Lebanon has declared a national day of mourning following a brutal wave of Israeli attacks that claimed the lives of at least 254 people and injured over 1,165 in a single day. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has pledged to mobilize \u201call of Lebanon\u2019s political and diplomatic resources to stop the Israeli killing machine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The situation is complicated by conflicting statements regarding a recent ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Lebanon is not part of this truce, a position echoed by US Vice President JD Vance, who stated, \u201cWe never made that promise.\u201d However, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator in the ceasefire alongside his country’s army chief, maintained that the agreement did cover a pause in fighting in Lebanon. Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cited Sharif, insisting the \u201cterms are clear\u201d and warning Washington to choose between a ceasefire or \u201ccontinued war via Israel,\u201d adding, \u201cit cannot have both.\u201d<\/p>\n
**Developments in Iran:**
\nIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon is a crucial condition of Iran\u2019s 10-point plan for ending the Middle East war. Iran\u2019s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is expected to lead talks with the US in Islamabad, declared that a ceasefire and negotiations were \u201cunreasonable\u201d due to alleged violations of Tehran\u2019s truce plan, including ongoing attacks in Lebanon and a drone entering Iranian airspace. Meanwhile, the head of Iran\u2019s nuclear energy agency dismissed demands by the US and Israel for restrictions on uranium enrichment, stating they \u201cwill not come true.\u201d Thousands of Iranians also rallied to honor former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war in a US-Israeli attack on February 28.<\/p>\n
**War Diplomacy:**
\nUS Vice President JD Vance is set to lead the American delegation for talks with Iran in Pakistan this Saturday, joined by chief envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, despite Iran’s expressed distrust of the latter two. The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have voiced outrage over Israel\u2019s attacks on Lebanon, with Turk calling the scale of killing \u201cnothing short of horrific\u201d and defying belief so soon after a ceasefire agreement. French President Emmanuel Macron has urged US, Iranian, and Iraqi leaders to include Lebanon in the ceasefire as the \u201cbest path to peace.\u201d In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had ordered his cabinet to open direct talks with Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and establish \u201cpeace relations.\u201d However, a senior Lebanese official indicated that Lebanon seeks a ceasefire before engaging in talks with Israel. US President Donald Trump has also criticized NATO allies for their perceived lack of direct military support during the US-Israel war on Iran, framing the conflict as a \u201cfailed test\u201d for the alliance.<\/p>\n
**Impact in the Gulf:**
\nThe conflict has reverberated across the Gulf, with Kuwait reporting \u201csevere material damage\u201d and fires at key oil facilities and power stations following a drone attack. In Abu Dhabi, three people were injured, and operations at the Habshan gas complex were temporarily suspended due to fires ignited by debris from an intercepted strike. Qatari defenses successfully shot down seven missiles and drones launched from Iran. Saudi Arabia also faced targets, including a major pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, while Bahrain reported incoming projectiles. The UAE is seeking urgent clarification on the US-Iran ceasefire terms, warning that ambiguity risks prolonging regional instability.<\/p>\n
**Developments in the US:**
\nIn Washington, DC, Al Jazeera reported \u201cdeep confusion\u201d within the US administration regarding the specifics of Trump’s agreement, with conflicting claims about Iran\u2019s 10-point plan and Lebanon\u2019s inclusion, leading to significant uncertainty over the deal’s scope. Both US Vice President JD Vance and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the agreement entirely excludes Lebanon. Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators gathered in New York’s Times Square after the ceasefire announcement, demanding a permanent end to the US-Israel war on Iran and an immediate halt to the bombing of Lebanon. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran\u2019s last shah, dismissed Trump\u2019s claim of a \u201cvery productive regime change,\u201d stating that while the leadership might be weakened, it remains \u201cthe same people.\u201d In Congress, Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to curb Trump\u2019s authority to wage war in Iran, amidst growing frustration over his handling of the conflict.<\/p>\n
**In Israel:**
\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed Israel’s readiness to \u201creturn to battle\u201d if necessary, despite the ceasefire. He stated, \u201cWe still have objectives to complete, and we will achieve them, either through agreement or through renewed fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n
**In Lebanon and Iraq:**
\nThe recent Israeli air raids marked the deadliest day of bombing in Lebanon during the current war, with at least 254 fatalities in a single day. Authorities have ordered a national day of mourning, closing public institutions and lowering flags as the country grapples with the aftermath. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and French President Macron condemned the strikes on Lebanon as \u201cpainful attacks,\u201d emphasizing the urgent need to halt violence and protect civilians. Lebanon\u2019s cabinet has instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions. In Iraq, al-Sudani confirmed the arrest of suspects responsible for a drone attack near Erbil that killed a French military officer.<\/p>\n
**Global Economic Impact:**
\nThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva announced that the IMF would lower global growth forecasts due to the war, warning of its \u201cscarring effects\u201d despite the fragile ceasefire. Oil prices jumped, and most stock markets fell as investors assessed the prospects of a shaky truce and only a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
#IranWar #LebanonCrisis #MiddleEastConflict #CeasefireConfusion #RegionalTensions #DiplomacyEfforts #GlobalImpact #IsraelAttacks #WarEconomy #Geopolitics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lebanon has declared a national day of mourning following a brutal wave of Israeli attacks that claimed the lives of at least 254 people and injured over 1,165 in a single day. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has pledged to mobilize \u201call of Lebanon\u2019s political and diplomatic resources to stop the Israeli killing machine.\u201d The situation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}