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Lebanon clouds Iran-US ceasefire ahead of talks: Is it included or not? Explained
Israel's claim that Lebanon was not covered in the two-week ceasefire deal was also backed by United States President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
After well over a month of continuous fighting between Iran and the United States, backed by Israel, both the sides reached to a temporary two-week ceasefire on Tuesday until they worked out the details of a sustainable peace plan over negotiations to be held in Pakistan later this week. All seemed well for a few hours until the attacks continued on Wednesday and the ceasefire lived a short life.
Just hours after the ceasefire was announced and a sense of relief started to settle in among the people in the conflict zone, it turned into panic as Israel caught Lebanon unawares and launched one of the war's biggest offensives. It struck several residential and commercial areas in and around Beirut killing at least 182 people, according to Lebanon.
Israel, in its defence, said that it was targeting Hezbollah. However, the attack did not sit well with Iran which, in turn, decided to close down the Strait of Hormuz again.
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Is Lebanon part of two-week US-Iran ceasefire?
After the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Lebanon, which houses the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, was not a part of the two-week ceasefire struck between Iran and the United States.
"Today, we dealt Hezbollah its most severe blow since the pager attacks - striking one hundred targets in 10 minutes, in areas it believed were immune," Netanyahu said in a televised address as he referred to the 2024 operation against Hezbollah which involving attacks via pager bombs.
“We have created security zones deep beyond our borders -- in Lebanon, in Syria, and in Gaza, where we now control more than half the strip and are choking Hamas from all sides,” he added.
The claim that Lebanon was not covered in the two-week ceasefire deal was also backed by United States President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Vance said on Wednesday while addressing reporters in Budapest that while Iranian negotiators thought Lebanon was a part of the deal, the US never agreed to it.
"I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. We never made that promise," he said.
Trump also said in an interview with PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal due to Hezbollah. When he was asked about Israel's attack on Lebanon, he said, "That’s a separate skirmish.”
However, when the ceasefire was announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also hosting peace negotiations between Iran and the US later this week in what he called ‘Islamabad Talks’, he clearly mentioned that Lebanon was a part of the ceasefire.
“With the greatest humility, 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 had written on X.
After the attacks on Lebanon, he also said that ceasefire was “violated” in some areas of the conflict zone.
Iran says ceasefire in Lebanon ‘key’ for peace
The attack on Lebanon, which has long been a target of Israel due to Hezbollah, prompted Iran to react sharply and even close the Strait of Hormuz again.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that the ball is in US' court and added that the latter should choose between the ceasefire or continuing the war.
"The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both," Aragchi argued.
"The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments,” he added.
Later, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian also clarified that ceasefire in Lebanon is one of Iran's key condition in its 10-point peace plan shared with the United States.
In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Iranian President said that Tehran's "acceptance of the ceasefire is a clear sign of Iran's responsibility and serious will to resolve conflicts through diplomacy", reported ISNA.
He added that "establishing a ceasefire in Lebanon has been one of the key conditions of Iran's 10-point plan".
Also read: Not consulted, informed late: Israel ‘unhappy’ over limited role in US-Iran truce
Trump says Iran's 10-point plan provides ‘workable basis’ for negotiations
After announcing ceasefire with Iran and also declaring victory in the ongoing war, Trump said in post on Truth Social that the US received Iran's 10-point peace proposal and believed that it provided a workable bases for upcoming negotiations.
“We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” he had said while declaring the ceasefire.
In another ecstatic post just hours later, Trump announced Wednesday to be a “big day for World Peace” and said that the United States will help with traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz while Iran can begin reconstruction.
“The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just “hangin’ around” in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!” he wrote.
JD Vance to lead US' delegation for peace talks in Pakistan
White House announced on Wednesday that United States Vice President JD Vance will head the country's delegation to Pakistan later this week for peace talks with Iran. He will be accompanied by US' special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.
“I can announce that the president is dispatching his negotiating team led by the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Special Envoy Witkoff and Mr. Kushner, to Islamabad for talks this weekend,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing.
She added that the talks will begin on Saturday.
After the announcement, Vance said that it was up to Iran to let the ceasefire “fall apart” over Lebanon.
"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he said.
He added that Israel has agreed to check itself in Lebanon in order to help the US during negotiations.
"The Israelis... have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon, because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful," Vance said.
