India, April 10 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has quietly imposed a new restriction on his own military: no strikes in Beirut without his direct sign-off. The policy shift follows intense pressure from President Donald Trump after an Israeli bombardment on April 8 killed more than 300 people in the Lebanese capital, stunning US officials and threatening a fragile American-brokered ceasefire with Iran.

Trump personally urged Netanyahu to "low-key it" and scale back operations. While Israel officially maintains there is no ceasefire with Hezbollah, the frequency and intensity of strikes have visibly decreased. Netanyahu's direct approval requirement gives him tighter political control over sensitive targets as diplomacy take...