2026-04-08 18:59
publication
2026-04-08 18:59
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday in an interview with PBS that the truce concluded with Iran does not apply to Lebanon and Israel's attacks on the targets of the pro-Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah. This is a “separate skirmish,” he emphasized.
Trump thus referred to the Israeli military's continued strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In a short telephone conversation with PBS, the US president said that the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon. When asked about the reason, he replied “because of Hezbollah.”
– They were not included in the agreement. We will sort this out too, it's fine, Trump assured, quoted by the station's journalist, noting that the truce included takes into account Israel's right to carry out further attacks.
– That's a separate fight, okay? – he added.
Initial reports said that the two-week truce concluded by the US and Iran was also to apply to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, but the Israeli army continued military operations against the pro-Iranian militia on Wednesday.
The Iranian state-owned Tasnim news agency, quoted by Reuters, cited an anonymous source as saying that Iran would withdraw from the two-week ceasefire announced on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday if Israel's attacks on Lebanon did not stop.
According to the source, the end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, was part of a two-week ceasefire agreement with the United States.
Israel announces: we will continue attacks on Hezbollah
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday that the recent large-scale attacks on the Hezbollah terrorist organization are not “ending attacks” and the fighting against this group continues, the Times of Israel reported.
Lebanon's health ministry said on Wednesday that At least 112 people were killed and 837 injured in the attacks carried out by Israel that day – reported the AFP agency. The fatalities included 12 medical staff, the ministry added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army said it had shelled nearly 100 targets of the pro-Iranian terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon, emphasizing that this was the most intense wave of airstrikes since Hezbollah joined the war on March 2. Targets in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon included: intelligence headquarters and offices used by Hezbollah to plan attacks, the organization's missile and naval force infrastructure, and the resources of its elite Radwan forces.
Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, General Eyal Zamir, announced that Israel will continue its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In a statement issued shortly after the ceasefire between the US and Iran was concluded on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire did not apply to Lebanon. This contradicts the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who emphasized that it applies to everyone, including the allies of each side.
Since the beginning of March, Israel has been conducting an intense military campaign in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah. According to data from the Ministry of Health in Beirut, at least 1,530 people have died in Israeli attacks since March 2, including 130 children, and approximately 1.2 million residents of southern Lebanon had to leave their homes. (PAP)
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