Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for April 9, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
THE LATEST
Donald Trump said he’s convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back strikes on Lebanon, one of the sticking points that has snagged negotiations between Iran and the U.S. and kept the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed despite an apparent agreement to open it.
- “I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” Trump told NBC News.
- Netanyahu said in a post on X: “In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed at the Government meeting yesterday to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.”
- He did not, however, say that Israel would cease its strikes: “There is no cease-fire in Lebanon,” he added.
Help is on the way: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during an address in Washington, reflected on his “open and candid” conversation with Trump yesterday. He said that despite a “slow” start, European allies were now in lockstep with the U.S. in its war against Iran.