Is Lebanon part of the Iran war ceasefire?

Pakistan, which mediated the deal, said the two-week pause in fighting would extend to Lebanon. However, Israel - which has been bombing and invading Lebanon for over a month - denied this, as its strikes continued. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed movement engaged in fighting Israeli forces, has yet to issue an official statement. The war spread to Lebanon soon after the US and Israel began attacking Iran in late February. Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets across the Israeli border in response to the killing of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was an important spiritual leader for the Lebanese group. Hezbollah also argued that it was preempting an Israeli attack on Lebanon, an analysis supported by reports in the Israeli media. Israeli air strikes have killed around 1,500 people and displaced more than one million, according to Lebanese authorities. Iran has previously conditioned any ceasefire with the US on a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon - and said the new agreement includes an end to the war there. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the US had “fundamentally committed” to “the cessation of war on all fronts, including against the heroic Islamic Resistance of Lebanon”, among other conditions. US President Donald Trump, the other party to the deal with Tehran, did not mention Lebanon in his announcement. He said Washington believed Iran’s 10-point framework for negotiations was “workable”. According to Iranian state media, the framework includes ending conflict in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Nearly four hours after the ceasefire was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel supported Trump’s decision to “suspend strikes” on Iran for two weeks. However, “the two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon”, the statement added. Lebanese sources close to Hezbollah told Reuters the group halted fire following the ceasefire announcement, and it is expected to issue its formal position shortly. Strikes continue On the ground, Israeli air strikes have continued. Israel's military announced it halted attacks in Iran from 3am local time, but “continues fighting against Hezbollah”. In the early hours of Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets struck Sour, killing eight people and wounding 44 others, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Exclusive: How Hezbollah rebuilt while its enemies declared it dead Read More » The attack hit the city’s seafront, with images circulating showing damage to a cafe. Heavy strikes were also reported in villages in southern Lebanon and in the eastern Beqaa governorate. Amid the attacks, the Lebanese army urged displaced residents not to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military also ordered residents in Tyre to flee ahead of planned strikes. Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said it was “unacceptable” that Israel continued its attacks in Lebanon after the ceasefire announcement. “All fronts must cease, and all fronts also means Lebanon,” he told public radio RNE. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the ceasefire and said Paris wished it would “fully include Lebanon”. A full-scale Israeli war on Lebanon resumed on 2 March after more than a year of violations of the ceasefire agreed with Hezbollah in November 2024. Since fighting resumed, Israel has expanded its ground invasion in southern Lebanon, advancing up to five kilometres beyond the border. The Israeli military said border villages would be destroyed under a plan announced last week and that Lebanese who lived there would not be able to return home. Israel's war on Lebanon News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0