Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Donald Trump's decision to temporarily halt attacks on Iran to pave the way for talks in Pakistan but insisted that military operations in Lebanon would continue, contradicting Pakistan's statement that the ceasefire covers all areas.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement via the X platform saying Israel supports U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend attacks on Iran for two weeks, provided Iran immediately opens the Strait and stops attacks against the U.S., Israel, and regional allies.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel agrees with the U.S. effort to ensure "Iran will no longer be a nuclear, missile, and terrorist threat to America, Israel, neighboring Arab countries, and the world," adding that the U.S. government has assured Israel it will achieve these goals in upcoming talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, this Friday.
However, a key point causing confusion is the scope of this ceasefire, as the Israeli leader's statement clearly says, "The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon."
This stance completely contradicts the statement by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who, as the mediator, previously announced that the U.S., Iran, and their allies "have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere," effective immediately.
The situation in Lebanon remains critical after Israel launched heavy attacks in response to Hezbollah's rocket barrages into northern Israel following the assassination of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a joint operation by the U.S. and Israel. Lebanese authorities report that this war has caused over 1,400 deaths, including 126 children, and displaced more than one million people.
Israel's exclusion of Lebanon from the ceasefire reflects that regional tensions may not easily subside despite the major powers' negotiations with Iran. All eyes are on the Islamabad talks this Friday to see how definitively they will address ending the conflict along the Lebanon front.