Lebanon ceasefire efforts falter as Hezbollah rejects truce (Image: AI-generated)
The pro-Iran Hezbollah movement on Thursday rejected a newly announced ceasefire proposal in Lebanon, while Israel said it would neither withdraw its troops nor halt military operations in the country. The developments have dealt a fresh blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to calm fighting in Lebanon and move closer to a broader peace agreement with Iran.
The latest setback comes as Tehran continues to insist that any future agreement with Washington must include a ceasefire in Lebanon. Iranian officials have also signalled in recent days that they could directly intervene in support of Hezbollah if Israel expands or continues its military campaign in the country.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the proposed ceasefire would take effect within 24 hours once all parties formally approved it. However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem quickly rejected the U.S.-backed declaration, saying, “resistance will continue”.
There was no immediate response from Israel, Lebanon or the United States following Qassem’s remarks. Although Hezbollah is not formally part of the agreement negotiated between Israel and the Lebanese government on Wednesday, the group would be expected to stop attacks if the deal moves forward.
Israel continued strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would not leave the territory they currently hold and would continue operations in Lebanon, which Israeli troops entered in March alongside the broader conflict involving Iran.
The commander of Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, the organisation that established Hezbollah in 1982, said “the minimum demand of the resistance” was for Israel to pull back to the positions it held before the war began. In a separate statement, the Revolutionary Guards said, “Our initial condition for accepting a ceasefire in the regional war was a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
The statement, carried by Iranian state media, added that Israel must end its attacks in Lebanon, evacuate occupied areas and withdraw behind internationally recognised borders. Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2 after Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran during U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. Since then, fighting has continued despite several ceasefire announcements issued from Washington since April.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump suggested negotiations could soon produce results. “If it happens, it could happen over the weekend,” Trump said, though he did not specify what development he expected.
He added that discussions were underway to separate the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz from the conflict in Lebanon. Wednesday’s strikes on Kuwait damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media. One person was killed and more than 60 others were injured.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards blamed the damage in Kuwait on U.S. interceptor missiles that allegedly missed their intended targets. The U.S. military, however, said Iranian drones deliberately targeted the airport. Iranian media also reported that the Revolutionary Guards attacked the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a U.S. airbase. U.S. Central Command denied those claims and said its facilities were not hit.
Instead, CENTCOM said it carried out a new round of “defensive strikes” in southern Iran and launched operations against targets on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz following attempted Iranian attacks. Last week, Iran and the United States indicated progress toward a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the strait. However, the framework has yet to be formally approved, leaving more difficult negotiations for a later stage.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran’s adversaries had already suffered defeat on the battlefield and were now attempting to create divisions inside the country. Khamenei, who succeeded his father after he was killed in an airstrike at the beginning of the war, has not appeared publicly since taking office.
Beyond demanding a ceasefire in Lebanon, Tehran is also seeking access to billions of dollars in oil revenues, sanctions waivers on crude exports, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has repeatedly said his main objective remains preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes.
Meanwhile, the U.N. nuclear watchdog issued a report on Thursday again urging Iran to explain what happened to its enriched uranium stockpile following attacks on its nuclear facilities a year ago and to allow full inspections to resume.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
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