Israel launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, Lebanese, Lebanon’s health minister, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the Iran war truce does not include Lebanon.
“The Israeli enemy’s raid on Sidon in southern Lebanon killed at least 8 people and injured 22 others,” the Lebanese health ministry said in a preliminary toll.
On the other side, Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah has not claimed any operations since 1 am (Tuesday 1000 GMT).
Three Lebanese sources close to Hezbollah told Reuters that the group halted fire on northern Israel and on Israeli forces in Lebanon in the early hours of Wednesday, as part of the US–Iran ceasefire announced earlier.
Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend attacks on Iran for two weeks, but said the temporary ceasefire does not include Lebanon, while Tehran insists that any agreement to halt the war must include Lebanon.
“We insisted on differentiating between the arenas of Iran and Lebanon in order to change the reality in Lebanon and remove threats from the residents of the north,” Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.
However, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the United States, Iran, and their allies had agreed to a ceasefire “everywhere,” including Lebanon, following mediation by his government to stop weeks of fighting.
“I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,” Sharif posted on X.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised “ceasefire violations” by Israel in a call with the commander of the armed forces of Pakistan, which mediated the fragile truce, an Iranian ministry statement said.
Araghchi “discussed the Zionist regime’s violations of the ceasefire in Iran and Lebanon”, referring to Israel, in a call with the powerful Pakistani military leader Field Marshal Asim Munir, the statement said.
A military-security source told Fars News that, amid continued violations of the temporary ceasefire by Israeli forces against Lebanon, Iran is finalizing plans for a deterrent operation targeting Israeli military positions in the occupied territories.
The source added that there is a growing assessment in Tehran that the continued strikes despite agreements across multiple fronts indicate either that the United States cannot control Netanyahu, or that CENTCOM has effectively allowed the Israeli side operational freedom.
Trump announced the ceasefire on his Truth Social platform, saying the United States was “very far along” in negotiating a long-term agreement with Iran, which had submitted a 10-point plan he described as “workable.”
In Iran, the Supreme National Security Council said negotiations with US representatives will be held in Islamabad for 15 days to finalize the agreement.
In a statement, it said Iran’s 10-point proposal includes recognition of its right to enrich uranium, lifting of all sanctions, release of frozen Iranian assets abroad, payment of compensation to Iran, withdrawal of US forces from the region, an end to the fighting on all fronts including Lebanon, guarantees against future attacks, and maintenance of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, with ship transit coordinated with Iranian forces.
