Tehran has warned it will withdraw from its ceasefire agreement with the United States if Israel continues its military campaign in Lebanon, raising fears that the fragile truce in the Middle East could rapidly unravel.
According to Tasnim News Agency, an unnamed source said that halting hostilities across all fronts — including Lebanon — formed a central pillar of the two-week ceasefire deal. Any continuation of Israeli strikes, the source indicated, would constitute a breach of the agreement.
The warning comes amid a renewed wave of Israeli attacks targeting positions linked to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia operating in southern Lebanon. Iranian state television, citing a separate source, said Tehran is preparing retaliatory measures, with its armed forces already identifying potential targets.
However, Israel has rejected claims that its operations in Lebanon fall under the scope of the ceasefire. Officials insist the agreement applies only to direct hostilities involving Iran, not to its long-running conflict with Hezbollah.
The dispute has exposed a widening rift over the interpretation of the truce, with both Iran and Pakistan maintaining that the ceasefire must extend to all theatres of conflict involving Iranian-backed forces.
The escalating tensions risk reigniting a broader regional confrontation, just days after hopes had emerged that the ceasefire could stabilise energy markets and ease fears of a wider war. Analysts warn that any Iranian retaliation could trigger a rapid cycle of escalation, drawing in multiple actors across the region.
With both sides hardening their positions, the ceasefire appears increasingly precarious, raising the prospect that the conflict could spill beyond its current boundaries in the coming days.
