if necessary.

On Friday, Trump used starkly different language:

• "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer.

  They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!"

• In an https://www.axios.com/2026/04/17/trump-iran-deal-interview-pakistan-talks" target="_blank">interview with Axios Trump reiterated that he wants Israeli strikes on Lebanon to end.
• "Israel has to stop.

  They can't continue to blow buildings up.

  I am not gonna allow it," he said.

Behind the scenes: Netanyahu and his team found out about Trump's Lebanon comments in the media and were caught off-guard.

• Aides including Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter began scrambling to understand whether the U.S. had changed course.
• Israeli officials asked the White House for clarification and stressed that Trump's comment contradicted the agreement.
• After Axios asked the White House for a comment, a U.S. official clarified Trump's remarks.
• "The President's ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks," the U.S. official said.

What to watch: On Friday evening, shortly before Trump's interview with Axios, an Israeli drone conducted a strike in southern Lebanon.

• An Israeli source claimed later that Hezbollah violated the ceasefire and attacked Israeli forces within the security zone.
• "Our forces acted in self-defense to remove the threat in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States and Lebanon," the Israeli source said.