Israel has undermined a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran by launching airstrikes across Lebanon, prompting Iran to reclose the Strait of Hormuz hours after opening it under the terms of the temporary peace pact.
President Trump announced the ceasefire on social media, stating it would be a two-sided agreement contingent upon Iran’s safe and immediate reopening of the waterway. The White House confirmed that Vice President J.D. Vance will travel to Pakistan for peace talks this weekend.
Israeli military operations targeted over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, leaving at least 112 dead and up to 800 injured. Iran reclosed the Strait of Hormuz directly in response to the assault, undermining the ceasefire agreement brokered with the United States less than a day earlier. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated reports of the strait’s closure were false, but Iranian mediators warned their participation in talks depends on a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.
The Israeli military confirmed it would continue ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon despite agreeing to a cease-fire with Iran. Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald accused Israel of deliberately sabotaging the U.S.-Iran deal by carrying out one of its most severe attacks on Lebanon within 12 hours of the ceasefire announcement.
Former National Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent warned that the United States must withdraw military support from Israel to prevent further escalation, citing Israel’s history of undermining peace agreements. Kent emphasized that Israel’s objective of regime change in Iran conflicts with U.S. goals and that there is currently no military solution to the conflict.
