EU says continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon putting US-Iran ceasefire 'under severe strain'

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S top diplomat has called on Israel to stop launching strikes on Lebanon, saying that they were threatening the already-shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

It followed Lebanon declaring a national day of mourning after Israeli strikes killed over 200 people yesterday.

Washington and Tehran both claimed victory in the Middle East war on Tuesday night after agreeing a two-week truce and negotiations aimed at ending a conflict that has killed thousands across the region and plunged the global economy into turmoil.

But fractures have quickly emerged, particularly around whether Lebanon was included in the agreement. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who acted as a go-between in the truce, had said it applied “everywhere including Lebanon”. But Israel said it did not include Lebanon, something US vice president JD Vance agreed with yesterday. 

Israel has been consistently striking the country since Iran-linked Hezbollah launched attacks on it on 2 March to avenge the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a statement this morning, Kaja Kallas said Hezbollah had “dragged” Lebanon into the war, “but Israel’s right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction”. 

“Israeli strikes killed hundreds last night, making it hard to argue that such heavy-handed actions fall within self-defence,” she said. 

Israeli actions are putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon.

Kallas added that Hezbollah must disarm and that the EU supports Lebanon’s efforts to see this done. 

At least 203 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded yesterday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The Lebanese prime minister’s office said today will be “a national day of mourning for the martyrs and wounded of the Israeli attacks that targeted hundreds of innocent, defenceless civilians”, ordering the closure of public administrations and the lowering of flags.

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Hezbollah subsequently said it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to what it called a violation of the US-Iran truce.

Netanyahu defiant

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said this morning that it will continue to strike Hezbollah “wherever necessary”.

“We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination,” he said on his personal X account.

“Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians – we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary, until we fully restore security to the residents of the north” of Israel, he added.

JD Vance, who is due to lead negotiations with Iran in Pakistan tomorrow, last night backed Israel in saying Lebanon was excluded from the truce. 

“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart… over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.

But Iran’s speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appeared to threaten the ceasefire, posting on X that the “workable basis on which to negotiate” had already been violated, making further talks “unreasonable”.

Ghalibaf listed three alleged US violations of the truce plan: the continued attacks in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace and Washington’s opposition to the country’s right to uranium enrichment.

Adding to the fragility of the truce, a senior US official said Iran’s 10-point plan was not the same set of conditions the White House had agreed to in order to pause the war.

In Lebanon, where UN rights chief Volker Turk called the scale of killing “horrific”, strikes across the capital Beirut that came without warning triggered horror and panic.

“People started running left and right, and smoke was billowing,” said Ali Younes, who was waiting for his wife near Corniche Al-Mazraa, one of the areas targeted.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion last month, local officials said.

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned they would “fulfil our duty and deliver a response” if Israel did not cease its strikes, while Hezbollah said it had a right to respond.

High-stakes talks 

The bellicose rhetoric came ahead of high-stakes talks in Pakistan expected tomorrow or Saturday.

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan announced that the country’s delegation would arrive in Islamabad today for “serious talks” on the terms of a peace deal.

A key point of contention remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass in peacetime.

Iran announced alternative routes today for ships travelling through the strait, citing the risk of sea mines.

But it was unclear if Tehran was allowing vessels to pass through the strait, following reports yesterday suggesting it was shut – something the White House called “completely unacceptable”.

‘More relaxed’

Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country mediated the ceasefire, called in a social media post for all parties to “exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks” to allow diplomacy to take hold.

Further casting doubt on the truce’s durability, Iranian state media announced fresh missile and drone attacks against US-allied Gulf states in retaliation for airstrikes on its oil facilities, with Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain all reporting strikes since the ceasefire took effect.

In Tehran, streets were quieter than usual yesterday, with many shops closed after a long and anxious night for residents fearing a massive US attack.

“Everyone is at ease now,” said Sakineh Mohammadi, a 50-year-old housewife, adding she was “proud” of her country.

“We are more relaxed.”

With reporting from © AFP 2026 

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