Netanyahu stated that the ceasefire between the US and Iran does not extend to Lebanon

In a statement released on Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel supports US President Donald Trump’s efforts to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile or terrorist threat to the US, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbours and the world. At the same time, he emphasised that the two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

This statement came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that an agreement had been reached between the US, Iran and their allies on an immediate ceasefire, which, he said, was also to extend to Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the war after the Iran-linked group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on 2 March. The group stated that it was acting in response to Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 28 February, as well as to regular violations of the ceasefire agreed in Lebanon in November 2024.

This ceasefire was reached after more than a year of shelling between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, which began following the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023. According to Lebanese authorities, since 2 March, more than 1,500 people have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks, and over 1.2 million have been forced to flee their homes. Israeli troops have also launched an offensive in southern Lebanon with the aim of establishing a buffer zone.

There has been no official reaction from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government to Netanyahu’s statement as yet.

Reports indicate that fighting in southern Lebanon is continuing. In particular, Israeli forces have struck the town of Srifa in the Tyre area, as well as a vehicle in Sadikine. There are reports of injuries as a result of the attacks.