Trump’s Beirut veto shakes Netanyahu’s grip on power ahead of elections Analysis by Al-Monitor

US President Donald Trump blocked an Israeli strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut in a reportedly heated phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, undermining a central pillar of Netanyahu’s reelection strategy, according to Al-Monitor.

The intervention came after Netanyahu announced that Israel would bomb Beirut’s Dahiyeh district in response to ongoing Hezbollah drone attacks on Israeli troops — a position echoed by Defence Minister Israel Katz. The decision followed the death of another Israeli soldier in a drone strike overnight between Sunday and Monday, bringing the number of troops killed since Trump declared a ceasefire on April 8–13 higher.

Netanyahu had already authorised deeper Israeli incursions into Lebanon in recent weeks despite US-imposed restrictions, reflecting growing friction with Washington over how to respond to Hezbollah attacks.

“This business with Lebanon proves that Trump is striving to end the war with Iran on all fronts,” a source close to Netanyahu told Al-Monitor. “It puts Netanyahu’s strategy in jeopardy. It places all the achievements of the war so far in doubt, raises questions about Netanyahu’s ability to achieve any kind of victory — certainly not the ‘total victory’ he has marketed to the public since Oct. 7. And this also has a direct impact on the upcoming elections.”

Netanyahu’s political messaging has centred on achieving “total victory” following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, extending to campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.

The public announcement of the planned Beirut strike drew criticism within Israel’s security establishment. “Why announce in advance where and when we will attack?” a security source said. “First you act, then you can brag about it.”

The operation ultimately did not take place. A warning issued by the Israeli military for residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate also proved unfounded after Trump, reportedly angered upon learning of the plan, intervened directly.

“The Iranians threatened Trump and he folded. Then he ordered Israel to fold as well,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source said. “It’s sad to see that we’re at the bottom of this pyramid — or rather, at the bottom of these origami folds.”

According to the report, this was not the first such intervention. Trump had previously halted Israeli fighter jets during a planned strike on Iranian government targets on the final day of joint US-Israeli operations against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025.

During the latest call, Trump reportedly used expletives and questioned Netanyahu’s judgment, arguing that without US support, the Israeli leader would have faced legal consequences — an apparent reference to Trump’s public advocacy for a pardon in Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial.

Netanyahu is described by sources as increasingly constrained in dealing with the current US administration, in contrast to his more confrontational stance toward previous Democratic leaders.

“He has tied his fate — and Israel’s fate — to Trump’s moods. He has reaped significant rewards from that gamble so far, but the moment Trump grew tired of the war and began to understand its implications, Netanyahu found himself in Trump’s crosshairs,” a senior political source said. “He is standing there paralyzed like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car.”

Trump’s subsequent announcement that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had been restored further compounded Netanyahu’s difficulties. The prime minister attempted to frame the outcome as a “new formula” under which Hezbollah would halt attacks, but the claim was quickly challenged.

Hezbollah later said it had targeted Israeli tanks near Hadath and Bayada, while the Israeli military reported intercepting two projectiles launched from Lebanon early Tuesday.

“If the ceasefire arrangement the Trump administration is negotiating with Iran does not include the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, while Gaza and Lebanon remain unresolved, Netanyahu will face a very difficult situation ahead of the elections and will likely reassess his options more carefully than ever before,” the political source said. “He needs something to campaign on. He placed complete trust in Trump, and now it looks very bad.”

The report adds that a proposed September visit by Trump to Israel is now in doubt. Despite Trump’s intervention, Netanyahu has not secured a pardon or halted his six-year corruption trial, fueling criticism that he may have compromised Israel’s strategic autonomy in expectation of US political support.

By Tamilla Hasanova