Israeli PM Netanyahu denies Trump limited attacks in Lebanon
JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports that US President Donald Trump has restricted Israel's military operations in Lebanon. He stressed that Israel acted on its own considerations.
Launching Anadolu Agency, Sunday, July 5, the objection was made by Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. He called the news that Trump asked Israel not to act against the alleged Hezbollah tunnel in Lebanon as fake news.
"I heard someone say in the media that President Trump asked not to act against the terror tunnel in Lebanon. That's a legend, a fake news. He didn't say anything to me about it, and I didn't ask him. We act on our own considerations," Netanyahu said.
The statement differs from a report by the Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, at the end of last month. KAN reported that Israel had provided detailed intelligence information to US officials regarding the alleged Hezbollah tunnel in the Ali al-Taher Plateau, southern Lebanon.
According to the report, Israel is seeking US approval for military operations in the region. The statement contradicts Netanyahu's claim that Israel's military decisions are made independently.
Israel's military operations in Lebanon since March 2, 2026 have killed at least 4,303 people and injured 12,202 others, according to Lebanese authorities. More than a million people have also been displaced by the operation.
On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement with US mediation. The agreement aims to end Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory.
After denying the report on Lebanon, Netanyahu also touched on Gaza. He said there would be no reconstruction in the area before Gaza was disarmed.
This attitude differs from the sequence of stages in Trump's plan to end the war. In the plan, a wider Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the start of reconstruction go hand in hand with the start of the disarmament of Palestinian factions.
"There will be no reconstruction in Gaza without the demolition and demilitarization of the enclave," Netanyahu said, as reported by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Demilitarization means reducing or eliminating military capabilities. In the context of Gaza, the term refers to the demand for disarmament of Palestinian factions.
Anadolu reported that Netanyahu's statement came amid reports that Trump's Peace Board intends to continue reconstruction in areas under the control of the Israeli military, without linking it to Hamas disarmament.
Since October 2023, Israeli soldiers have killed more than 73,000 people and wounded more than 173,000 others in Gaza, according to official Gaza authority data.
The attack also caused extensive destruction in the area. Gaza data says 90 percent of civilian infrastructure is affected.