'Whoever Acts Against Israel Will Be...': Netanyahu Maintains Hezbollah Not Included In Iran Peace Deal, Says 'Strikes To Continue'

Jerusalem: Amid ongoing strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even after the announcement of a ‘ceasefire’, Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated it will “continue to strike” the militant outfit “with force, precision, and determination.”

“We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination,” Netanyahu categorically stated in his post on X, on the second day of the ceasefire, even though Iran has maintained that its peace proposal includes cessation of strikes to its affiliated groups in Lebanon as well. 

Speaking on the killing of Hezbollah chief aide Ali Youssef Kharshi in an overnight military operation, the Israeli Prime Minister said, “In Beirut, we eliminated Ali Youssef Kharshi, the personal secretary of Hezbollah terror organization Secretary-General Naim Qassem and one of the people closest to him.”

“At the same time, overnight, the IDF struck a series of terror infrastructures in southern Lebanon: crossings used to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers, as well as weapons depots, launchers, and Hezbollah headquarters,” he added, giving details about Israel's operation against the Iran-backed radical group in the country.

In a stern message, putting forth their standpoint on the strikes in Lebanon, Netanyahu said, “Whoever acts against Israeli civilians—will be struck. We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required, until we restore full security to the residents of the north.”

Iran's Warning

As strikes on Lebanon continued for the second day after the announcement of the cessation of hostilites, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran's Parliament, reiterated that any ceasefire between Iran and the United States must encompass Lebanon and Iran's allied "Resistance Axis," warning that continued violations would trigger severe consequences.

In the post, Ghalibaf outlined three key points drawn from Iran's 10-point proposal. Firstly, Lebanon and the entire Resistance Axis, as Iran's allies, form an inseparable part of the ceasefire; secondly, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has publicly stressed the inclusion of the Lebanon issue, leaving no room for denial or backtracking; and third, ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and will meet strong responses. 

What Netanyahu Said On Wednesday

On the first day of the ceasefire, Netanyahu said in a statement that though Israel supported US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks, the ceasefire does not include Lebanon.

"Israel also supports the US effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran's Arab neighbors and the world," Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.

"The United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, shared by the US, Israel and Israel's regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations," the statement added.

"The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon," it said, even though Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had brokered the peace deal, said that the ceasefire agreed to extended to Lebanon as well.

How Lebanon Got Dragged Into The War

Lebanon which borders Israel at the south, was dragged into the war on March 2 when the Iran-backed militant group, which is so far the most active partner among the Islamic Republic's axis of resistance, fired rockets towards Israeli cities when Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israel joint military strikes.

In retaliation, Israel conducted large-scale strikes on Lebanon, which has so far left 1,500 people dead.

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