Israel threatened to bomb Lebanon, and Iran warned of counterstrikes on northern Israel. Donald Trump told Netanyahu to back off, according to the New York Times:
Halting efforts at diplomacy in the Middle East came under new strain on Monday, as Israel and Iran threatened to escalate military action in the intertwined conflicts in Iran and Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered Israel’s military to attack Hezbollah, Iran’s close ally, in Beirut’s southern outskirts. And Iran’s military threatened that if Israel took such action, it would come under attack. President Trump later claimed on social media that he had personally intervened to prevent such escalation.
The United Nations Security Council called an emergency session to discuss Lebanon on Monday afternoon. Iran has demanded that any truce include an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where fighting has continued during a fragile cease-fire among the United States, Israel and Iran.
Mr. Netanyahu said he had ordered an attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiya. The Israeli military told residents to evacuate the area, prompting thousands to flee. But several hours later, there was no sign of an attack there.
Iran’s military headquarters said in a statement that in retaliation for any attacks on Dahiya, there would be attacks on northern Israel, according to the official state broadcaster IRIB, but did not explicitly say who would conduct them. Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in the early part of the war, but has not done so in almost two months.
President Trump later posted on social media that he had spoken with Mr. Netanyahu and, indirectly, with Hezbollah. He said they had agreed not to attack each other, though neither side confirmed Mr. Trump’s characterization of the calls.