Israel renewed its strikes in southern Lebanon and urged residents in parts of Beirut to evacuate on Wednesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the US-Iran truce does not extend to the war against Hezbollah.
Hours earlier, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, potentially suspending a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East and caused unprecedented disruption to the world’s energy supplies.
Both sides claimed victory as the truce was announced barely an hour before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to agree a deal or face obliteration.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the Iran conflict, said the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States applied “everywhere including Lebanon”.
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US and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire amid Pakistani mediation efforts
US and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire amid Pakistani mediation efforts
A Lebanese government official told dpa that Lebanon had so far not received any official communication regarding a ceasefire that includes the country, though Lebanese sources close to the Iran-backed Hezbollah told Reuters it had paused its attacks in line with the truce.