Israel had sought to carry out strikes in Tehran last Thursday, but the plan was shelved after President Donald Trump pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter.

The source said the plan returned to the table after fire was directed toward the Galilee. Under the scenario described by the source, Israel would strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahieh district, Iran would respond with missiles, and Israel would then have justification to launch attacks inside Iran.

But Trump ultimately intervened again, pressing Netanyahu to stop the strikes in Iran. A senior Israeli official later confirmed that Israel was halting its attacks in Iran at Trump’s request following a phone call between the two leaders.

“At Trump’s request, we are stopping the strikes in Iran,” the official said, while stressing that Israeli operations in Lebanon would continue. “We are continuing in Lebanon at full force, according to the equation that if they fire at communities, we will strike in Dahieh.”

The official said the Netanyahu-Trump conversation was “overall good,” even though Israel had acted twice in the previous 24 hours contrary to the president’s public position, first with the strike in Beirut and then with its response inside Iran.

The official said Israel had demonstrated that it could defend itself even under pressure from Washington, while still preserving its strategic partnership with the United States. Still, he later qualified the remarks, saying Israel was awaiting a final decision but that the direction was to halt strikes in Iran, not Lebanon.

A source familiar with the Trump-Netanyahu talks said Netanyahu was considering canceling additional planned attacks in Iran that were expected to take place later Monday and would have been significantly broader.

The rapid escalation began after Israeli strikes in Lebanon were followed by Iranian missile fire toward Israel. Israel then carried out strikes inside Iran, reportedly targeting radar and air defense systems in an effort to open routes for Israeli aircraft. Israeli officials said the military had prepared for several days of fighting and had approved plans for additional strikes.

Trump publicly called for both sides to stop firing, writing Monday morning on Truth Social that Israel and Iran “must immediately stop shooting” and that both countries were seeking an immediate ceasefire. He said negotiations toward a broader agreement were continuing.

Iranian security officials later said they were ending military operations against Israel but warned that any renewed Israeli action, including in Lebanon, would bring a harsher response. Iran also threatened to target oil and gas facilities linked to Israel, the United States and their allies if attacks on energy infrastructure continued.

The escalation also spread beyond the Israel-Iran front. Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they were renewing a naval blockade on Israel and closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Israeli shipping, while also claiming missile fire toward the Tel Aviv area.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)