Israeli military operations in Lebanon continued unabated this week, even after a reported heated telephone exchange between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The strikes threaten to unravel delicate US-Iran negotiations that European capitals have cautiously supported as a pathway to de-escalation in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon. A separate strike hit a car on a busy highway in Khaldeh, just south of Beirut. The Israeli military said it intercepted a “hostile aircraft” that crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon, though Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for any cross-border attack.
The violence comes despite a deal Trump claimed to have brokered on Monday, under which Israel would refrain from striking Beirut’s southern suburbs and Hezbollah would cease attacks on northern Israel. Trump later confirmed to the New York Post that he had called Netanyahu “fucking crazy” during their phone call, adding: “Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Tehran has warned that Israel’s expanding campaign risks jeopardising the ceasefire talks between the US and Iran. The IRGC General Warns Iran Has Undisclosed Military Options as US Talks Stall, raising the stakes for European diplomats who have been urging restraint on all sides.
Ground Incursion and Regional Fallout
Israeli forces have pushed beyond the Litani River for the first time since the end of Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. Troops seized Beaufort Castle, a historic hilltop fort near Nabatiyeh, and have expanded operations into areas previously considered off-limits. The Lebanese army deployed forces in Tyre’s Christian neighbourhoods after Israel warned residents that Hezbollah was operating there, but the group’s presence remains disputed.
Overnight strikes in and around Tyre killed four Syrians and two Palestinians, according to local officials. The escalation has prompted concern in Brussels, where the European Commission has warned that the Middle East Conflict Threatens Up to 1.3 Million EU Jobs, particularly in sectors reliant on stable energy supplies and trade routes through the eastern Mediterranean.
Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli troops that had invaded southern Lebanon, but did not claim any cross-border strikes. The exchange of fire occurred hours before Israeli and Lebanese negotiators were due to meet for a second day of talks in Washington—the fourth round since hostilities flared on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched an attack in solidarity with Iran.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated on Tuesday that Washington supported Israel’s position of continuing to strike Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs if the group targeted northern Israel. That stance now appears at odds with Trump’s reported frustration, and European diplomats worry that mixed signals from Washington could prolong the conflict.
For European capitals, the stakes are high. The EU has no direct role in the US-Iran talks, but a broader regional war could trigger new refugee flows, disrupt energy markets, and embolden extremist groups. The Hungary Signals Flexibility on Ukraine EU Talks as Brussels Prepares New Russia Sanctions, but the Lebanon crisis risks diverting attention and resources from other pressing European security concerns.
As Israeli strikes continue and Tehran warns of consequences, the window for diplomacy appears to be narrowing. Whether Trump’s blunt intervention can force a change in Israeli strategy—or whether the talks with Iran will survive the current escalation—remains uncertain.
