Trump says US held talks with Hezbollah to reduce tensions across Middle East

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said the United States has been in direct contact with Hezbollah as part of efforts to stabilise Lebanon and reduce tensions across the Middle East, offering a rare public acknowledgement of engagement with the Iran-backed group.

Trump told a reporter at the White House on Thursday that progress had been made in discussions aimed at reducing violence in Lebanon, which he described as closely linked to broader regional developments involving Iran.

The comments came after a reporter noted that Hezbollah had reportedly rejected a US-backed peace proposal in Lebanon and asked about the status of negotiations.

“Yeah, what does reject mean? They didn't reject,” Trump replied.

The President then disclosed direct communication between Washington and Hezbollah.

“Look, they're looking. I think Hezbollah -- I will tell you, they called us and they said, how about stopping?” Trump said. “And I think you're going to see things happen over there.”

Trump described Lebanon as a country that has suffered from instability and conflict for decades and expressed hope that a political settlement could be achieved.

“It would be really nice if Lebanon could have some peace,” he said. “Lebanon's been under attack for so many years and always like an underdog.”

The President said he had discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other regional leaders.

“I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu about that,” Trump said. “And I actually spoke to Hezbollah about it.”

“I think progress has been made,” he added.

Trump linked the Lebanon issue to wider efforts involving Iran, suggesting that regional tensions are interconnected.

“That's been, like, a little bit of a different world, but it's interconnected with Iran,” he said.

The remarks represent one of the clearest public indications from Trump that his administration has engaged directly with Hezbollah, which Washington designates as a foreign terrorist organisation. Previous US administrations have generally avoided publicly acknowledging direct contacts with the group.