Lebanon in or out? Shehbaz Sharif, JD Vance at odds over US-Iran ceasefire

Did the ceasefire between US-Israel and Iran involve Lebanon? As it turns out, the parties involved themselves lack clarity on the issue. If you ask US Vice President JD Vance, he would say no, but if you ask mediator Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, he would say yes.

This revelation that the key parties are themselves not on the same page comes after Israel struck Lebanon, killing 254 people. Iran said in such a scenario when the opposing party has violated the ceasefire, a ceasefire is unreasonable. 

To that Vance said Tehran’s negotiators thought the US-Iran ceasefire agreed to on Tuesday included Lebanon but the US had not agreed to that. "I think ​this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I ⁠think the Iranians thought that the ​ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't," Vance ​told reporters in Budapest. 

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But is it only the Iranians? Because mediator Pakistan thought so too. 

“With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY” is what Sharif had posted on social media, and then invited delegates from both sides to Islamabad on April 10 to negotiate a peace deal. 

As per Vance, US’ position was that the ceasefire would focus on Iran and US allies, including Israel and Gulf Arab states. Vance said the Israelis have offered to “check themselves a little bit in Lebanon” to ensure that the negotiations are successful. 

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Not only that, Trump said Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium that can be turned into nuclear weapons but Iran said it was allowed to continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire. 

Lebanon's civil defence service reported that 254 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, with the highest number of casualties, 91, reported in capital Beirut. Residents said some Israeli strikes occurred without the usual warnings for civilians to evacuate. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, stated early Thursday that it fired rockets at northern Israel in response to what it called "ceasefire violations".