Keypoints
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally clarified that Israel’s support for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran does not extend to the conflict in Lebanon.
- The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a statement early Wednesday supporting President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes on Iran, contingent on the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Despite claims from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of a regional “ceasefire everywhere,” Israel continued military operations against Hezbollah on Wednesday morning.
- The IDF issued fresh evacuation orders for residents in Tyre and other southern Lebanese districts, signaling an expansion of ground and air maneuvers.
Main Story
The fragile regional truce brokered by President Donald Trump was met with immediate caveats from Jerusalem on Wednesday. While the White House and Pakistani mediators celebrated a comprehensive ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that the “double-sided” deal is strictly between the U.S.-Israel coalition and the Iranian mainland.
Netanyahu emphasized that the 14-day pause is subject to Iran’s total cessation of attacks and the guaranteed reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the Prime Minister explicitly decoupled the Iranian ceasefire from the ongoing 2026 Lebanon War. This stance directly contradicts Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who announced on X that the truce included Lebanon and all other fronts.
Within hours of the 0000 GMT deadline passing, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and issued urgent evacuation warnings for the coastal city of Tyre.
Netanyahu’s office stressed that Israel remains committed to ensuring Iran and its proxies no longer pose a “terror threat,” and that the upcoming negotiations in Islamabad must address these broader security goals.
The Issues
The primary issue is the “disconnect” between the diplomatic expectations of the U.S. and Pakistan and the tactical reality on the ground in Lebanon. While Hezbollah has reportedly observed a quiet period in missile launches since the ceasefire took effect, Israel views the current moment as an opportunity to secure its northern border while Iran’s direct support is temporarily neutralized by the truce. Domestic pressure is also mounting on Netanyahu; Israeli opposition leaders, including Yair Lapid, have labeled the U.S.-Iran deal a “political disaster,” arguing that it leaves Israel’s northern communities vulnerable if the Lebanon front is not permanently resolved.
What’s Being Said
- “The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” stated the Prime Minister’s Office in an English-language release early Wednesday.
- PM Shehbaz Sharif had previously written that “allies had agreed to an ‘immediate ceasefire everywhere,’ including in Lebanon.”
- Yair Lapid, Israeli Opposition Leader, called the deal a failure, stating, “There has never been such a political disaster in all our history.”
- U.S. President Donald Trump described the ceasefire on Truth Social as a “big day for world peace,” without initially addressing the specific status of the Lebanon front.
What’s Next
- The IDF is expected to maintain its high-intensity operations in southern Lebanon to weaken Hezbollah’s infrastructure before the Islamabad negotiations conclude.
- Pakistani mediators are likely to face pressure from Tehran to ensure that “cessation of hostilities” includes its primary proxy, Hezbollah.
- High-level delegations meeting in Islamabad on Friday, April 10, will have to navigate this “dual-track” conflict where the war with Iran is paused, but the war in Lebanon remains active.
Bottom Line
Netanyahu’s insistence that “the ceasefire does not include Lebanon” underscores a major fault line in the Trump-brokered deal, setting the stage for a complex diplomatic showdown in Islamabad where the definition of “regional peace” will be the primary point of contention.
