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Israel has agreed to a request from the US President Donald Trump's administration to halt strikes on Iran, but it will continue military operations in southern Lebanon, according to two Israeli sources cited by CNN.
The news report comes amid a "very fragile" situation as the ceasefire that had held between Iran and Israel since April 8 collapsed on Monday, plunging West Asia into one of its most turbulent periods of direct military confrontation. Earlier on Monday, according to CNN, Iran announced it was suspending its military operation against Israel. However, Tehran also cautioned that the pause was conditional and that military action could resume should Israel persist with strikes in southern Lebanon. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday asserted that Tehran remains committed to both defending its national interests and pursuing diplomatic engagement, emphasising that the country will not back down in the face of threats while also keeping the door open to negotiations. In a post on X, the Iranian president stressed that military preparedness and diplomacy are complementary pillars of national strength, rejecting suggestions that Tehran has chosen one path over the other. He said, "Diplomacy and defense are the two wings of national power; we have neither abandoned the field nor the negotiating table." Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that both Iran and Israel are looking to implement an "immediate ceasefire" following an escalation of hostilities involving intense rounds of attacks and counterattacks between the two sides after Tel Aviv launched strikes on Tehran. Trump added that the final negotiations on a peace deal aimed at achieving a complete solution to the West Asia conflict are currently underway. However, he cautioned that "ignorance or stupidity" could derail efforts to reach a final agreement. "Both sides, Israel and Iran, are looking to do an immediate ceasefire! Final negotiations on "Peace" are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way," Trump stated in a post on Truth Social. The US President also noted that Washington's blockage of Iran will continue until a deal is reached, noting that the deal is moving "quickly." "The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a 'Final Deal' is reached. Things should move quickly," the post added. Marking the conflict's 100th day, Israel and Iran officially traded direct fire, putting the region's already fragile truce in serious jeopardy and threatening to reignite an all-out regional war. This latest round of multi-front kinetic actions included a strike on an Iranian petrochemical complex and what Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed was the targeting of two Israeli bases. These severe hostilities erupted just hours after US President Donald Trump reportedly called on Israel to refrain from retaliating against Tehran's missiles. The foundational breakdown of the cross-border truce infrastructure originally escalated after Israel launched airstrikes at Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday. This initial action led to Iran retaliating with its own strike on Israel, ultimately triggering Monday's intense round of attacks and counterattacks. This sudden re-eruption of hostilities has cast a foreboding shadow over diplomatic efforts to permanently end the war, which originally commenced on February 28. (ANI)
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