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(Daily Jurat)US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and said Tehran-backed Hezbollah should support a 10-day US-backed truce agreed between Lebanon and Israel.
Trump said an extension of a two-week ceasefire with Iran was possible, but may not be needed.
“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters, adding that if an agreement was reached and signed in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, he may go there for the occasion.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran that started on February 28 has killed thousands of people and has been unpopular in the United States, leaving Trump with a political headache just months before the crucial midterm elections at home.
The war triggered the worst oil price shock in history, with the International Monetary Fund downgrading its outlook for the global economy and warning prolonged conflict could push it to the brink of recession.Group of Seven finance chiefs on Thursday said there was a pressing need for lasting peace to limit the economic costs.President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
In a statement from the Office of the President’s official X account, President Zardari has “welcomed the Lebanon ceasefire as a step towards de-escalation & regional stability,” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and “ongoing efforts to reduce US-Iran tension to achieve lasting peace in West Asia.”PM Shehbaz said that he expressed the “hope that it will pave the way for sustainable peace.”
In a post on X, he wrote that “Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, and will continue to support all efforts aimed at lasting peace in the region.”Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian praised Islamabad’s role in mediation & establishing a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran on Friday, saying “Tehran seeks lasting peace and stability in the region while pursuing the Iranian nation’s rights within the framework of international law”, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
In a meeting with Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, held in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian President Pezeshkian praised the commander’s role and that of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the mediation process and facilitating the establishment of a ceasefire, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Additionally, Iran welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, stressing the need for the “complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas in southern Lebanon, the release of all prisoners, and the return of displaced persons to their homes.”
Al Jazeera reported that French President Macron has expressed his full support for the ceasefire in Lebanon whilst also expressing “concern that it may already be undermined by the continuation of military operations”.
“I call for the safety of civilian populations on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah must renounce its weapons. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and stop the war,” he said in a social media post.
Earlier today, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported the first violation of the ceasefire after an ambulance was hit in the town of Kounine, which is close to the border with Israel.
It said there were casualties among the targeted medical workers.Commander of the Iranian Army Major General Amir Hatami emphasised the country’s military preparedness to confront threats and aggression, saying that the Armed Forces remain vigilant and ready to respond decisively, Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
According to Tasnim, The Army chief issued a message on Friday, stating that the Iranian Army, following the commands of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and relying on indigenous capabilities, knowledge and spirit, considers itself a self-sacrificing defender of the security and tranquillity of the Iranian nation while maintaining vigilance and combat readiness.
Major General Hatami said that the Army, with “fingers on the trigger,” stood ready to confront any threat or act of aggression by enemies, as per Tasnim.
Hezbollah says ‘finger on the trigger’ in case Israel violates truce
The Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Friday that it was keeping its “finger on the trigger” in case of any Israeli violations of the overnight ceasefire, according to Business Recorder.
In a statement, the group said it had carried out “2,184 military operations” against Israel and its troops inside Lebanon.
“The fighters will keep their finger on the trigger because they are wary of the enemy’s treachery.”
Israeli ‘acts of aggression’ violate ceasefire agreement
Lebanon’s army reported “acts of aggression” by Israel that it said violated the 10-day “ceasefire”, which took effect at midnight Friday local time.
Lebanon’s army, in an X post early on Friday, called on residents in the south to exercise caution “in light of a number of violations” of the ceasefire agreement by “several Israeli acts of aggression.”Citizens were warned not to return to their villages in Southern Lebanon, due to the ceasefire violations.
As of early April, more than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon as a result of Israel’s intensifying aggression in early March, following the attacks on Iran, as per the United Nations Children’s fund.
Celebration rang out across parts of Beirut as the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the time the ceasefire was set to go into effect. For around half an hour, the sound of rockets fired in celebration could also be heard, witnesses said.
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