The US-Iran peace agreement, signed just days ago, is facing its most serious test yet as continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon threaten to unravel the fragile ceasefire . The agreement’s first clause explicitly called for the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon” . However, Israeli strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon have resulted in at least 47 fatalities and 97 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry .
The latest ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the US, Qatar, and Iran, reportedly took effect on Friday evening. However, this followed some of the most intense Israeli bombardment of the war—a week that saw over 80 Israeli airstrikes . A US official expressed frustration, stating that continued fighting could “jeopardise the chance of a US-Iran interim deal turning into a lasting Middle East peace deal” .
Tensions escalated further when four Israeli soldiers were reported killed by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, sparking furious reactions from hardliners in the Israeli cabinet . Despite the truce agreement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that troops will remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary” , underscoring the deep divisions threatening the Islamabad Memorandum’s path toward a durable regional peace.
