Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers on Thursday to begin direct talks with Lebanon, pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament amid mounting concern that its ongoing strikes could cause the fragile US-Iran truce to unravel.

A Lebanese government official told AFP shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement that Beirut “wants a ceasefire” declared before starting any negotiations with Israel, a day after deadly strikes across the country.

At least 203 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in the bombardment on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, while Hezbollah said it was engaged in close quarters combat against Israeli forces on the ground on Thursday in the south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil.

Netanyahu’s order for direct negotiations with Lebanon’s government was focused on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace, according to a statement from his office, but he offered no immediate respite from the bombardment.

“Lebanon wants a ceasefire before starting negotiations,” said the Lebanese government official, who has knowledge of the matter and requested anonymity.

Even as Netanyahu spoke, Israel’s military issued a new evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburbs, just a day after the wave of strikes.

“In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said.

“Negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon.”

Brussels, Moscow and Ankara demanded that the US-Iran ceasefire be extended to Lebanon.

“We view the situation in southern Lebanon with particular concern,” Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, echoing statements from Paris and London.

“The severity with which Israel is waging war there could cause the peace process as a whole to fail, and that must not be allowed to happen,” he warned.

For their part, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran sees Lebanon as an “inseparable part of the ceasefire” and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s strikes rendered “meaningless” talks with US envoys planned for the end of the week in Pakistan.

‘Where is Hezbollah here?’

Hezbollah said it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to what it called a violation of the ceasefire.

President Donald Trump claimed victory in the Middle East war after agreeing a two-week truce to allow talks between US and Iranian negotiators to end a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil — but both Israel and the US insist the fighting in Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire.

“We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision and determination,” Netanyahu said, in a social media post.

“Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary.”

The day after the strikes, rescuers were still hard at work in the rubble of a building hit in the heart of a seafront residential neighbourhood of Beirut.

Half the building had collapsed, some rooms sliced in two by the deadly strike, a dining room and a water fountain exposed.

The other half of the building is nothing but a heap of stone and twisted metal, a school report card here, a law course from Saint Joseph University there, a child’s stuffed toy.

According to the civil defence, several bodies are still under the rubble.

“We don’t know where my niece is… the rescue teams have been working tirelessly since yesterday, but they haven’t found her,” Taha Qarqamaz told AFP. Another of his nieces died of her injuries in hospital. Two more are in intensive care.

“Look, these are school notebooks, class notes, books! Where is Hezbollah here? There is no Hezbollah in this neighbourhood!” protested his friend, Khaled Salam.

Ambulances arriving at a Beirut hospital on Thursday bypassed the emergency room and drove straight to the morgue, where exhausted medics unloaded a succession of bags of body parts ​for relatives to identify before burial.

Nearly 24 hours after Israel’s deadliest strikes on the Lebanese capital in decades, rescuers were still working to recover mangled bodies ‌from under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

More than 250 people were killed across Lebanon on Wednesday, including in strikes on central Beirut that came without warning.

Among them were the brother and teenage nephew of 54-year-old Kheir Hamiyeh. They were both killed in a strike on Hay el-Sellum, a densely populated district of Beirut.

“We are waiting because there are so many people, there are so many martyrs… all of them children and ​women,” Hamiyeh said outside the morgue at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

The Israeli strike, part of a campaign Israel says is targeting the Iran-aligned Hezbollah armed group, ​had destroyed their home and wounded his young niece Khadija, who stood next to him with bandages across her face.

“Her father was ⁠killed. Her brother was killed. She has one brother left. What are we supposed to do?” Hamiyeh said.

Khadija’s mother, Zeinab, told Reuters between bouts of crying that she had to ​carry the bodies of her husband and 13-year-old son to the ground floor on her own.

Rescuer describes piecing people together

Lebanon’s civil defence service said at least 92 people were killed in ​Israel’s strikes on Beirut on Wednesday. Another 61 were killed in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

A rescuer outside the Rafik Hariri Hospital said he had spent all of Wednesday and Thursday trying to pull victims from pulverised apartment blocks across the city.

“We’re piecing people together because they’re all cut up into different body parts. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said the rescuer, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity ​because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

Relatives who were waiting at the morgue’s entrance were sobbing, calling other family members to tell them they had managed to ​identify a loved one inside. Three women were crouched on the sidewalk, holding each other upright so they would not collapse.

“The numbers are high, the situation is disastrous and painful,” hospital director Dr ‌Mohammad al-Zaatari ⁠told reporters.

He declined to say how many bodies were in the morgue but a rescue worker told Reuters there were at least 100 inside.

Zaatari said anyone with missing relatives should contact Beirut’s hospitals, which would begin DNA testing at a later stage to identify any remains that were too distorted to be recognisable.

‘The houses just blew up’

Rescuers told Reuters that they had struggled to reach some bombed buildings because streets were so narrow that ambulances and bulldozers couldn’t fit.

Nada Jaber told Reuters her nephew had been killed in a strike but that rescuers ​only managed to pull out his body ​on Thursday morning. “The houses just blew up,” ⁠she said.

Hours before the attacks, the Israeli military issued mass evacuation warnings for Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, but did not say exactly where it would strike. No warnings were given for central Beirut, which was also bombed.

Abdelrahman Mohammed, a 24-year-old Syrian man living ​in Beirut since the war erupted in his home country in 2011, said he lost five members of his family.

He had just dropped ​his sister off at ⁠her home when an Israeli strike hit their neighbourhood.

“I came back and didn’t find the building. I didn’t find my sister, and I didn’t find my family. Any of them,” he told Reuters.

“I don’t have any sisters anymore… I came from Syria in 2011, and now I’m going back to Syria carrying five martyrs who are my family,” Mohammed said.

Reuters spoke to several other ⁠Syrians who said ​their relatives were killed in the strikes.

“There are many Syrian martyrs, not just my family. A lot. Go ​ask. It’s full of Syrian martyrs. Lebanese and Syrian blood are mixed,” Mohammed said.

Israel, which invaded Lebanon last month to root out Hezbollah in parallel with the war on Iran, says its actions there are not covered ​by the ceasefire announced late on Tuesday by President Donald Trump. Pakistan, which helped mediate the US-Iran talks, has said the truce would include Lebanon.

Some of Lebanon’s hospitals could run out ​of life-saving trauma medical kits within days as supplies ‌near depletion following mass casualties from large-scale Israeli strikes over the past day, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

The life-saving trauma kits include ​bandages, antibiotics and anaesthetics to treat patients who sustained ​war-related injuries, the WHO stated.

“Some of the trauma management ⁠supplies were in short supply, and we may run out in ​a few days,” Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, the WHO’s representative in ​Lebanon, told Reuters.

Israel bombed more targets in Lebanon on Thursday after its biggest attacks of the war on its neighbour on Wednesday killed more than 250 ​people and more than 1,000 were injured, and threatened to ​torpedo Donald Trump’s truce from the outset.

“If we have another mass casualty, ‌like ⁠what happened yesterday, it will be a disaster,” Abubakar said.

“Probably we will lose more lives just because we don’t have enough supplies,” he added.

Shortages of supplies of trauma kits have been driven ​by a surge ​in recent ⁠casualties - the majority of whom are civilians - with roughly three weeks’ worth of supplies being depleted in ​one day, Abubakar stated.

Medicines to treat patients with ​chronic ⁠disease, such as insulin for diabetes patients, are also facing stockouts within the weeks, after supply chains were disrupted following the war ⁠in ​the Gulf and the closure of the ​Strait of Hormuz, Abubakar said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Thursday reviewed progress on Pakistan’s efforts to mediate peace in the region, as key international talks draw closer.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Field Marshal Munir called on the premier in Islamabad.

“The dignitaries reviewed the progress of Pakistan’s mediatory efforts to achieve sustainable peace in the region. The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed upon the need for maintaining peace and ceasefire by all parties,” the statement said.

“The leadership appreciated the restraint demonstrated by all sides and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all-out support to both sides to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement,” it added.

The prime minister lauded the commitment of the parties involved and wished them success in their pursuit of peace.

“He also renewed his invitation to the arriving delegations and assured them of the highest consideration and support by Pakistan,” the statement concluded.

The meeting comes as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected in Islamabad over the weekend for talks, with Pakistan positioning itself as a key facilitator.

A high-level US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is due to arrive in Islamabad tonight ahead of high‑stakes negotiations with Iran, sources said.

The meeting scheduled for Saturday would be a key diplomatic step following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Accompanying Vance will be senior officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Additional members of the US delegation, including security experts and support staff, are also scheduled to arrive in Islamabad this evening to assist with the talks.

Iran’s negotiating team will likewise reach Islamabad tonight, led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The US and Iranian delegations are set to hold talks on Friday, with the central phase of negotiations scheduled for Saturday.

Multiple rounds of discussions are expected to take place in Islamabad over the course of the talks.

Islamabad stepped up diplomatic outreach after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a wider conflict and a global energy shock.

Since then, Pakistani leadership, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, has engaged regional and international stakeholders to push for de-escalation.

On March 24, the prime minister said Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to host “meaningful and conclusive talks” between Washington and Tehran.

A day later, the US shared a 15-point proposal with Iran through Pakistan, while Tehran responded with its own conditions.

Despite initial reports of rejection, “indirect talks” continued, with Pakistan relaying messages between the two sides.

Diplomatic activity intensified on March 29, when foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt met in Islamabad for a quadrilateral discussion on Middle East de-escalation. Pakistan and China later issued a five-point initiative to restore regional stability.

Tensions spiked again on April 5 when US President Donald Trump issued a deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning of further attacks.

With hours left before the deadline, PM Shehbaz urged Trump to extend it by two weeks, citing steady diplomatic progress, and also called on Iran to reopen the key shipping route for the same period.

“Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump later said.

Iran subsequently signalled conditional restraint, stating it would halt defensive operations if attacks stopped.

The two-week truce is based on a 10-point Iranian proposal that Washington has accepted as a general framework for negotiations, raising cautious hopes for a broader settlement.

The US and Iran are set to hold peace talks in Pakistan, which has been mediating, but remain deeply divided on key issues, even though President Donald Trump has said proposals presented by Tehran were a “basis” for talks.

Each side is sticking to competing demands for a deal to end the war that could ​shape the Middle East for generations.

WHERE DO BOTH SIDES STAND?

An Iranian delegation is due to arrive in Islamabad for talks based on a 10-point proposal, ‌which shows little overlap with a 15-point plan Washington previously put forward, suggesting there will be major gaps to bridge.

For example, Iran’s proposal includes a demand to enrich uranium, which Washington previously ruled out and Trump has insisted is non-negotiable. The 10 points also do not address Iran’s missile capabilities, which Israel and the U.S. have both said must be dramatically curtailed.

Tehran has said its formidable missile arsenal is non-negotiable, although it is unclear how much ​of those weapons remain after the war.

One Pakistani official in the region said Iran could expect to secure many of its demands, with a focus on reconstruction, reparations ​and sanctions relief, but could not expect to secure an agreement on uranium enrichment.

Previous talks have focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and missiles. Those ⁠issues have now been overshadowed by the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

Iran’s effective closure ​of the waterway since the beginning of the war on February 28 has rattled the global economy, pushing up oil prices.

Tehran has indicated that under a permanent peace deal, it would seek to ​charge a fee for ships transiting the strait, which is just 34 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman.

Trump had threatened to devastate Iran if Tehran did not agree to a ceasefire deal and to reopen the strait.

There was no sign Iran had lifted its blockade of the waterway, which has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history, and Tehran said there would be no ​deal as long as Israel was striking Lebanon.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that Washington had agreed to accept Iran’s 10-point plan and that “the United States has, in principle, ​committed to”:

• non-aggression;
• continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz;
• acceptance of enrichment;
• lifting all primary and secondary sanctions;
• termination of all resolutions passed by the U.N. Security Council and Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency;
• withdrawal of ‌U.S. combat ⁠forces from the region;
• and cessation of war on all fronts, including against the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

According to Israeli sources, Trump’s 15-point proposal, previously sent to Iran via Pakistan, called for removing Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile programme and cutting off funding for regional allies.

As the two sides prepare to hold negotiations, Trump vowed to retain military assets in the Middle East until a peace deal with Iran is reached and warned of a major escalation in fighting if it failed to comply.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF REACHING A LASTING ​SETTLEMENT?

Although Trump has declared victory, Washington did ​not achieve the aims he had announced ⁠to justify the war at its outset: to eliminate Iran’s ability to attack its neighbours, destroy its nuclear programme and create conditions that would make it easier for Iranians to topple their government.

Iran is unlikely to make major concessions on those points, and it has indicated it can ​patiently keep on fighting, with the Strait of Hormuz giving it economic leverage over an enemy with superior firepower.

WHAT IS ISRAEL’S POSITION?

Israel, ​which has been pounding ⁠Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon in a parallel conflict, sees Tehran as an existential threat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would like regime change in Iran, even though that would probably require boots on the ground, and there are no guarantees of stability afterwards.

The question of whether the ceasefire covers Israel’s war against Hezbollah has become a sticking point that threatens the truce.

The US and Israel say ⁠Lebanon is not ​included in the agreement, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said a halt in hostilities in Lebanon was an ​essential condition of Tehran’s deal with Washington.

Israel said it had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, but said the deal did not include halting military action in Lebanon.

An Israeli official said the US coordinated the temporary ceasefire with Israel in ​advance, adding that Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz without a commitment to an end to the war, compensation, or lifting sanctions.

The US and Iran are set to hold peace talks in Pakistan, which has been mediating, but remain deeply divided on key issues, even though President Donald Trump has said proposals presented by Tehran were a “basis” for talks.

Each side is sticking to competing demands for a deal to end the war that could ​shape the Middle East for generations.

Where do both sides stand?

An Iranian delegation is due to arrive in Islamabad for talks based on a 10-point proposal, ‌which shows little overlap with a 15-point plan Washington previously put forward, suggesting there will be major gaps to bridge.

For example, Iran’s proposal includes a demand to enrich uranium, which Washington previously ruled out and Trump has insisted is non-negotiable. The 10 points also do not address Iran’s missile capabilities, which Israel and the US have both said must be dramatically curtailed.

Tehran has said its formidable missile arsenal is non-negotiable, although it is unclear how many ​of those weapons remain after the war.

One Pakistani official in the region said Iran could expect to secure many of its demands, with a focus on reconstruction, reparations ​and sanctions relief, but could not expect to secure an agreement on uranium enrichment.

Previous talks have focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and missiles. Those ⁠issues have now been overshadowed by the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

Iran’s effective closure ​of the waterway since the beginning of the war on February 28 has rattled the global economy, pushing up oil prices.

Tehran has indicated that under a permanent peace deal, it would seek to ​charge a fee for ships transiting the strait, which is just 34 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman.

Trump had threatened to devastate Iran if Tehran did not agree to a ceasefire deal and to reopen the strait.

There was no sign Iran had lifted its blockade of the waterway, which has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history, and Tehran said there would be no ​deal as long as Israel was striking Lebanon.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that Washington had agreed to accept Iran’s 10-point plan and that “the United States has, in principle, ​committed to”:

• non-aggression;
• continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz;
• acceptance of enrichment;
• lifting all primary and secondary sanctions;
• termination of all resolutions passed by the UN Security Council and Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency;
• withdrawal of ‌US combat ⁠forces from the region;
• and cessation of war on all fronts, including against the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

According to Israeli sources, Trump’s 15-point proposal, previously sent to Iran via Pakistan, called for removing Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile programme and cutting off funding for regional allies.

As the two sides prepare to hold negotiations, Trump vowed to retain military assets in the Middle East until a peace deal with Iran is reached and warned of a major escalation in fighting if it failed to comply.

What are the chances of reaching a lasting settlement?

Although Trump has declared victory, Washington did ​not achieve the aims he had announced ⁠to justify the war at its outset: to eliminate Iran’s ability to attack its neighbours, destroy its nuclear programme and create conditions that would make it easier for Iranians to topple their government.

Iran is unlikely to make major concessions on those points, and it has indicated it can ​patiently keep on fighting, with the Strait of Hormuz giving it economic leverage over an enemy with superior firepower.

What is Israel’s position?

Israel, ​which has been pounding ⁠its Iranian ally Hezbollah in Lebanon in a parallel conflict, sees Tehran as an existential threat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would like regime change in Iran, even though that would probably require boots on the ground, and there are no guarantees of stability afterwards.

The question of whether the ceasefire covers Israel’s war against Hezbollah has become a sticking point that threatens the truce.

The US and Israel say ⁠Lebanon is not ​included in the agreement, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said a halt in hostilities in Lebanon was an ​essential condition of Tehran’s deal with Washington.

Israel said it had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, but said the deal did not include halting military action in Lebanon.

An Israeli official said the US coordinated the temporary ceasefire with Israel in ​advance, adding that Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz without a commitment to a final end to the war, compensation, or lifting sanctions.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian ​said on ‌Thursday that Israeli strikes on ​Lebanon ​violate the ceasefire agreement ⁠and would ​render negotiations ​meaningless.

Pezeshkian said Iran would not abandon ​the Lebanese ​people.

His comments come after ‌Israel carried ⁠out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon ​since ​the ⁠conflict with Hezbollah ​broke out ​last ⁠month, killing more than ⁠250 ​people on ​Wednesday.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday sought Pakistan’s support to end Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory and its people during a telephone call with Shehbaz Sharif.

Salam thanked the Pakistani premier for his ongoing efforts to promote lasting peace in the region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz condemned the Israeli aggression and expressed grief over the loss of lives, reaffirming that Pakistan remains sincerely engaged in efforts to restore regional peace.

Bahrain supports Pakistan’s peace efforts

In a separate development, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa appreciated Pakistan’s role in helping secure a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, saying the move had created prospects for lasting regional peace.

PM held a telephone call with King Hamad, during which he thanked the Bahraini monarch for supporting Pakistan’s peace efforts, according to an official statement.

PM also praised what he described as the Bahraini leadership’s restraint following attacks in recent weeks and offered condolences over the loss of lives in Bahrain, wishing a swift recovery for the injured.

Both leaders agreed to continue working together to promote peace and stability in the region.

France and Pakistan’s concerns over Lebanon

In a separate call, French President Emmanuel Macron commended Shehbaz Sharif’s efforts in facilitating the ceasefire and conveyed best wishes for ongoing peace talks in Islamabad.

PM thanked Macron for backing Pakistan’s diplomatic initiatives and reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to regional stability.

The two leaders also expressed concern over ongoing hostilities in Lebanon.

A high-level US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is due to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday night ahead of high‑stakes negotiations with Iran, sources said.

The meeting scheduled for Saturday would be a key diplomatic step following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Accompanying Vance will be senior officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Additional members of the US delegation, including security experts and support staff, are also scheduled to arrive in Islamabad this evening to assist with the talks.

Iran’s negotiating team will likewise reach Islamabad tonight, led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The US and Iranian delegations are set to hold talks on Friday, with the central phase of negotiations scheduled for Saturday.

Multiple rounds of discussions are expected to take place in Islamabad over the course of the talks.

Israel bombed more targets in Lebanon on Thursday, putting the Middle East ceasefire in further jeopardy after its biggest attacks ​of the war on its neighbour killed more than 250 people and threatened to torpedo Donald Trump’s truce from the outset.

Iranian negotiators were expected to set off later on Thursday for Pakistan for the first peace talks ‌of the war, due to meet a US delegation on Saturday.

But there was no sign Iran had lifted its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history.

Tehran said there would be no deal as long as Israel was striking Lebanon.

The shortage drove the price that European and Asian refineries pay for oil to record levels near $150 a barrel, with even higher prices for some products such as jet fuel.

Israel, which invaded Lebanon last month in parallel with the war on Iran to root out Hezbollah, says its actions there ​are not covered by the ceasefire announced late on Tuesday by Trump.

Washington has also said Lebanon is not covered by the truce, but Iran and Pakistan, which acted as mediator, say it was explicitly part of the deal.

A ​host of countries, including Britain and France, said the truce should extend to Lebanon.

Israel kills Hezbollah leader’s nephew

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had killed the nephew of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who had served as his personal secretary, and had struck river crossings ​in Lebanon overnight.

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs just before midnight and at dawn, and hit towns across the south on Thursday morning, Lebanese state media said.

For its part, Hezbollah, which had initially said it would pause attacks on Israel in line with the ceasefire, said ​it was resuming them on Thursday morning.

Families gathered on Thursday at Beirut hospitals to identify slain loved ones, and rescuers worked through the night to try to save those trapped under rubble from attacks that hit populated areas without warning to civilians.

“This is my place, this is my house, I’ve been living here like more than 51 years. So, everything destroyed. See?” said Naim Chebbo, sweeping shattered glass and debris from his home in Beirut after strikes destroyed the building next door.

Lebanon declared a day of ​national mourning and shut state offices.

At one funeral in central Beirut, mourners gathered quietly to bury a man who had been killed.

His wife had survived the bombing, which sheared off half the building and left survivors trapped on upper floors for ​hours.

Mourning for Khamenei

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told BBC Radio that Israel’s strikes on Lebanon were a “grave violation” of the ceasefire.

“It was a catastrophe, could actually end in more catastrophe, and this is the nature of this rogue behaviour that we are seeing from Israel in the ‌whole Middle East.”

Inside ⁠Iran, where the halt to six weeks of US and Iranian air strikes has been portrayed as a total victory for the clerical rulers, huge crowds turned out to commemorate 40 days of mourning for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the war’s first day.

State TV showed crowds in Tehran, Kermanshah, Yazd and Zahedan, with mourners in black carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba.

Large commemorative billboards were displayed, and a huge Hezbollah flag hung from one building.

Pakistan on Thursday condemned, in the strongest terms, the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, resulting in the loss of innocent lives and the widespread destruction of infrastructure.

The Israeli actions undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region and constitute a blatant violation of international law and fundamental humanitarian principles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

“Pakistan calls upon the international community to take urgent and concrete steps to end Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” it said.

The statement added that Pakistan reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the Government and people of Lebanon during this difficult time and supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its peace and stability.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that a “comprehensive and foolproof” security plan has been finalised for senior US officials arriving in Islamabad for high-level talks with Iran scheduled for Friday/ Saturday.

Naqvi conveyed the assurance during a meeting with US Ambassador Natalie Baker in Islamabad, where both sides reviewed arrangements for the upcoming dialogue.

The minister said that US Vice President JD Vance, along with senior officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would be received as special guests, adding that extensive measures were in place to ensure the safety of all visiting delegates

Discussions also covered the broader situation in the Middle East, with the US envoy welcoming the recent ceasefire and praising Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in helping ease regional tensions.

Baker commended Islamabad’s role in promoting stability.

Pakistan is set to host direct talks between the US and Iran on Saturday after a two-week ceasefire was announced between the two countries, bringing a pause to the hostilities which broke out on February 28.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to visit Pakistan, expressing hope that the talks could contribute to lasting peace in the region.

Sharif noted that while a two-week ceasefire had paused hostilities, the goal remained a durable and sustainable resolution.

He also praised Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for his role in facilitating diplomatic engagement, saying he had remained in constant contact with both the US and Iranian leadership in recent days.

The ceasefire agreed by Iran and the United ​States must also cover ‌military actions in Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on ​Thursday, adding France condemned “massive” ​Israeli strikes the previous day.

Barrot added ⁠that he expects Iran ​to make a series of ​concessions as part of the peace talks due to start in Pakistan.

“Iran ​must give up having ​nuclear weapons and the means to obtain ‌them, ⁠must give up using its missiles and drones to threaten countries in the region and ​must give up ​supporting ⁠groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis who destabilise ​the region,” he said ​in ⁠an interview with Radio Station France Inter.

Iran must also open ⁠the ​traffic in the ​Strait of Hormuz, he said.

The war that closed the Strait of Hormuz has ended — for now. But Tehran’s demand to act as toll booth keeper at the world’s most critical oil chokepoint could leave energy markets vulnerable and hardwire higher prices for years to come.

The US and Iran agreed on Tuesday to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, subject to Tehran pausing its blockade of oil and gas traffic through the strait, according ​to US President Donald Trump.

An Iranian official said on Wednesday that the vital waterway, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed before the US-Israeli war on Iran began nearly six weeks ago, could ‌be reopened by Friday in a limited fashion under Iranian control.

Tehran had also indicated on Tuesday that, under a permanent peace deal, it would seek to charge a fee for ships transiting the strait, which is just 34 km wide at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman.

With full details of the ceasefire deal still unclear, some media reports indicate that Oman has strongly pushed back, making clear that no such toll regime is acceptable under existing agreements, while others suggest that such a tolling system may already be in place.

Trump said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that the US ​was also thinking about setting up a joint venture to charge ship tolls for access through Hormuz.

How such a scheme would operate in practice remains far from clear.

But Iran may hold the upper hand. The conflict ​has demonstrated Tehran’s ability to strike dozens of vessels using drones, missiles and sea mines — a capability that gives it powerful leverage even without a formal blockade.

Freedom of navigation

An Iranian toll system would ⁠strike at one of the core principles of international law: freedom of navigation, under which ships may transit international waters without interference from coastal states.

The United States has historically cast itself as the global guarantor of that principle, enforcing it through ​naval patrols and diplomatic pressure.

Allowing Iran to monetise control over Hormuz would therefore amount to a profound strategic reversal for Washington and a dramatic shock for the Middle East oil and gas sector, the economic lifeline of countries such as Saudi Arabia, ​the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

It would introduce a permanent layer of political risk for both Gulf producers and their customers by giving Tehran disproportionate influence over which ships can transit and when.

Iran could, for example, ban Israeli-owned vessels outright, slow Saudi shipments to apply pressure on Riyadh, or use delays as leverage in unrelated diplomatic disputes.

The region’s leading exporters — all close US allies that absorbed heavy economic and infrastructure damage during Iranian attacks — would be deeply reluctant to see Tehran wield such power over their most critical trade artery.

For Asian buyers, the implications would be ​severe.

China, Japan, South Korea and India rely heavily on Gulf supplies, and even modest, unpredictable disruptions would ripple rapidly through refining margins, spot liquefied natural gas prices and inflation expectations.

The extent of the damage would depend partly on which vessels Iran ​permits to transit and on what terms — ships heading to Iranian-friendly nations such as China, India, Iraq and Pakistan may face fewer restrictions, though the rules of passage remain deeply unclear.

Higher costs

Financially, the toll itself could prove significant.

Reports suggest the fee could be as high as $2 ‌million per transit, ⁠roughly equal to the total cost of chartering a very large crude carrier from the Middle East to China for an entire voyage in 2025.

Beyond the toll, elevated security risks would push insurance premiums higher for tankers and LNG carriers entering the Gulf, further inflating transportation costs.

War-risk premia, already volatile during the conflict, would likely persist as a structural feature of the market.

Some vessels could attempt to hug Oman’s coastline while transiting Hormuz.

But that would severely constrain overall traffic volumes and would still leave ships within range of Iranian missiles, drones and fast-attack craft.

Alternative routes

These risks, compounded by the broader uncertainty of relations with Iran, mean Saudi Arabia and the UAE are likely to maintain alternative oil export routes used during the conflict for ​many months, if not years.

State oil giant Saudi Aramco began pumping large volumes ​of crude through its East-West pipeline to the Red ⁠Sea port of Yanbu shortly after the war broke out on February 28, activating contingency plans developed precisely for such a crisis.

The pipeline can carry 7 million barrels per day, of which around 5 million bpd are available for export, with the rest feeding domestic refineries.

Saudi Arabia shipped an average of about 3.3 million bpd from west-coast ports in March, nearly half of its ​2025 export volume, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.

Yet even these alternatives have proven vulnerable.

The East–West pipeline was hit in an Iranian attack just hours after the ceasefire was ​announced, an industry source told Reuters, ⁠with flows expected to be affected.

The UAE likewise diverted additional volumes via its pipeline to the Fujairah oil terminal outside the Gulf. Exports from Fujairah rose to 1.6 million bpd in March from an average of about 1.1 million bpd in 2025, according to Kpler.

These routes will remain indispensable, offering producers and buyers a partial hedge against Hormuz risk, but not a complete solution given their limited capacity and exposure to broader regional tensions.

Even if a full toll system never materialises, the mere prospect of Iranian oversight has already ⁠altered risk perceptions.

Iranian ​control over the strait would grant Tehran disproportionate power over the region’s economic lifeline — one Saudi Arabia and its allies would be certain to resist, ​diplomatically or otherwise.

The ceasefire may be holding for now, but for Gulf oil and gas exporters, the battle over Hormuz is just beginning.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday ​he believes that some NATO ‌countries were tested and failed amid Washington’s criticism over European allies not ​getting involved in the US ​and Israel’s war against Iran.

Rutte’s comments ⁠came after a meeting with ​US President Donald Trump at the ​White House earlier in the day.

During an interview with CNN, the NATO chief ​was asked if he believed ​NATO countries had been tested and failed.

“Some of them ‌, yes, ⁠but a large majority of European countries, and that’s what we discussed today, have done what ​they promised ​before ⁠in a case like this,” he told CNN.

Rutte said ​he had a “frank and open” discussion with ​Trump, ⁠where the Republican expressed disappointment with America’s allies.

He said he pointed ⁠out to ​Trump that European ​countries assisted with logistics and other commitments.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel ​Albares on Thursday accused Israel of violating ‌international law and a newly brokered two-week ceasefire in the Middle East by carrying out airstrikes ​on Lebanon on Wednesday.

Spain has ​emerged as one of the most vocal ⁠critics among Western nations of US ​and Israeli actions in Iran and Lebanon, ​closing its airspace to any aircraft involved in a conflict Madrid has called reckless and illegal.

“Yesterday we ​saw how Israel, flouting the ceasefire ​and in violation of international law, dropped hundreds of ‌bombs ⁠on Lebanon,” Albares told lawmakers in the lower house.

Earlier on Thursday, Albares announced that Spain would reopen its embassy in Tehran ​in hopes ​of achieving ⁠peace in the region.

“I’ve instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return, ​to take up his post again ​and ⁠reopen our embassy, and for us to join in this effort for peace from ⁠every ​possible quarter, including from ​the Iranian capital itself,” Albares told reporters.

US lawmakers will try again next week to pass a resolution to halt the Iran war and force President Donald Trump to obtain ​Congress’ approval for any further attacks, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said ‌on Wednesday, hours after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.

“Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous moment,” Schumer told a press conference at his office in New York.

Trump agreed to the ceasefire ​on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to ​reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its ⁠civilian infrastructure.

Trump’s threat that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” prompted global concern and ​censure from Democrats, dozens of whom called for Trump’s removal from office. The 1949 Geneva ​Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.

Schumer called Trump’s statements “unhinged” and criticised the war for failing to weaken Iran’s government or rein in its nuclear ​program, while global fuel prices have risen.

Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. The ​Trump administration has sought to portray the war as a decisive victory, although the top US general ‌said ⁠US troops stood ready to resume fighting.

The White House says Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations.

Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have tried and repeatedly failed in recent months ​to pass war ​powers resolutions to force ⁠Trump to obtain lawmakers’ authorisation before launching military operations.

Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress - who hold slim majorities in both the Senate ​and House - have almost unanimously backed his policies. Although the ​US Constitution ⁠says that Congress, not the president, can declare war, that restriction does not apply to short-term operations or if the country faces an immediate threat.

Separately, the Democratic leader in the ⁠House, ​New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, said the House should ​also vote on a resolution to curb the war on Iran. “We need a permanent end to Donald ​Trump’s reckless war of choice,” Jeffries said on CNN.

US lawmakers will try again next week to pass a resolution to halt the Iran war and force President Donald Trump to obtain ​Congress’ approval for any further attacks, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said ‌on Wednesday, hours after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire.

“Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous moment,” Schumer told a press conference at his office in New York.

Trump agreed to the ceasefire ​on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to ​reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its ⁠civilian infrastructure.

Trump’s threat that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” prompted global concern and ​censure from Democrats, dozens of whom called for Trump’s removal from office.

The 1949 Geneva ​Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.

Schumer called Trump’s statements “unhinged” and criticised the war for failing to weaken Iran’s government or rein in its nuclear ​programme, while global fuel prices have risen.

Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.

The ​Trump administration has sought to portray the war as a decisive victory, although the top US general ‌said ⁠US troops stood ready to resume fighting.

The White House says Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations.

Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives have tried and repeatedly failed in recent months ​to pass war ​powers resolutions to force ⁠Trump to obtain lawmakers’ authorisation before launching military operations.

Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress — who hold slim majorities in both the Senate ​and House — have almost unanimously backed his policies.

Although the ​US Constitution ⁠says that Congress, not the president, can declare war, that restriction does not apply for short-term operations or if the country faces an immediate threat.

Separately, the Democratic leader in the ⁠House, ​New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, said the House should ​also vote on a resolution to curb the war on Iran.

“We need a permanent end to Donald ​Trump’s reckless war of choice,” Jeffries said on CNN.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar spoke with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the latest regional developments.

During the conversation that took place on Wednesday night, both leaders expressed deep concern over ceasefire violations in Lebanon and stressed the urgent need for full respect and implementation of the ceasefire to ensure lasting peace and stability.

The deputy prime minister appreciated Saudi Arabia’s continued support for Pakistan’s efforts toward achieving lasting peace.

Both leaders also agreed to remain in close contact.

An Iranian delegation will arrive in Islamabad tonight at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to hold high-stakes negotiations with the US, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam said on Thursday.

Speaking on social media, Amiri Moghaddam said the talks will be based on Iran’s ten-point peace proposal.

The Iranian diplomat said the visit comes amid doubts among the Iranian public over Israel’s repeated violations of ceasefires, which are seen as attempts to sabotage diplomatic efforts.

“The Iranian delegation is committed to implementing this peace plan and strengthening relations with Pakistan while advancing the negotiation process,” he added.

The talks follow a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

Both countries will send delegations to Islamabad for direct discussions.

The United States announced that a senior three-member delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, will participate in the talks.

The delegation will also include President Donald Trump’s adviser, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the team’s mission is to advance ongoing diplomatic efforts in the region.

The first round of talks is scheduled for Saturday morning in Islamabad, where both sides will address key issues at the centre of the Iran-US conflict.

Ahead of the Iran-US peace negotiations hosted by Pakistan, security measures have been intensified across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The federal capital will host delegates from the United States and Iran who will meet following a two-week ceasefire in hostilities brokered by Pakistan.

As part of efforts to maintain security for the crucial meeting, search-and-comb operations have been launched in five districts, including key areas such as Sabzi Mandi, Faizabad, Tarnol, Shehzad Town, Hamak, and Karachi Company in Islamabad, and Pirwadhai, Noor Khan Airbase, Haji Camp, Taxila, Murree, Jhelum, Chakwal, and Attock.

Teams from the police, Rangers, Counter-Terrorism Department, and intelligence agencies are operating under a coordinated framework to ensure heightened surveillance at major transit points, residential areas, and sensitive locations.

Intelligence-based screening, verification of residential records, and monitoring of entry and exit routes have been accelerated.

Officials said these measures are being implemented in phases to ensure public safety, and citizens have been urged to cooperate with the authorities.

Special traffic plan

Authorities in the federal capital have implemented a special traffic management plan in view of the arrival of foreign delegations.

According to the traffic police, vehicles coming from Peshawar to Rawalpindi should use the Taxila Motorway, Chakri-Chak Beli Road, and Rawat, while those travelling from Lahore to Peshawar have been advised to use Rawat, Chak Beli Road, and the Taxila Motorway.

Motorists travelling from Margalla Road to Rawalpindi have been directed to take Ninth Avenue, while vehicles coming from Rawalpindi to Islamabad are advised to use Ninth Avenue via Murree Road.

Traffic heading from Faisal Avenue to Zero Point will be diverted towards Ninth Avenue, and the Expressway from Zero Point to Coral Chowk will remain closed in both directions.

The official said entry of all types of heavy traffic into Islamabad would remain banned till April 10, while traffic to and from the Red Zone would remain completely restricted for the general public.

The district administration has also announced a two-day local holiday.

Schools and offices in Islamabad will remain closed on Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10, while essential services will continue to operate.

US President Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of withdrawing from NATO, raising fresh uncertainty over the future of the transatlantic alliance.

Speaking at a White House briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticised NATO’s response to the recent US and Israeli war with Iran, describing it as a “test” the alliance had failed.

She said member states had declined to provide direct military support beyond defensive measures, Al Jazeera reported.

“They were tested, and they failed,” Leavitt said, quoting Trump.

She added that it was “quite sad that NATO turned its back on the American people”, who she said had long funded the alliance’s defence.

Her remarks came shortly before Trump met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House. Leavitt said the president was preparing for a “frank and candid conversation”.

After the meeting, Rutte described the talks as “frank and open” in an interview with CNN.

While acknowledging US frustration, he said NATO allies had provided support through logistics and access to military bases.

Asked whether Trump had raised withdrawing from NATO or reducing support, Rutte said there was “a disappointment” but noted the US president had listened to his arguments.

He also reiterated his support for Trump’s leadership.

Trump has long had a strained relationship with NATO, alternating between criticism and reassurances of US commitment.

Since returning to office in 2025, he has renewed pressure on European allies to increase defence spending.

At the 2025 NATO summit, members agreed to nonbinding targets to raise defence budgets to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, though tensions persisted, including disputes with Spain over exemptions.

Relations were further strained by Trump’s past threats to take control of Greenland, which he argued was vital to US security, drawing strong opposition from European leaders.

Following the launch of the US-Israeli war against Iran in February, Trump also criticised European allies for not contributing more actively to the campaign.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the administration is now considering reducing its military footprint in Europe, including the possible closure of bases or troop withdrawals from countries such as Spain and Germany.

When asked whether the US could leave NATO, Leavitt said the option had been discussed and could be addressed following Trump’s talks with Rutte.

Rutte, who has met Trump multiple times during his second term, has previously warned that NATO “will not work” without US support.

Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, which suggested it would be “unreasonable” to ‌proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the United States.

The warning from Iran’s lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, laid bare the continued volatility in the region following Tuesday’s ceasefire announcement by President Donald Trump.

The two sides have laid out sharply contrasting agendas for peace talks set to start on Saturday, but it was unclear whether the two-week ceasefire would hold until then.

Qalibaf said Israel had already violated several conditions of that ceasefire by ramping up its parallel war against the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah, while the ​US had violated the agreement by insisting that Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions.

“In such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations were unreasonable,” he said in a statement.

Israel and the United States both said the ​two-week ceasefire did not cover Lebanon, and radical Israeli regime leader Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue.

“I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just ⁠didn’t,” US Vice President JD Vance, who will lead the US delegation, told reporters in Budapest.

The two sides appeared to be far apart on Iran’s nuclear programme as well — one of the factors that Trump cited as the ​basis for war.

Trump said Iran had agreed to stop enriching uranium, which can be turned into nuclear weapons, and the White House said Iran has indicated it would turn over its existing stocks.

“The United States will, working with Iran, ​dig up and remove all of the deeply buried … Nuclear ‘Dust,’” Trump said on social media.

Qalibaf, however, said it was allowed to continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire.

Though both the United States and Iran declared victory in a five-week-old war that has killed thousands, their core disputes remained unresolved.

Each side is sticking to competing demands for a deal that could shape the Middle East for generations.

Tehran’s newly demonstrated ability to cut off Gulf energy supplies through its grip on the strait, despite decades of massive US military investment in the ​region, shows how the conflict has already altered power dynamics in the Gulf.

Netanyahu said Israel had its “finger on the trigger” and was prepared to return to fighting at “any moment.”

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned “in the strongest possible terms” indiscriminate Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying in a statement on X that Lebanon “must be fully covered” by the ceasefire.

The Strait of Hormuz remained shut to vessels sailing without a permit and shippers said they needed more clarity before resuming transit.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy posted a map showing alternative shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz to help ​ships avoid naval mines, the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA said.

In a flurry of online posts, Trump announced new tariffs of 50% on all goods from any country ​that supplies arms to Iran, though ⁠he lacks the authority to do so.

Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday, following a two-week US-Iran ceasefire.

The strikes ​raised questions about regional truce efforts, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian saying a ceasefire in Lebanon was an essential condition of his country’s agreement with the US.

On Wednesday afternoon, at least five consecutive strikes rocked the capital ‌Beirut, sending columns of smoke into the sky as Israel’s military said it had launched the largest coordinated strike of the war.

More than 100 Hezbollah command centres and military sites were targeted in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon within ten minutes, it said.

A total of 254 people were killed and over 1,100 wounded across Lebanon, the country’s civil defence service said.

The highest toll was in Beirut, where 91 people were killed. The health ministry gave a toll of 182 dead across the country and said it was not a final figure.

Hezbollah said early on Thursday it fired rockets at the small kibbutz of Manara, ​citing what it described as Israel’s ceasefire violations.

“This response will continue until the Israeli-American aggression against our country and our people ceases,” the group said in a statement.

It was the deadliest day of the war that erupted on March 2 when Israel launched a fully fledged air and ground campaign.

Reuters reporters saw civil defence workers ⁠guiding an older woman onto a crane to evacuate her from a building in a western part of Beirut.

Half of the building had been sheared off in an Israeli strike, leaving residents on the upper floors trapped.

Earlier, Reuters reporters saw people on motorcycles ​picking up the wounded and transporting them to hospitals because there were not enough ambulances to get to them in time.

One of Beirut’s biggest medical facilities said it needed donations of all blood types.

“The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing ​short of horrific,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk.

“Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief.”

Late on Wednesday evening, a strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to a Reuters live broadcast.

Lebanon not included in truce: Israel, US

In a televised address on Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire with Iran and the Israeli military was continuing to strike Hezbollah with force.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Vice President JD Vance also said on Wednesday that Lebanon was not included in the truce.

“I think this comes from ​a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t,” Vance told reporters in Budapest.

Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key intermediary in the US-Iran ceasefire talks, had said the truce would include Lebanon.

In a statement, Hezbollah ​condemned Israel’s “barbaric aggression” and said the attacks underscored its right to respond.

Hezbollah had stopped attacking Israeli targets early on Wednesday, three Lebanese sources close to the group told Reuters.

“Hezbollah was informed that it is part of the ceasefire – so we abided by it, but Israel ‌, as usual, has ⁠violated it and committed massacres all across Lebanon,” senior Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Al Moussawi told Reuters.

Another Hezbollah lawmaker, Hassan Fadlallah, told Reuters there would be “repercussions for the entire agreement” if Israel’s attacks continued.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned the US and Israel that it would deliver a “regret-inducing response” if attacks on Lebanon did not stop.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Wednesday’s strikes and said French President Emmanuel Macron had told him he was ready to make a diplomatic push for Lebanon to be included in any ceasefire.

A senior Lebanese official had earlier told Reuters that Lebanon had not taken part in correspondence leading up to the ceasefire.

A living nightmare

Most of Wednesday’s strikes were in civilian-populated areas, Israel’s military said.

Hours before the attacks, the military had issued warnings for some areas of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon. No such warning was ​given for central Beirut, which was also hit.

Following the strikes, Israeli ​military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that Hezbollah had ⁠moved out of its traditional stronghold in southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighbourhood to religiously mixed areas elsewhere.

He said Israel’s military would pursue Hezbollah wherever it was.

The Israeli military claimed it attacked a Hezbollah commander in Beirut, without providing further details.

In a western neighbourhood of Beirut that was hit by a strike, Naim Chebbo, 51, swept up shards of glass that had been blown out of the window ​frames by the force of the blast.

“Tonight I’m not going to sleep because I’m going to be afraid that it’s happening again. I’m living a nightmare,” he told Reuters.

‘Lebanon cannot take it anymore’

Israel also struck the last remaining ⁠bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country on Wednesday, a senior Lebanese security source said.

The bridge ran over the Litani River, which runs about 30 kilometres north of the border with Israel.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the area south of the Litani was “disconnected from Lebanon.”

Israel has said it intends to occupy the area as a “buffer zone.”

It has struck hospitals and power stations there, and thousands of Lebanese civilians still living there say they have been struggling with a shortage of food and medicine.

Israel has issued evacuation orders covering around 15% of ⁠Lebanese territory, mostly ​in the south and in the suburbs south of Beirut. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

Many had hoped a ceasefire could allow them to return.

Outside ​a school sheltering displaced people in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, people had piled their pillows and blankets onto cars, thinking they could return home.

Before Wednesday’s attacks, more than 1,500 had been killed in Israel’s air and ground campaign across Lebanon, including more than 130 children.

“Hopefully, a ceasefire will be reached,” said Ahmed Harm, ​a 54-year-old man displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs. “Lebanon can’t take it anymore.”

US President Donald Trump will continue to discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the idea of including Lebanon in an Iran war ceasefire deal, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

“This will continue to be discussed, I am sure, between the president and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, the United States and Israel and all of the parties involved,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

The US-Iran truce does not include Lebanon, which was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.

Hormuz closure ‘unacceptable’

Leavitt said that Iran must open the Strait of Hormuz “immediately, quickly and safely” after reports that the strategic waterway was shut despite the US-Iran ceasefire.

Any closure “is completely unacceptable,” Leavitt told reporters.

“I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely.”

NATO ‘turned their backs’ on US over Iran

NATO has “turned their backs” on the United States, the White House said, just as the alliance’s secretary-general was set to meet with US President Donald Trump.

Leavitt said that Trump would discuss the possibility of leaving the alliance in those talks with Mark Rutte.

“It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defence,” Leavitt said.

When asked if Trump would discuss a possible withdrawal from NATO, Leavitt said: “It’s something the president has discussed, and I think it’s something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary-General Rutte.”

“Perhaps you’ll hear directly from the president following that meeting,” she added.