Tel Aviv/Islamabad - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly rejected any ceasefire with Hezbollah, vowing to continue intense military strikes until "full security" is restored to northern Israel, where tens of thousands of residents remain displaced.
In his latest statement, Netanyahu made it clear that Israel will not halt operations against the Lebanese group, despite the fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between the US and Iran that was announced on April 8.
Just hours after his remarks, Hezbollah fired a missile toward Ashdod, which was intercepted by Israeli defenses. Falling debris triggered safety alerts for nearly one million residents. The IDF responded with strikes on 10 rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.
Analysts and diplomatic sources in Islamabad and Tehran view Netanyahu's hardline position and the continued exchanges of fire as deliberate attempts to sabotage the US-Iran ceasefire mediated by Pakistan. While a US-brokered pause has temporarily eased direct US-Iran strikes, Israel's refusal to stop operations on the Lebanon front is widely seen as an effort to keep regional tensions alive and derail the broader peace process.
"These are not isolated incidents. This is a calculated strategy by Israel - and those backing it - to break the ceasefire Pakistan worked so hard to achieve," said a senior Pakistani diplomat on condition of anonymity.
Direct Israel-Lebanon talks on disarming Hezbollah are scheduled for next week in Washington, but both sides continue to exchange fire and reject any immediate pause on the ground.
The ongoing clashes have triggered widespread frustration and anger toward Iran across the world. Many international observers and social media users are criticizing Tehran for failing to fully control Hezbollah and rein in its allies, which is now threatening the stability of the entire ceasefire deal.
Despite Pakistan's successful mediation that brought the US and Iran to the table, Israel's actions are putting immense pressure on the fragile truce. Pakistani officials have urged all parties, especially the US, to pressure Israel into honoring the spirit of the April 8 agreement.
The situation remains tense as the region watches whether the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire can survive these provocations or if Netanyahu's hardline approach will succeed in unraveling it.
