The paramedics could not make it
In addition, the medical system collapsed under the onslaught of victims within minutes. Paramedics and doctors described scenes of absolute hopelessness. British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah described how he had to operate on an 11-month-old baby with a severe head injury who was brought to hospital without his parents. According to him, the massive influx of wounded in such a short time was a strategic move aimed at crippling hospitals.
His colleague, former Lebanese Minister of Health Firass Abiad, was at a loss for words when describing the amputations, which mainly the elderly were subjected to. Similar scenes took place in the Rafík Harírí hospital. Safa Bleik of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) treated patients whose bodies were strewn with shrapnel and glass, while distraught relatives ran through the corridors with photographs of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, anger was mounting in Lebanon. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of war crimes and targeted killing of civilians. Similar emotions were also felt by the residents themselves, who were not supporters of Hezbollah until now. Many criticized Israel that now even ordinary Lebanese paradoxically have no choice but to turn to the radical Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel for a long time.
Trump’s threat of the end of civilization
The attack on Lebanon took place against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic diplomatic crises in modern history. Just a few hours before the first bombs fell on Beirut, Donald Trump made a statement that, according to many, crossed all lines.
For several weeks now, world markets have been on alert for the blocked Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass. Iran closed it in retaliation for a military campaign that began in late February and early March. The reaction of the US President Donald Trump did not take long, but it shocked in its form.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, just hours before the ultimatum to Tehran expired, Trump warned: “All civilization is going to die tonight and never come back.”
He added that the US military is ready to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran within four hours. This rhetoric was immediately supported by Vice President JD Vance, who spoke of the deployment of “tools in our arsenal that we have decided not to use until now.” This was interpreted by many as a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons, although the White House later denied this.
Truly unacceptable threats
These words caused an immediate worldwide response. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over statements that threaten to wipe out the civilian population. The newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the Catholic Church, called the threats against the Iranian people a threat and called for a return to the negotiating table.
Donald Trump’s rhetoric has raised a legal question – can the very threat on a social network be considered a war crime? According to former US war crimes ambassador Stephen Rapp, this is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit threats to terrorize the civilian population.
“Even if the threat is not fulfilled, it is still a crime,” he said, referring to cases from international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone.
Other experts, such as Professor Kevin Jon Heller of the University of Copenhagen, agree that this is a clear violation of the UN Charter and an attempt to spread terror, but point out that to be classified as a war crime, international courts usually require that the threat has real and serious consequences for civilians.
This controversy also ran into a specific American approach to international law. In the US constitutional system, domestic law prevails, and the US has historically rejected the jurisdiction of international courts over its own citizens. The White House insists the president acted within his constitutional powers to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
A fragile truce
Right before Trump’s ultimatum expired, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif intervened. As the main mediator, he negotiated an immediate, conditional two-week cessation of hostilities. While Tehran promised to allow and coordinate the safe passage of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US and Israel were to halt attacks on Iran in return.
However, the agreement was accompanied by absolute information chaos from the first minutes. Lebanon became a stumbling block, as the Pakistani prime minister declared after the attack that the ceasefire applies “everywhere, including Lebanon”.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the war with the Lebanese movement Hezbollah (which is supported by Iran) continues, and combat operations on the Lebanese front are not part of the agreement. Trump described the situation in Lebanon as a “separate skirmish,” while his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, officially confirmed that the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon.
Gasification of Lebanon
A few hours later, this chaos was reflected in the bombing of Beirut and other airstrikes in the south of the country. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Kac threatened to apply the “Gaza model”, that is, to raze entire cities to the ground and make it impossible for the 600,000 displaced Lebanese to return. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrič even proposed the annexation of southern Lebanon up to the Lítání River.
Iranian reactions were not long in coming. The head of diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called the Israeli attacks a violation of the terms of the ceasefire, and the Guards warned Israel of a “regrettable response” if they did not stop the massacres in Lebanon.
The contradictions also concern the very essence of the diplomatic agreement. While Trump talks about a path to imposing tariffs and limiting Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran is presenting its 10-point plan through leaks to the media. This includes the withdrawal of US troops from the region, the lifting of all sanctions, the release of frozen assets, the right to enrich uranium and full reparations for war damages financed by tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
An uncertain future
Now that a temporary truce has at least partially halted direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the focus is shifting to diplomats. Since Friday, April 10, direct negotiations have been underway in Islamabad under the auspices of Pakistan. The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance along with Ambassadors Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
However, experts are skeptical. According to analysts, it is only an attempt by both sides to declare their own victory. Professor of International Relations Fawaz Gerges has warned that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may try to torpedo the US-Iranian ceasefire by escalating in Lebanon in order to save his own political career.
Iran policy expert Danny Citrinowicz adds that until the Lebanon front is resolved, broader de-escalation efforts are doomed.
Photo of the week:
What else awaits us:
- Elections to the 199-member National Assembly will be held in Hungary on Sunday, April 12. It will be the tenth parliamentary election since the regime change in 1990. Polling stations are open from 06:00 to 19:00. We will follow developments around the Hungarian elections ONLINE and we will have reporters on site.
- In the capital of Pakistan, direct negotiations will take place between the representatives of the US and Iran to end the war. The American delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance, Iran’s Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Baker Kalibaf. The host of the negotiations is Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte continues his five-day visit to the USA. On April 10-12, he will take part in a meeting of the Bilderberg group.
- Poland will commemorate the 16th anniversary of the plane crash near the Russian city of Smolensk, which killed 96 people, including the then president Lech Kaczynski.
- The four-man Orion spacecraft, which orbited the moon as part of the Artemis 2 mission, will land in the Pacific Ocean at 8:07 p.m. EST (Saturday, 2:07 p.m.).
- In the war in Ukraine, a 32-hour truce covering the Orthodox Easter period, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will come into effect. It should start on April 11 at 15:00 and end on April 12 at 23:00 CEST.
- The Iraqi parliament should elect a new president from among 15 approved candidates. One of the favorites are the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuád Husayn, and Nizár Ámédí, the nominee of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
- The prayer for peace announced by Pope Leo XIV on Easter Sunday will take place in St. Peter’s Basilica.
- The 35th annual award ceremony of the Czech Music Academy Anděl will take place.
- The first round of the presidential election is being held in Peru. Voters will also decide on vice presidents and the composition of the 60-member Senate and the 130-member Chamber of Deputies. Polling stations are open from 07:00 to 17:00 local time.
- The Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico, is arriving for a three-day visit to Vietnam, to which he was invited by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
