New Delhi: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country supports the US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend attacks against Iran
for two weeks but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. This remark was then also announced by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on the same day.
What does Netanyahu say?
According to the statement, 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.
It also said that Israel 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 United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, shared by the US, Israel and Israel’s regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations.
What was important to note though is that the announcement also read that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon. This goes against the 10-pointer agreement that has been reached by Iran and the US.
War front in Lebanon
During the current US–Israel war with Iran, Lebanon was effectively opened as a second front when Iran-backed Hezbollah entered the conflict in support of Tehran, launching rockets and drone attacks into northern Israel soon after the initial strikes on Iran.
Israel responded by dramatically expanding its military campaign northward. It carried out sustained airstrikes across Lebanese territory and later widened operations to target Hezbollah infrastructure, commanders, and launch sites. It argued this was necessary to neutralise Iran’s proxy network on its borders. Israel continued striking Hezbollah positions throughout Lebanon even while fighting Iran directly, and the bilateral war turned into a multi-front regional conflict.
