Trump says Israel, Hezbollah agree to halt fighting; Netanyahu casts doubts on ceasefire claims

United States President Donald Trump, in an update shared on his Truth Social handle on Monday said that Israel and the militant group Hezbollah have agreed to stop fighting, stating he had a positive call with both parties.

In the post, Trump wrote he had a conversation with Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon."

He announced that the Bibi turned his troops around, as Israel agreed to "stop shooting" at Lebanon.

Likewise, the US President also held talks with representatives of Hezbollah and said "they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers."

Hezbollah had accepted the arrangement, according to a statement from the Lebanese embassy in Washington shared by the Lebanese presidency as quoted by agencies, "Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh" -- Beirut's southern suburbs -- "would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from launching attacks against Israel".

Israel, on the other hand, stated that they will strike terrorist targets in Beirut if the group does not stop attacking its towns.

"I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut," Netanyahu said, in a statement released by his office.

The Israeli leader, however, appears to cast doubt on the truce with Hezbollah.

But Trump doubled down after Netanyahu's statement, saying in a further Truth Social message that the Israeli leader had "turned his troops around" from a planned major raid on Beirut.

Repeating his claim that Hezbollah and Israel had agreed to "stop shooting," Trump added: "Let's see how long that lasts -- Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!"

A report in Axios quoted Trump calling the Israeli premier "crazy" and accused him of putting Iran peace talks at risk.

Trump, in an earlier post, stated that "talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," just a few hours after he said that "going silent" with the talks "would be very good." He also said "that could be for a long time."

Iran-based news agency Tasnim reported earlier that Iran was halting indirect dialogues of negotiations with the US after Israel ordered its troops to push deeper into Lebanon, complicating diplomatic efforts to end more than three months of war.

(with inputs from agencies)