Israel holds fire on Beirut after US intervention

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Lebanon says Hezbollah has accepted a US plan for it to halt attacks on Israel, in exchange for Israel not attacking Beirut. Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the Israeli military to strike “terrorist targets” in the south of the capital, putting the US-Iran ceasefire under fresh strain. According to Tasnim, an Iranian news agency, Tehran suspended peace talks with Washington in protest. Donald Trump may want a quick deal to present to the US public ahead of the midterms, but this is running up against Netanyahu’s determination to keep fighting in the Middle East. Netanyahu faces his own election later this year and may reckon it is to his advantage for Israel to be in a state of war by the time the vote comes round.