By World Israel News StaffPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a planned large-scale strike on Iran after direct pressure from President Donald Trump.The planned Israeli operation was far broader than the strikes ultimately carried out, according to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth.Israeli aircraft were said to be ready for additional attacks when Trump intervened and urged Netanyahu to stop the escalation.The confrontation followed a rapid sequence of events that began with Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel, Israeli strikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district, and an Iranian missile response against Israel.Israel then struck targets in Iran, including military and economic sites, before the US president pushed both sides to halt the exchange.Netanyahu defended the Israeli response in a public statement Monday night, saying Iran and Hezbollah had tried to create a new deterrence formula against Israel.“They thought they could launch attacks from Lebanon and Iran against Israel and that we would not act,” Netanyahu said. “That did not happen, and it will not happen. Not on my watch.”He said he had ordered the IDF to strike “military and economic targets throughout Iran” after the Iranian attack, but acknowledged that the current round of fire had stopped.“At present, the fire on this front has been halted,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would respond forcefully if Iran resumed attacks.According to Axios, Trump had spoken with Netanyahu before the Israeli retaliation and urged him not to strike back, arguing that renewed escalation could jeopardize US efforts to reach an agreement with Iran.“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate,” Trump told Axios. “Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one.”Trump also said he was close to a deal with Tehran and did not want the fighting to derail it.“We are very close to a final deal with Iran,” he said. “I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now.”After Israeli strikes nevertheless went ahead, Trump again pressed Netanyahu to stop. Axios cited a US official saying Netanyahu was told the cycle of attacks “needs to end” and that Washington had not supported the Israeli strikes.Trump warned Netanyahu Israel could find itself alone if it pushed into a renewed war with Iran.“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’” Trump was quoted as saying.Israeli reports said the decisive call came after Netanyahu had already approved a major follow-up operation.Channel 12 reported that the prime minister halted the attack while aircraft were prepared for takeoff, causing confusion inside the military command.A senior Israeli official later confirmed that Israel was stopping the Iran strikes at Trump’s request, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.The report said that dozens of Israeli warplanes were slated to take part in a massive airstrike on Iran and were waiting for the green light from Netanyahu before the operation was canceled.Another Israeli source told the outlet that Israel had hoped to use the Iranian missile fire as justification for a more substantial strike, but that Trump ultimately forced Netanyahu to pull back.Still, Israel signaled that the pause did not apply to Hezbollah.Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF would continue operating in Lebanon and warned that attacks on northern Israeli communities would be met with strikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district.“Any attack on northern communities will lead to a strike in Dahieh,” Katz said.Iran announced that it was suspending military operations against Israel, while warning it could resume attacks if Israel continued operations in Lebanon.Netanyahu said that the Israeli strikes were a necessary assertion of self-defense.“Israel has every right to self-defense, and we will exercise that right whenever necessary,” Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in his conversations with Trump.The post Netanyahu halted major Iran strike at last minute over Trump pressure – report appeared first on World Israel News.