Lebanon left out of U.S.-Iran ceasefire, Trump says

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 8 that Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, a statement that directly challenged Pakistan’s account of the deal. The clarification came after a major Israeli military assault on Lebanon that caused hundreds of casualties in densely populated areas, according to the account provided.

Trump described Israel’s military actions against Hezbollah as a “separate skirmish.” He indicated that Lebanon’s exclusion from the truce was linked to Hezbollah’s presence, drawing a line between the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and Israel’s operations in Lebanon.

The U.S. position contrasted with remarks from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said on Tuesday that Pakistan had mediated the truce and that the two-week arrangement applied across the entire region. In his description, Sharif explicitly included Lebanon as part of the ceasefire’s scope.

Additional accounts pointed to disagreement over what was negotiated. Israeli Channel 12 reported that Iran had pushed for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire, suggesting that Lebanon’s status was a point of contention in the discussions described by the various parties.

After Trump’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said attacks against Lebanon would continue. Hours later, Israel carried out one of its most intense attacks on Lebanon, with strikes reported against residential buildings, mosques, medical centers, vehicles, and cemeteries.

The reported escalation added to humanitarian and displacement pressures. The account said the fighting has forced over 1.2 million people to flee their homes, deepening an already severe crisis for civilians and local services.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam appealed to the international community to intervene to stop what he described as aggressions. He said Israel was disregarding international law, framing the situation as one requiring external action to prevent further harm.

Uncertainty remains over the precise geographic and operational boundaries of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire as described by different officials and reports. The competing claims from Washington, Islamabad, and Israeli media underscore that key elements of the truce’s scope—particularly regarding Lebanon—are being presented differently by the parties involved.