On April 7, Israel announced its support for and compliance with the two-week ceasefire arrangement reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran, but made clear that the ceasefire does not apply to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement saying “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region..”
The statement also emphasized: “The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) posted that since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion,” the largest coordinated strikes in Lebanon have been carried out. Strikes occurred simultaneously across multiple regions within 10 minutes, with the IDF targeting over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military positions.
The IDF article stated: “Recently, the IDF completed a large-scale strike targeting Hezbollah command centers and military positions in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. Targets included Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command and control centers: intelligence command centers and central headquarters used by Hezbollah forces to plan and direct terrorist attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians; infrastructure for Hezbollah’s firepower and naval arrays, responsible for launching missiles at ground, sea, and Israeli territory; assets of the Radwan Unit and the Air (127) Unit—Hezbollah’s elite forces.”
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The IDF noted that this large-scale strike was based on precise intelligence and was carefully planned over several weeks by the Operations Branch, Intelligence Branch, Israeli Air Force, and Northern Command, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of strikes against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
Most of the targeted infrastructure was located in densely populated civilian areas, due to Hezbollah’s security-driven placement. Hezbollah uses Lebanese civilians as “human shields.” Prior to strikes, Israel took measures to minimize harm to uninvolved persons as much as possible.
The Israeli military stated that Hezbollah deliberately chose to join the war and participate in actions on behalf of the Iranian terrorist regime, causing harm to the Lebanese state and its civilians. The Lebanese state and civilians must reject Hezbollah’s entrenchment in civilian areas and its ability to expand its weapons.
The IDF said it will continue taking decisive action against Hezbollah and will not allow Israeli civilians to be harmed.
The ceasefire arrangement was promoted by the United States. Previously, Trump proposed that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a condition to facilitate both sides pausing military actions. About 90 minutes before the deadline, Trump announced an agreement to “pause bombing and strikes against Iran for two weeks.”
Around 2:50 a.m. Israel time on Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that Iran and the U.S. and its allies had agreed to “immediately implement a ceasefire everywhere, effective immediately.” Israel subsequently issued a statement clarifying the scope of the ceasefire and expressing support for U.S. efforts to eliminate Iranian-related threats in subsequent negotiations.
