Lebanon: The Hole in the Ceasefire
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it plainly: “Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.”
Iran and Hezbollah say otherwise. The UK’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called Israel’s ongoing strikes “deeply damaging” and said Lebanon must be included or the whole region destabilizes. Israel launched its largest Hezbollah strike yet the same day the US-Iran truce was announced — hitting around 100 targets including weapons crossing points north and south of the Litani River, storage facilities, and command centers.
The IDF also issued broad evacuation orders for multiple Beirut neighborhoods, including areas not previously targeted. Lebanon declared a national day of mourning after more than 250 people were killed in one of the deadliest waves of strikes since the conflict escalated.
Iran’s position is that Lebanon and the “Resistance Axis” are inseparable from any deal. Israel’s position is that it never agreed to stop hitting Hezbollah. The US position appears to be: keep both parties talking while not telling either one they’re wrong.
That is not a strategy. It’s delay.