As the world braces for a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, the situation in Lebanon remains critical and unclear. The Israeli military carried out further airstrikes on the city of Sur on Wednesday morning, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly declaring that the ceasefire agreement does not apply to Lebanese territory.
The Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning. Israeli army spokesman Avichaj Adrai, in a post on the X social network before the strikes, called on the residents of the city of Sur to evacuate immediately, while also publishing a map with a targeted target. This was reported by The Times of Israel (TOI) news website.
- The Israeli army carried out several attacks in the south of Lebanon in the morning.
- Army spokesman Avichaj Adrai called on the residents of Sur to evacuate immediately.
- Adrai and Netanyahu claim that the two-week ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon.
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif insists on the validity of the ceasefire for the entire region.
- Hezbollah has not reported any attacks since the ceasefire began.
Disputed ceasefire in Lebanon
Adrai added that the two-week truce between the US and Iran does not apply to Lebanon, which was also announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the agreement on Wednesday night.
However, these statements of theirs contradict the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who acts as a mediator in the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran, and according to which the ceasefire applies to all areas in the Middle East, including Lebanon.
According to Lebanon, Hezbollah respects the ceasefire
Lebanon’s state agency NNA reported that the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah is respecting the ceasefire – it has not announced any attacks against Israel since around 01:00 local time, when it took effect.
News website L’Orient-Le Jour noted that Pakistan’s announcement of a ceasefire between Tehran and Washington brought hope for Lebanese displaced from areas in the south of the country hit by fighting with the Israeli army. However, given the uncertainty following Netanyahu’s announcement, the Lebanese army on Wednesday urged evacuees to “be careful when returning to villages and towns in southern Lebanon” and “avoid areas where Israeli forces are advancing,” especially near the border with Israel.
