Israel says US backs striking Beirut suburbs if Hezbollah attacks

Israel warned on Tuesday that its US ally would not restrain it from striking Hezbollah's strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs if the Iran-backed group continues targeting northern Israeli towns.

Defense Minister Israel Katz made the threat at a conference, hours after Israeli air defenses intercepted two projectiles from Lebanon. US President Donald Trump had announced a deal to halt attacks, but neither side has formally accepted it.

What did the US say about striking Beirut's southern suburbs?

Washington endorsed the principle that Israel could strike Beirut's southern suburbs if attacks on Israeli towns continue, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz.

He said the US conveyed this position to the Lebanese government and all relevant parties. Israel has not ruled out targeting the Dahiyeh quarter, Hezbollah's main urban stronghold.

What are the terms of the proposed ceasefire?

Under the agreement revealed by Trump, Hezbollah would stop firing into Israel while the Israeli military would spare Beirut's southern suburbs.

An adviser to Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri told AFP he would guarantee Hezbollah would respect a "global ceasefire" if one was agreed. Ali Hamdan, the aide, said a global ceasefire would require Israel to halt strikes by air, land, and sea, and to stop demolitions in the south.

The Lebanese presidency echoed Trump's framing of the deal. "Israel's strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs will cease, and in exchange Hezbollah will not attack Israel," it said, adding that efforts would be made to expand any ceasefire across all Lebanese territory. Residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, like Leila Shahab, 35, said they had fled after the Israeli threats but returned once the situation appeared to calm.

What did Trump say about the Israel-Hezbollah conflict?

Trump described a "very productive" call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying no troops would go to Beirut and that any already en route had been turned back. He later posted that he hoped Israel and Hezbollah would stop fighting "for ETERNITY." Trump also said he had spoken with Hezbollah representatives, who agreed that all shooting would stop on both sides.

According to Axios, however, Trump privately called Netanyahu "fucking crazy" and accused him of putting Iran peace talks at risk. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran had stopped engaging in talks with Washington due to Israel's offensive.

How intense has the fighting become?

Recent days have seen a sharp escalation, with Israeli troops staging their deepest incursion into Lebanon in two decades. A truce that began on 17 April has never been observed, with both Israel and Hezbollah accusing each other of daily ceasefire violations. The fourth round of US-hosted direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon was due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lebanon's health ministry reported that Israeli attacks since 2 March have killed at least 3,433 people. Six people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli strike on the south Lebanon village of Marwaniyeh. Lebanon's public university postponed examinations after two students and their father were killed while returning from south Lebanon the previous day.

Israel's military confirmed two of its soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon, bringing its total military deaths since early March to 27. On Sunday, Israeli troops seized Beaufort Castle, a historic fortification with sweeping views over south Lebanon that Israel used as a base during its previous occupation, which ended in 2000.