Lebanon after the Iran truce… confusion, airstrikes, and urgent army appeal

On Wednesday, the Lebanese Army called on displaced residents to delay returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes continue.

This comes as Israel confirmed that the truce between Iran and the United States does not apply to Lebanon, according to a statement from the Israeli army asserting that it “continues fighting and ground operations against the terrorist Hezbollah.”

In a statement, the Lebanese Army urged citizens “to delay returning to southern villages and towns and to avoid approaching areas where Israeli forces have advanced, in order to ensure their safety, especially as they may expose their lives to ongoing Israeli attacks.”

A correspondent from Agence France-Presse in the Tyre area observed on Wednesday morning a small number of residents driving toward areas they had evacuated at the beginning of the conflict.

Earlier in the day, a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that “the two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon.”

This statement contradicts an earlier announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who played a mediating role in securing the truce in Iran and had stated that the ceasefire applied “everywhere, including Lebanon.”

Lebanon became part of the Middle East conflict after Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, launched attacks on Israel in response to the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron described the announcement of the ceasefire in Iran as “a very good thing,” calling for it to “fully” include Lebanon.

He added: “What we want is to ensure that the ceasefire fully encompasses Lebanon” in the long term.

On the ground, the Israeli army carried out several strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, according to the official National News Agency, and issued a new evacuation order for certain areas of the city of Tyre.