Continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon will make negotiations with US ‘meaningless,’ Iranian president warns

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon would render ceasefire negotiations with the United States “meaningless,” as Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Lebanon is an ‘inseparable part’ of the agreement.

“Continued attacks will make negotiations meaningless; our hands will remain on the trigger, and Iran will never abandon its Lebanese brothers and sisters,” Pezeshkian wrote on the US social media company X.

Qalibaf, in a separate post on X, said Lebanon and what he described as the “Resistance Axis” are integral to the ceasefire framework, citing remarks by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“Lebanon and the entire Resistance Axis, as Iran's allies, form an inseparable part of the ceasefire,” Qalibaf said.

He added that the Pakistani premier had “publicly and clearly” emphasized the Lebanon issue, warning there is “no room for denial and backtracking.”

Qalibaf also warned that ceasefire violations would draw “strong responses.”

“Ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and strong responses,” he warned. “Extinguish the fire immediately.”

The Israeli army escalated its attacks across Lebanon since Wednesday despite a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan between the US and Iran as a step toward a final agreement to halt a war launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on Feb. 28.

While Islamabad and Tehran said the ceasefire includes Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied that.

According to Lebanon’s Civil Defense, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 254 people and wounded 1,165 others on Wednesday.

Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Thursday that US and Iranian delegations will hold “direct” talks in Islamabad aimed at reaching a “permanent ceasefire.”

The negotiations, set to begin Saturday, may extend beyond a single day, the sources said.