Israel strikes Lebanon after discussing "Iranian threat" with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the threat posed by Iran. Hours after the two leaders ended their call, Israeli forces struck Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, calling his victory "the greatest comeback in history" and a new beginning in US-Israel relations.

According to a statement released Wednesday by Netanyahu's office, the two discussed the threat posed by Iran and agreed to work together for Israel's security.

Shortly after the two leaders ended their call, Israeli forces launched another assault on the main Iran-backed Hezbollah bastion in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Lebanon's Hezbollah said earlier that tens of thousands of fighters are ready to fight Israel, and said the U.S. election result will not affect the war situation in Lebanon.

In a televised address Wednesday, Hezbollah's new leader, Ahmed Qassem, said his group would "rely on the battlefield and not negotiations" to end the war with Israel. At the same time, he stressed that any negotiations will be based on an end to Israeli violations of Lebanese national sovereignty.