Israel Strikes Lebanon as Ceasefire Talks Begin Amid US-Iran Truce Dispute

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to open direct negotiations with Iranian representatives this weekend in Pakistan aimed at converting a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to the conflict that began February 28 between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The talks follow President Trump’s announcement Tuesday night that a workable 10-point framework had been received from Tehran, facilitated by Pakistani diplomacy. Iran agreed in return to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global oil supplies that had been threatened during the fighting.

Within hours of that announcement, however, Israeli forces launched what Lebanese authorities described as the heaviest bombardment of the current campaign against Hezbollah positions and surrounding civilian areas. More than 300 people were killed and roughly 1,150 wounded in a single day of strikes, according to Lebanese health officials and the National News Agency. Additional strikes continued into Friday, though at a reduced pace in the Beirut area, while Israeli aircraft hit residential zones in southern villages including Hanawya, Aita al-Shaab, al-Majadel, and Haneen. Hezbollah responded with rocket fire toward northern Israeli communities such as Kiryat Shmona and Metula.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his nation Thursday with a blunt message. “There is no cease-fire in Lebanon,” he said. “We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.” At the same time, Netanyahu revealed he had instructed his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with the Lebanese government “as soon as possible.” Israeli officials later indicated those talks could occur in Washington next week, focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah and what Netanyahu called a “historic, sustainable peace” between the two countries.

The apparent contradiction has fueled concern among diplomats and analysts that Israel is attempting to change conditions on the ground before American-led diplomacy can take hold. Iran has repeatedly stated that any agreement with the United States must encompass an end to attacks on the “resistance front,” an explicit reference to Hezbollah’s operations in Lebanon. Narges Bajoghli, a Johns Hopkins University professor of Middle East studies, noted that Tehran’s core demands include credible guarantees of future non-aggression from Washington and meaningful sanctions relief. “Iran’s biggest red line is its sovereignty and independence,” she said. Having been burned by past broken agreements, Iranian leaders are unlikely to accept verbal assurances alone.

The current round of fighting escalated after Hezbollah began launching missiles at Israel in early March, three days into the wider war triggered by Iranian actions. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, citing the need to neutralize entrenched rocket launchers and weapons depots near the border. Lebanese officials counter that the campaign has displaced more than one million people and created a growing food-security crisis in addition to the obvious humanitarian toll. The United Nations has warned that Lebanon now faces both a displacement emergency and acute shortages of basic supplies.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had signaled openness to direct talks with Israel weeks earlier, even expressing willingness to discuss normalization. Israel initially dismissed the overture. The sudden shift toward negotiations now comes under evident pressure from the Trump administration, which has urged Netanyahu to act with restraint so that the larger Iran track can proceed. A U.S. State Department official confirmed Friday that Israeli and Lebanese delegations are expected in Washington soon, though neither government has issued a formal joint statement.

The stakes extend beyond the immediate casualties. Prolonged closure or disruption of the Strait of Hormuz would send energy prices soaring worldwide, a reminder that regional conflicts quickly become global economic events. Trump’s original deadline for Iran to open the waterway had been set for Tuesday evening; the ceasefire announcement came just before it expired. His earlier social-media warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if no deal materialized reflected the gravity with which the administration viewed the moment.

Whether Netanyahu’s dual track of continued military pressure and simultaneous diplomacy will produce a breakthrough or simply unravel the U.S.-Iran process remains uncertain. Lebanese officials have insisted a ceasefire must precede substantive talks. Hezbollah, for its part, announced that its rocket launches will continue “until the Israeli-American aggression” stops. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated this week that Tehran seeks no war with America or Israel but will defend what it regards as legitimate national rights across the entire axis of allied militias.

For now, the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran exists on paper while Israeli jets still fly over Lebanon and rockets still arc toward Israeli towns. The coming days in Pakistan and Washington will test whether diplomacy can outrun the momentum of a war that has already killed thousands and risks drawing the region into still wider violence. The outcome will shape not only the security of Israeli border communities and Lebanese civilians but the price of gasoline for drivers half a world away.