U.S. Official Clarifies Trump’s ‘Enough is Enough!!!’ Post Banning Israel From Attacking Lebanon

(Alex Brandon/AP photo)

Axios’s Barak Ravid reported on Friday afternoon that a Trump administration official clarified the president’s earlier social media post prohibiting Israel from bombing Lebanon.

“The President’s ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks,” quoted Ravid from a U.S. official.

The clarification came in reply to Trump’s post earlier in the day, which read, “The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers – No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form. This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah [sic] situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you! President DJT.”

Trump’s post raised eyebrows, even among some of his closest supporters as it appeared to limit Israel ability to fight back against Hezbollah, which has been attacking the north of the country for weeks.

“What’s our plan to stop Hezbollah?” wrote Fox News’s Mark Levin in reply to Trump’s post, adding:

How will we disarm Hezbollah, now that we have taken on this responsibility? How will we prevent Hezbollah from regenerating and reconstituting its forces? The Lebanese government has neither the will nor the way or they’d have done it in last year’s ceasefire that Hezbollah violated.

I expect Hezbollah will see its tactics, of using buildings to organize, store weapons, and fire rockets , as successful and will do more of it given the declaration. And it will conclude that Israel can’t do anything about it as this declaration actually protects Hezbollah . So, we shall see.

Israel has degraded Hezbollah without much help from anyone else. They took out its leadership. They lost soldiers. They’ve relocated 1 million or so of its citizens because Hezbollah fires thousands of rockets into their towns. I doubt Israel thought it would be prevented by us from eliminating Hezbollah given everything our two armed forces have accomplished together as the closest of allies. Iran wanted Hezbollah to survive. So, now it has. And it’s on us to deal with it if Israel does not.

Trump announced earlier in the week a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which did not include Hezbollah – an Iran-backed terror group operating inside Lebanon.

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