Trump moved Wednesday to dismiss the idea that any framework other than his own was on the table. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Numerous Agreements, Lists, and Letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the U.S.A./Iran Negotiation, in many cases, they are total Fraudsters, Charlatans, and WORSE.” It was unclear whether Trump was referring to Ghalibaf’s statement; to an earlier letter reported by CNN that the White House said carried no official authority; or to both.
The single biggest point of contention, and now the most violent, is Lebanon.
Israel’s military said Wednesday it had struck more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites in 10 minutes, in what it called the largest wave of strikes in the conflict. The southern suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley were all targeted. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 112 people were killed and 837 injured while the country’s civil defense put the toll higher, at 254 dead and more than 1,100 wounded. Hospitals are overwhelmed in Beirut, while rescue crews reported people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The strikes came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office publicly denied Pakistan’s assertion—which Islamabad had used as a basis for mediating the U.S.-Iran ceasefire—that the deal also covered the Lebanese front.
The White House sees it differently. “Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. That has been relayed to all parties in the ceasefire,” Leavitt told reporters.
Hezbollah, which has not claimed any attack since the ceasefire was announced, said Wednesday that the group was on the “threshold of a major historic victory” and warned displaced families to wait for a formal ceasefire announcement before trying to return home. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said Israel would respect the ceasefire with Iran but warned: “If we need to go back and attack Iran, we will.”
