Netanyahu backs US ceasefire with Iran, but finds a loophole to continue Lebanon onslaught

Netanyahu backs US ceasefire with iran, but find a loophole to continue Lebanon onslaught

Updated on: Apr 8, 2026, 11:18:06 IST

By HT News Desk

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Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military strikes on Iran for two weeks, even as he clarified that the ceasefire does not extend to operations in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. (REUTERS)

Netanyahu said Israel endorses the temporary pause in attacks as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. However, he stressed that the truce applies only to the Iran front and does not include the conflict involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Israel also supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran's Arab neighbors and the world," the statement added.

The remarks come amid a fragile US-Iran ceasefire agreement aimed at de-escalating weeks of intense fighting and allowing space for negotiations. While Israel has aligned with the broader ceasefire framework, Netanyahu’s statement that military actions linked to Lebanon could continue separately.

Netanyahu's statement also contradicted an earlier announcement by Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict, that said the ceasefire covers "everywhere including Lebanon".

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