Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing sharp domestic criticism after US President Donald Trump intervened to stop planned Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, with opponents accusing him of ceding national sovereignty.
Trump announced on Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks on each other, just hours after Netanyahu had ordered new strikes on southern Beirut. The move led to a fresh ceasefire announcement by Lebanon’s government.
Right-wing challenger Naftali Bennett slammed the decision, saying Netanyahu’s government had “lost control of Israeli sovereignty.”
“A government that has lost control of Israeli sovereignty,” Bennett wrote on X.
Centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid described the situation as turning Israel into “a full protectorate,” accusing Netanyahu of allowing Washington to dictate Israeli military policy.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot called Trump’s push to halt the attacks “unreasonable” and said no previous Israeli prime minister had accepted such a “humiliating demand.”
Netanyahu insisted Israel’s stance remained unchanged and warned that any continued Hezbollah attacks on Israeli cities would trigger strikes on Beirut.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel had refrained from striking Beirut at the US request but would respond forcefully to any new provocations.
The tensions come ahead of Israeli elections due by October, with polls showing Netanyahu trailing opposition candidates.
