White House Says Lebanon Not Part of Ceasefire Deal with Iran

JAKARTA - A White House spokesman on Wednesday said Lebanon was not included in a new two-week ceasefire deal brokered with Iran, as Israel carried out a massive bombing of its northern neighbor.

"Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. This has been conveyed to all parties involved in it," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, launching Anadolu (9/4).

Leavitt said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "assured" US President Donald Trump that Israel would "continue to be a helpful partner over the next two weeks."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier warned on Wednesday that the Uncle Sam must choose between a ceasefire and "continued war through Israel," saying Washington "cannot have both."

"The world is watching the massacre in Lebanon. The ball is in the US's hands, and the world is watching whether the US will act in accordance with its commitments," tweeted Foreign Minister Araghchi.

Citing an unnamed source informed, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency earlier reported that Tehran would withdraw from the ceasefire with the US if Israel continued to violate it through attacks on Lebanon.

As previously reported, Israel launched an attack on Lebanon hours after a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran was announced. Israel said Lebanon was not included in the deal.

The bombing came after Israel said it backed US President Donald Trump's decision to declare a ceasefire, but not in Lebanon.

The Israeli military (IDF) which resumed its attacks on Lebanon on March 2, attacked Lebanon on Wednesday under the pretext of targeting the Hezbollah group.

"The terrorist activity of Hezbollah forces the IDF to act decisively against it. The IDF does not intend to harm you. For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your home," said IDF spokesman Avichaya Adraee, quoted by The Telegraph.

The Lebanese Civil Defense said Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday killed 254 people, while health officials said another 837 were wounded, The National reported.

Meanwhile, dozens of people are still trapped under the rubble as civil defense teams try to find survivors from one of Israel's biggest waves of attacks in the country and its capital.