Iran says US ceasefire covers Lebanon, warns violation anywhere breaks truce

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Monday that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States applies to “all fronts, including Lebanon,” and that any violation on one front would be considered a breach of the entire truce. “For immediate attention: The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” Araghchi wrote on X. He added: “The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.” The statement came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned that Tehran would not hesitate to help Lebanon resist Israel’s “illegal aggression.”

Israeli escalation in Beirut

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army on Monday to carry out airstrikes in Beirut, marking a renewed escalation despite a US-mediated ceasefire that has been in place since April 17. The Lebanese capital has been largely spared since the truce began, but Israeli forces have continued daily strikes on southern Lebanon. The Beirut airstrikes represent a significant widening of the conflict. Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, prompting Iranian retaliation and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Ceasefire context

A broader US-Iran ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. President Trump later extended the truce indefinitely. Iran’s warning that the ceasefire is indivisible suggests that Tehran could respond to Israeli strikes on Lebanon by resuming attacks on US or Israeli targets.