Iran Accuses Israel of Violating Ceasefire by Escalating Tensions in Lebanon and Threatens to Respond

SadaNews - Tensions are rising over the declared ceasefire between the United States and Iran, amid Iranian accusations against Israel of violating the agreement through its ongoing attacks on Lebanon, threatening the path to de-escalation and putting the fragile ceasefire to a real test, alongside diplomatic moves to stabilize the agreement.

In this context, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, stated that "ceasefire violations have been reported in several locations across the conflict zones, undermining the spirit of the peace process", adding: "I sincerely and seriously urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the two-week ceasefire as agreed, allowing diplomacy to progress towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict."

In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump stated in an interview that Lebanon "is not included in the ceasefire with Iran", considering it a "separate matter" from the war with Tehran. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed that "Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement", despite the Pakistani mediator clearly stating that the agreement includes halting fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Concurrently, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made a phone call with Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir, whose country acted as a mediator in reaching the temporary ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. According to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, they "discussed the violations of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and Iran concerning the ceasefire agreement."

This coincided with a wide Israeli escalation against Lebanon, where warplanes carried out simultaneous airstrikes targeting several areas including Beirut, committing massacres against civilians; the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced in a statement that the initial toll from the Israeli attacks is estimated at hundreds of martyrs and wounded.

Regarding Iranian positions, the "Tasnim" agency reported that a source stated, "Iran will withdraw from the agreement if Israel continues to violate the ceasefire with its attacks on Lebanon", adding that "the United States agreed to halt the war on all fronts, including Lebanon", and that "our forces are identifying targets to respond to the aggression of the Zionist entity in Lebanon today."

In the same context, the "Fars" agency quoted a military source stating that Iran "is preparing a response to Israel's violation of the ceasefire", referring to the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory despite the agreement. Meanwhile, "Tasnim" reported, citing an informed source, that "the United States agreed to halt the war on all fronts, including Lebanon."

In detail, an Iranian military official stated in statements to the semi-official "Fars" agency that Israel violated the temporary ceasefire agreement reached with the United States, although it includes them, by continuing its attacks on Lebanese territory.

He added: "After the repeated violations by the Zionist entity's army of the temporary ceasefire against Lebanon and the Islamic resistance therein, Iran is preparing to carry out deterrent operations targeting Israeli military sites in the occupied territories."

The source indicated that the ceasefire agreement aimed to stop fighting on all fronts in the region, asserting that "the continuation of attacks despite the agreement reinforces a viewpoint in Tehran stating that the United States is either unable to restrain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or has granted the Zionist entity freedom of movement through the U.S. Central Command (Centcom)."

Alongside this, the Prime Minister of Pakistan announced that American and Iranian delegations will arrive in Pakistan on Friday as part of mediation efforts between the two sides. U.S. President Donald Trump had announced early Wednesday the cessation of strikes on Iran for two weeks, conditional on the full and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and that the ceasefire must be bilateral.

Trump's announcement came less than two hours before the deadline he set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept the agreement, before executing his threat to destroy what he called "an entire civilization".

For its part, the Iranian government announced that it seeks to conclude negotiations in Pakistan to end the war with the United States and Israel during the 15-day ceasefire period.