Donald Trump Tells Netanyahu To Stop Strikes On Iran
Hostilities between Israel and Iran eased on Monday, after days of missile exchanges raised fears of a wider West Asia war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “fire on that front is contained”, while Iranian officials also indicated that their latest round of attacks had come to a halt.
The pause followed a weekend of strikes and counter-strikes that drew in the United States diplomatically. US President Donald Trump personally pressed Netanyahu not to escalate against Iran, as Israeli forces weighed a major operation that officials said would target multiple sensitive sites inside the country.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by editors
Trump role and Iran Israel conflict
Trump said on Monday that a phone call with Netanyahu led to the cancellation of those Israeli plans. According to Trump, the United States warned Israel that pressing ahead could carry political costs in Washington, despite the close alliance between the two governments in recent years.
Trump told Axios that Israeli forces had been preparing what officials described as the largest wave of strikes on Iran since April. Dozens of high-value locations were reportedly listed for attack on Monday, before the White House stepped in and urged restraint by one of Washington's key partners.
During the call, Trump said he issued a blunt warning to Netanyahu. Trump recounted telling the Israeli leader: “I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'” and claimed Netanyahu eventually agreed to pull back if Iran did not mount new attacks.
Weekend attacks drive Iran Israel conflict
An Israeli source quoted by Axios said there were disagreements between the two leaders during the conversation. The same report said the discussion ended with Netanyahu accepting that Israel would stand down, provided Iran held its fire. Netanyahu then instructed senior military commanders to cancel the planned strikes.
The latest confrontation surged on Sunday, when Tehran launched missiles at Israel. Iranian officials said the action responded to Israel's ongoing war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel then hit back with its own strikes, despite Trump's attempt to dissuade Netanyahu from escalating while US-Iran tensions remained sensitive.
| Event | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US-Iran truce begins | 8 April | Tehran says ceasefire with United States starts, despite repeated attacks by both sides. |
| Planned Israeli strikes | Monday | Israel prepares largest wave of strikes on Iran since April, then cancels after Trump call. |
| Iran missile attack | Sunday | Tehran fires missiles at Israel over war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. |
Regional pressures within Iran Israel conflict
Iran has linked its stance on the US truce, in place since 8 April, to events in Lebanon. Tehran has warned that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would draw an Iranian response. Iranian officials said on Monday they would strike again if Israel persisted with operations there.
Netanyahu replied that Israel would not ignore any renewed threat. Netanyahu said that if Iran “make the mistake of resuming attacks against us, we will respond with full force”. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz also said the campaign in Lebanon would continue, despite developments with Iran.
Katz stated that Israel would target the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs of Beirut. Katz said this would happen in retaliation for each attack on northern Israel by the group. The statements underlined how the Hezbollah front remained active, even as direct fire between Iran and Israel paused.
The current lull rests on conditional promises from both sides, and on US pressure against further escalation. Iran has signalled that any new Israeli strikes in Lebanon could trigger more missiles. Israel has warned of strong retaliation, leaving the region tense despite the halt in immediate exchanges.
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