Secretary Of Hezbollah Leader, Three Journalists Killed In Israeli Strikes On Lebanon

Beirut: The negotiated peace deal between Iran and the United States that had apparently succeeded in bringing respite appeared to be hanging by a thread on Thursday due to what was described as a “legitimate misunderstanding” regarding Lebanon. Less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran, the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and later advised vessels to take alternative routes.

Israel continues to bomb the Lebanese country a day after Iran and Pakistan insisted that the ceasefire applies to the entire area of operations. Israel made its opinion clear by bombing, with troops commanded by Benjamin Netanyahu striking Lebanon the hardest they have ever done, bombing over one hundred sites and resulting in at least 182 casualties.

In response to Israel’s ‘ceasefire violation,’ Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route, to any oil tankers. This action effectively prevented anyone around the world from celebrating their oil trading affairs, as hundreds of ships have been stranded in the Gulf area while their rate of insurance coverage has gone to an unprecedented cheap rate. After Iran announced closure of the Strait, the US has reportedly demanded that Iran immediately reopen it.

JD Vance stated in a press conference that Lebanon has been misrepresented in terms of its connection to the ceasefire. He said, “We never said anything.” Meanwhile, during a discussion at the Iranian Parliament, chairman Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf indicated that any future discussion about the issue was “unrealistic”.

Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces claimed on Thursday that it has eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, during the airstrikes carried on Beirut on Wednesday. “A close associate and personal advisor, Harshi played a key role in managing and securing Qassem’s office. The IDF also struck two key crossings used by Hezbollah to move weapons south of the Litani River, along with ~10 weapons storage sites, launchers and command centers in southern Lebanon,” IDF said.

Hundreds of people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the last 24 hours shortly after a ceasefire was announced by Iran and the US.

Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during the war, in a message that may be intended to pressure the U.S. as uncertainty hangs over a days-old two-week ceasefire and further negotiations are expected in Pakistan.

At a time when Tehran and Washington have offered vastly different explanations of the initial terms, Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and has escalated deadly strikes there, leading Iran to claim it is violating the deal. Meanwhile, Iran said it had won agreement that it would control the Strait of Hormuz, charge tolls and enrich uranium — while Trump said the deal called for the strait to be reopened and Iran to hand over its uranium stockpile.

The chart of the Strait of Hormuz was released by the ISNA news agency, as well as Tasnim, which is believed to be close to the Guard. They showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the Traffic Separation Scheme, which was the route ships take through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded once passed.

The chart suggested ships travel further north through waters closer to Iran’s mainland near Larak Island, a route that some ships were observed taking during the war.