Israel's Attack on Lebanon Is a Grave Violation of the Ceasefire

JAKARTA - The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran confirmed that Israel's attack on Lebanon was a "grave violation" of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh accused Israel of carrying out a "sudden attack" on Lebanon during a two-week pause in US President Donald Trump's bombing campaign.

"It was a gross violation, a deliberate violation of the ceasefire," Khatibzadeh said in an interview with the BBC, reported by The National (9/4).

"You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept the terms and conditions, accept the areas where the ceasefire is imposed, and call Lebanon in it and then your allies start the massacre," he said.

Khatibzadeh added that the US "must choose between war and ceasefire" and stressed that there must be "security for all, or security for no one".

"If President Trump, as he tweeted, is interested in peace for the entire Middle East, and because Iran is committed to it, we ask everyone in the Middle East to abide by the agreements and ceasefires we have reached with America, and we expect America to do the same with its allies, the Israeli regime," Khatibzadeh said.

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.

Previously, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian revealed that ending Israel's attacks on Lebanon was one of the conditions set by Tehran for the ceasefire agreement reached with Washington.

According to Iranian media, President Pezeshkian made the statement in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, following the announcement of the Iran-US ceasefire.

He said stopping Israel's attacks on Lebanon was among 10 conditions attached to the agreement with Washington, quoted by Anadolu.

The Iranian president said Tehran had acted responsibly by accepting the ceasefire proposal and had shown its readiness to achieve peace and stability in the region.

While Iranian and Pakistani officials said the agreement also covered Lebanon, Israel insisted that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire.