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‘Neck-deep in the Lebanese mud’: Israel in meltdown after Netanyahu cancels Beirut strikes

June 3, 2026

Israeli media outlets and officials have erupted in anger over US President Donald Trump’s unilateral ceasefire announcement between Hezbollah and Israel – with settlers from the north complaining that they remain “ducks in a shooting range.”

“From the chaos in the streets to the Lebanese mud, Israel appears to be a country where every actor dictates terms to it: the Haredim at home, Hezbollah from outside, and Trump above them all,” wrote Maariv newspaper’s Avi Ashkenazi on 2 June.

“In a proper, serious country, several things would have happened this morning … The prime minister and the government would have resigned and gone home [and] the Air Force would have continued a wave of strikes throughout Lebanon – a campaign that should have begun yesterday at 9:00 am and continued uninterrupted until Hezbollah raised a white flag,” he added.

He also slammed the ultra-Orthodox community (Haredim) and lamented that troops and reservists are bearing the burden of the war.

“But we do not live in a proper country. This is the State of Israel, where every troublemaker can do whatever he wants and impose new rules on the state. This happens both from within and from outside.”

Ashkenazi wrote that Netanyahu’s announcement on Monday to strike the Lebanese capital was a maneuver.

“Netanyahu’s fear of Donald Trump is greater than the pressure he faces from residents of northern Israel and from public outrage over the fact that soldiers are currently sitting like ducks in a shooting range in Lebanon. And the military, despite it being summer, remains stuck neck-deep in the Lebanese mud,” Ashkenazi went on to say.

Israeli news outlet Walla also cited security sources saying that Tel Aviv’s backtracking on striking Beirut undermined the Israeli occupation in south Lebanon, and that this has strengthened ties between Hezbollah and Iran by linking the two theaters.

Israeli officials and media erupt after Trump reportedly temporarily blocks Beirut strike
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A wave of criticism has erupted among Israeli officials, politicians, and security figures after US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to prevent a planned Israeli strike on… pic.twitter.com/QZANJVJtNH

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 2, 2026

One security source was quoted as saying that refraining from striking Beirut harms Israel’s efforts to sever the connection between Hezbollah and Tehran, which Israeli officials view as a central objective of the war.

However, the source added that the army is ready to carry out an attack on Beirut if the political leadership approves it.

Members of the opposition and the ruling coalition both slammed the decision not to strike Beirut.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid described Israel as a “protectorate state” of the US, while Avigdor Lieberman complained that “we are not a banana republic.”

“Dahiye must be flattened now, and we must not stop until the last building there has been brought down,” Lieberman said.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett also accused the government of losing control of Israeli sovereignty, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Netanyahu to reject US pressure and proceed with attacks on Hezbollah.

“You said that a strong prime minister tells the President of the United States – ‘yes’ when possible, and ‘no’ – when necessary. This is the time to tell our friend, President Trump – ‘no.’ Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters, and to restore security to the north,” Ben Gvir said.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the threats to attack Beirut were “hollow” – even before the US intervention.

Trump made a statement late on Monday after the forced displacement orders were issued for all of Beirut’s southern suburb. The president claimed a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel was reached.

In an attempt to declare there will be no strikes on Beirut, Trump said Israeli “troops” were no longer on their way to Beirut.

The Israeli army has been facing fierce resistance in south Lebanon and was, in fact, never on its way to Beirut.

The US president’s announcement came as the Islamic Republic of Iran threatened to strike Israel and collapse negotiations with Washington.

Tehran also issued formal evacuation orders to northern Israeli settlements and urged them to flee immediately in the event that Beirut was bombed.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government attempted to take credit for stopping the attack.

The Lebanese Embassy in Washington claimed in a statement on Monday night that Hezbollah had agreed to a US proposal calling for a mutual cessation of attacks, under which Israel would refrain from strikes in the capital only – in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks on Israel.

The embassy added that direct negotiations scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday would seek to expand the ceasefire framework to cover all Lebanese territory. The statement, also shared by the Lebanese Presidency, claimed that the framework would be expanded to encompass all Lebanese territories, although no timeline or mechanism for such an expansion was provided.

Hezbollah rejected any ceasefire that does not include a full end to Israeli attacks across all of Lebanon. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the US proposal was not acceptable.

Despite US President Donald Trump’s unilaterally declared "ceasefire," Israeli forces launched a massive, coordinated bombardment across southern Lebanon this morning, as Israeli warplanes and drones initiated a relentless wave of strikes targeting over a dozen towns and… pic.twitter.com/vk2fXJflhl

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 2, 2026

Netanyahu threatened on Monday evening to go ahead with planned strikes on Beirut if Hezbollah did not cease its attacks.

Hezbollah has continued to resist occupation troops in south Lebanon since Netanyahu made that threat. Attacks across the border have ceased for the most part – with the exception of a Hezbollah drone incursion in Kiryat Shmona on Tuesday morning.

‘They keep improving’: Hezbollah drone attacks spark alarm in Israeli army
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Hezbollah’s use of FPV drones in south Lebanon is raising growing concern inside the Israeli army, following a series of deadly nighttime attacks that Israeli officials say point to improving… pic.twitter.com/J3r9Zoa2zb

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 2, 2026

Brutal Israeli airstrikes across south Lebanon also continued.

Israeli shelling and strikes continue across south Lebanon, including on Mayfadoun, Srifa, Arnoun, and Burj Qalaouiyah. pic.twitter.com/frZML9esum

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 2, 2026