Does US-Iran Ceasefire Extend to Lebanon? Israel, Pakistan Offer Contradictory Claims

Last Updated:April 08, 2026, 11:26 IST

Israel and Pakistan have issued contradictory statements on whether the US-brokered Iran ceasefire extends to Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon, exposing differences over the truce.

Israel and Pakistan have issued conflicting statements over the scope of the US-brokered two-week ceasefire with Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying the deal does not extend to Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as Pakistan maintains the agreement applies “everywhere," including the Lebanese front.

Israel supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks as part of efforts to de-escalate the conflict and open a diplomatic window.

However, Netanyahu’s office clarified that the ceasefire applies only to hostilities involving Iran and does not cover fighting against Hezbollah.

Pakistan, which played a mediating role in the agreement, has presented a different interpretation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X that the ceasefire extends to Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, suggesting the pause in hostilities should apply across multiple theatres of the widening regional conflict.

AFP also reported Sharif as saying the ceasefire applied “everywhere," including Lebanon, though Israel later stated the arrangement did not apply to that country, where Israeli forces continue aerial and ground operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

ISRAEL CONDITIONS SUPPORT ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ REOPENING

Israel’s backing of the US ceasefire is contingent on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks against the United States, Israel and other countries in the region, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu’s office said Israel supported Washington’s efforts to ensure Iran no longer posed a nuclear, missile or “terror" threat to the United States, Israel or Iran’s Arab neighbours.

The statement added that the US had reassured Israel that it remained committed to achieving shared strategic objectives during upcoming negotiations.

Iran confirmed that talks with the United States are scheduled to begin on Friday, April 10, in Islamabad, further underlining Pakistan’s central diplomatic role in attempting to de-escalate the conflict.

Trump described the agreement as a “double sided CEASEFIRE!" on Truth Social, saying the United States had already met and exceeded its military objectives and was progressing toward a long-term peace arrangement with Iran.

LEBANON REMAINS FLASHPOINT AS FIGHTING CONTINUES

The disagreement over the scope of the ceasefire comes as fighting continues in Lebanon, which has been drawn deeper into the conflict following Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel in solidarity with Tehran.

Reuters reported that Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed at least 1,500 people and displaced around 1.2 million.

Lebanon was pulled into the war after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel two days after Iran was attacked by Israel and the United States, prompting Israel to launch a ground and air offensive targeting Hezbollah positions.

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported continued Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including artillery shelling and a dawn air strike on a building near a hospital that killed four people.

It also reported attacks on several towns and a medical point that caused injuries.

Israel’s position that the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon highlights the complex multi-front nature of the conflict, even as diplomatic efforts seek to halt hostilities involving Iran.

CEASEFIRE EMERGES AFTER ESCALATING REGIONAL WAR

The war began on February 28 when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader, triggering retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Israel and Gulf nations.

Trump agreed to the two-week ceasefire less than two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The waterway typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments, making it strategically critical to global energy markets.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Tehran would cease counter-attacks and allow safe passage through the strait if attacks against Iran stopped.

The war, now in its sixth week, has claimed more than 5,000 lives across nearly a dozen countries, including more than 1,600 civilians in Iran, according to tallies cited by Reuters.

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