The fate of the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran hung in the balance on Wednesday as Israel continued its military operations in Lebanon undeterred. Israel has intensified its strikes on Lebanon, while Iran has reluctantly allowed the passage of oil tankers through the strategic Strait of Hormuz because of an alleged ceasefire breach, an accusation that Israel said was never part of the ceasefire deal.
While this narrative of a divergent ceasefire deal perpetuates, Israeli forces have continued to unleash what many have termed their heaviest attack on more than 100 targets in Lebanon, hitting Corniche al-Mazraa, one of the main roads in the capital, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and southern Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and wounding thousands. In a statement on X, Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, condemned Israeli strikes as ”blatant violation” of the ceasefire, stating that peace talks would be ”unreasonable” following Israeli strikes.
”Israel’s renewed incursion into Lebanon is a blatant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement. This is a dangerous sign of deception and lack of commitment to potential agreements. The continuation of these actions will render negotiations meaningless. Our fingers remain on the trigger. Iran will never abandon its Lebanese sisters,” the statement reads.
Similarly, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Lebanon forms ”an inseparable part of the ceasefire” deal. In a post on X, he stated, There is no room for denial and backtracking. Ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and STRONG responses. Extinguish the fire immediately.
In a counter response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah ”whenever necessary.”
Further, the Israeli military claimed that its strikes across Lebanon targeted Hezbollah and insisted the two-week truce does not apply to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, President Trump on Truth Social posted that all US Ships, aircraft, and military Personnel would remain in place until Iran fully complied with the real agreement.
If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the ”Shooting Starts, bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the country- NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime, our great Military is Loading Up and resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!”
As it were, Israel’s deadly strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday have drawn global condemnation. Indeed, the condemnation is mounting. Pakistan has stated that Israeli strikes on Lebanon undermined regional peace efforts. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has also condemned Israel’s latest massive strikes on Lebanon and said it should be included in the US-Iran ceasefire agreement. UN rights chief, Volker Turk, condemned the strikes as ”horrific”.
Presently, as the Pakistan-mediated talks between the US and Iran draw near with US Vice President JD Vance, expected to lead the US delegation to Islamabad, one thing is very certain: the situation remains fluid as the US-Iran ceasefire deal hangs in the balance.
