Vance flags ‘legitimate misunderstanding’ on Lebanon truce; Israel offers to restrain strikes as Iran threatens to resume fighting

With Iran threatening to pull out of the ceasefire over continued attacks in Lebanon, Israel has reportedly offered to restrain itself from striking Hezbollah targets in the country.

Even after the US and Iran announced a ceasefire early Wednesday, the Israeli military launched what it called its “biggest” strike on Hezbollah targets since the launch of a ground invasion in Lebanon, prompting a strong reaction from Iran.

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Tehran warned that it could switch to full-scale defence at any moment if Israeli attacks on Lebanon are not stopped immediately. The ceasefire in Lebanon was among the key terms of the truce.

While announcing the ceasefire, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that the truce would apply “everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere.” However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a contradictory statement, claiming the ceasefire did not include Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US will have to choose between the ceasefire and continuing the war via Israel, as it can’t have both.

“The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose— ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, along with the original ceasefire announcement by Sharif.

Speaking to reporters in Budapest, Vance said that there is a “legitimate misunderstanding” between the US and Iran regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon.

“I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise. We never indicated that would be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire will be focused on Iran and America’s allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states,” he said.

He further added, “That said, the Israelis have actually offered to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful. That’s not because that is part of the ceasefire. I think that’s the Israelis trying to set us up for success.”

Vance is likely to lead a US delegation that will engage in further peace talks with Iran in Islamabad on Friday.