Netanyahu rejects reports of US curbs on Lebanon operations

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that reports claiming the United States had limited Israeli military action in Lebanon were untrue, saying no such request had been made by US President Donald Trump.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu dismissed the claim directly.

"I heard it was said in the media that President Trump asked not to act against terror tunnels in Lebanon. This is a legend, fake news. He didn't say anything to me about it, and I didn't ask him. We operate according to our considerations," he said.

His remarks were at odds with an earlier report by Israel's public broadcaster KAN, which said late last month that Israeli officials had shared detailed intelligence with US counterparts on what were described as Hezbollah tunnels in the Ali al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon. According to that report, the move was aimed at securing US approval for military action in the area, suggesting Israel was seeking a green light from Washington for continued operations in Lebanon.

Netanyahu also addressed the war in Gaza, saying reconstruction of the enclave would not begin before it is disarmed. The stance differs from the sequence set out in Trump's plan for ending the war, under which the order of reconstruction and disarmament was framed differently.