White House says Lebanon not part of cease-fire deal with Iran

Lebanon is not covered by a newly brokered, two-week cease-fire agreement with Iran, the White House said on Wednesday as Israel carried out sweeping bombardment of its northern neighbor.

"Lebanon is not part of the cease-fire. That has been relayed to all parties involved in it," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "assured" US President Donald Trump that Israel will "continue to be a helpful partner throughout the course of the next two weeks."

Iran warned earlier on Wednesday that the US must choose between a cease-fire and "continued war via Israel," saying Washington "cannot have both."

"The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the US court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments."

Citing an informed anonymous source, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported earlier that Tehran will withdraw from the truce with the US if Israel continues to violate it through attacks on Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it struck more than 100 sites "within 10 minutes" across multiple areas in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, in what it called the "largest coordinated strike" since the start of the current offensive in Lebanon.

While simultaneously attacking Iran since Feb. 28, Israel has carried out airstrikes across Lebanon and launched a ground offensive in the country's south after Hezbollah carried out cross-border strikes on March 2. Hezbollah's attack came after months of Israeli bombardment during a cease-fire that took effect in November 2024.

Trump on Tuesday announced a two-week cease-fire with Iran, saying Tehran presented a "workable" 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face “the destruction of an entire civilization.”