Netanyahu Supports Trump's Two-Week Suspension of Attacks on Iran, Excludes Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday voiced support for a United States proposal to suspend military strikes against Iran for two weeks, while making clear that any halt in hostilities would not extend to Lebanon, where Israeli operations continue unabated.

Netanyahu's endorsement of the American-backed pause comes as diplomatic channels between Washington and Tehran have shown tentative signs of renewed engagement, with the Trump administration seeking to create a window for negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme. The Israeli prime minister, however, drew a sharp distinction between the two theatres of conflict, insisting that military pressure on Lebanese Hezbollah — Iran's most powerful regional proxy — would remain in force regardless of any understanding reached with Tehran.

The selective nature of the proposed ceasefire has drawn immediate criticism from Arab governments and international observers, who argue that any meaningful de-escalation in the region must address all active fronts simultaneously. The exclusion of Lebanon, critics say, reflects a strategic calculus that seeks to neutralise Iran diplomatically while preserving Israel's freedom to continue operations against its neighbours.

For Gulf states, the announcement carries significant implications. Qatar, which has long served as a mediator in regional disputes and maintains diplomatic channels with multiple parties, has consistently called for a comprehensive and binding ceasefire across all conflict zones. Doha's position holds that partial truces, which exempt active theatres of war, ultimately serve to entrench instability rather than resolve it. The Gulf state's foreign ministry has urged all parties to pursue negotiations that address the root causes of regional tension rather than managing symptoms through time-limited suspensions.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are watching closely, aware that a fragile pause on one front while fighting intensifies on another does little to provide the security environment necessary for continued economic normalisation and investment flows into the region.

The two-week timeframe proposed by Washington is widely seen as a diplomatic test — a period in which Iran may be expected to signal whether it is prepared to enter substantive talks under current conditions. Senior Iranian officials have so far given no formal public response to the proposal.

Regional analysts caution that piecemeal ceasefire arrangements, particularly those designed around one country's strategic interests, risk deepening mistrust among parties who see the terms as inherently unequal. Lebanon, still bearing the scars of a destructive Israeli military campaign, finds itself once again excluded from international frameworks that purport to seek stability in the Middle East.