The two-week ceasefire is in doubt as the U.S. and Iran offer conflicting views on whether Lebanon was part of the initial ceasefire terms.
Iran claims the ceasefire has been breached and continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and has escalated deadly strikes there. The White House has sided with Israel.
Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, claims that Lebanon was part of the deal.
In northern Israel, sirens sounded early Thursday as Hezbollah claimed it was attacking with rocket fire.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has said in a social media post Wednesday night that all U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel “will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with.”
At least 200 killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, health officials say
Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that at least 203 people were killed and over 1,000 were wounded in widespread Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Wednesday.
The death toll Wednesday was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah sites. However, several of the buildings that were struck without warning during the afternoon rush hour were in densely packed commercial and residential areas, leading to widespread civilian casualties. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the strikes “barbaric.”
Israel said it killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem in Wednesday’s airstrikes in the Lebanese capital.
The Lebanese government has declared Thursday a national day of mourning.
Iran says opening Strait of Hormuz depends on end to U.S. ‘aggression’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said his country will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the United States ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday that Iran had closed the strait after U.S. ally Israel committed an “intentional grave violation of the ceasefire.”
He said “you cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran sent quite clearly, crystal-clearly, to Washington and to the Oval Office last night.”
Khatibzadeh added: “Definitely we are going to provide security for safe passage and it is going to happen after the United States actually withdraws this aggression. Does it mean that Iran is going to control the Strait of Hormuz in terms of letting ship by ship to go through that?
“I think that we have shown to everybody that energy security is pivotal for Iran, is pivotal for this body of water in the Persian Gulf, and we are going to be abided by the international norms and international law.”
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan deletes post about U.S.-Iran peace talks
According to a BBC report, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan has deleted a post on X in which he said an Iranian delegation was heading to Islamabad Thursday to begin peace talks with the U.S.
It’s unclear why the post had been deleted.
The first round of negotiations was set for Saturday.
The White House has said tbe U.S. delegation is being led by Vice President JD Vance, and includes U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
— with files from The Associated Press
