Lebanon Hit by a Deluge of Iron and Blood Despite the Truce

A torrent of iron, fire, and blood – unmatched in recent years, except for the August 4 explosion at Beirut’s port – rained down Wednesday across Beirut, its southern suburbs, and countless towns and villages throughout Lebanon. According to initial figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 180 people were killed and nearly 800 injured in a wave of simultaneous Israeli airstrikes, which struck roughly a hundred targets nationwide in just ten minutes. The attacks came even as a regional two-week truce had been announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, coinciding with the opening of Washington-Tehran negotiations on a comprehensive agreement aimed at a lasting cessation of hostilities.

Israel struck Beirut and some fifty towns – from the south to Hermel, including Aley, Chouf, and the Bekaa – without prior warning, just hours after the army’s Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued the usual alert urging residents of the southern suburbs and villages south of Zahrani to evacuate. “Hezbollah targets remain squarely in Israel’s sights,” he had warned that morning.

By early afternoon, the Israeli army launched what its spokesperson described as “the largest coordinated strike” against Hezbollah since the start of the war with Iran, hitting roughly a hundred Hezbollah positions across Lebanon “simultaneously, within ten minutes.”

According to the spokesperson, the strikes targeted “around a hundred command posts and military infrastructures” belonging to Hezbollah. Yet, numerous civilians were killed or wounded in the ten-minute deadly frenzy, which Tel Aviv has dubbed “Eternal Darkness.” The grim name has fueled fears of a broader military operation against Hezbollah, accused by Israel of “taking refuge among civilians north of the Litani River.”

Tel Aviv made it clear that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which it had nominally accepted, “does not apply” to Lebanon and that it would continue its military operations against Hezbollah – operations that, judging by Wednesday’s raids, amounted to near-indiscriminate warfare. The strikes drew sharp condemnation from President Joseph Aoun, who denounced them as “an act of barbarism,” even as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described them as “the largest operation against Hezbollah since the buzzer attacks.” Unlike the earlier buzzer attacks, Wednesday’s assaults hit not only Hezbollah members and supporters but also ordinary Lebanese with no ties to the Iran-backed group – civilians caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. By early evening, another Israeli raid targeted the Tallet el-Khayat neighborhood in western Beirut, reportedly aiming at a senior Hezbollah official, according to the Israeli army.

The scale and intensity of Wednesday’s Israeli strikes underscore just how fragile the Washington-Tehran negotiations remain, hanging perpetually under the threat of renewed hostilities.

More importantly, they highlight Israel’s apparent determination to escalate its operations in Lebanon – a stance justified in Tel Aviv by the Lebanese state’s inability to disarm Hezbollah. Several Israeli officials have suggested that military operations against the group could extend as far north as the Litani River, aiming to neutralize what they perceive as a persistent threat to Israel’s northern communities. On Wednesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry publicly criticized the Lebanese authorities for failing to curb Hezbollah’s arsenal.

In the coming days, it will become clearer whether this trajectory of escalation will continue or be curtailed.

Iranian Threats

Tehran responded to Wednesday’s raids by threatening to pull out of the ceasefire agreement and retaliate against Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly raised the situation in a phone call with Pakistan’s military chief, while U.S. President Donald Trump told PBS that the Lebanon-Hezbollah situation would be “dealt with” – against Iranian wishes – outside the framework of the next two weeks of negotiations. The U.S. president said this was due to Hezbollah, which he described as a “Lebanese terrorist organization.”

He added that “this will also be resolved,” emphasizing that the ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah were “separate skirmishes” from the U.S. campaign against Iran. His remarks align with reports from American media suggesting that Washington has effectively given Tel Aviv the green light to continue its operations in Lebanon.

Moreover, Mr. Trump revealed that the document Teheran had referenced differed from the one that would actually be discussed in Islamabad.

Since the U.S.-brokered truce was announced, the Islamic Republic has halted attacks on Israel and reportedly ordered its proxies to follow suit. Indeed, since the truce was declared, Hezbollah has not fired a single rocket at northern Israel or Israeli positions in Lebanese territory. It did not even respond to Wednesday’s raids, demonstrating, once again, if any proof were needed, its strict alignment with Tehran’s directives.

Iran, however, has continued missile strikes against Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE reported being targeted by 17 missiles and 35 drones, all “successfully intercepted by air defenses.”

Negotiations Set to Begin

Talks between Tehran and Washington are set to open Saturday in Islamabad. U.S. Vice President JD Vance will lead the American delegation to the talks, which are being held under the auspices of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He will be accompanied by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Tehran has yet to announce the composition of its own delegation.

Both sides face a two-week window, set by President Trump, to reach a final agreement on a series of points around which a preliminary understanding has reportedly been reached. Does this signal a triumph of diplomacy? Not quite. The divisions between Tehran and Washington remain deep, and the stakes tied to the conflict – which has now lasted just over five weeks – are so high that compromise solutions may prove extremely difficult, if not entirely unimaginable.

Put simply, the mullah-led Iranian regime is fighting for its survival, while the United States is defending its credibility. Viewed this way, Tuesday’s agreement offers both sides a temporary reprieve. The truce therefore feels less like a diplomatic breakthrough than a pause imposed by a convergence of factors: the exhaustion of the actors involved – particularly Iran, under heavy pressure from both Israel and the United States – and domestic and international pressures on President Trump, including major anti-war protests at home and falling stock markets alongside soaring oil prices abroad.

The impact of Trump’s announcement was almost immediate: oil prices fell, sparking a rebound in financial markets. Another sign of easing tensions: Iraq announced the reopening of its airspace, closed since the start of the conflict.

The United States remains firm on its conditions for a lasting agreement. While it has secured an Iranian commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Washington continues to demand significant concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program and regional activities. President Donald Trump, who hailed a “total victory,” said the issue of Iran’s nuclear program could be “resolved” within the next two weeks.

Tehran, which is calling for the full lifting of sanctions and binding international guarantees, appears to be maneuvering. The Associated Press has reported discrepancies between the Persian and English versions of a document outlining Iran’s conditions for talks. The English version reportedly omits any reference to maintaining the nuclear program – a provision included in the Persian text – something Trump appeared to acknowledge in remarks to PBS.

In any case, the coming two weeks will determine whether this preliminary agreement can evolve into a lasting settlement or merely prove a brief pause in the conflict.