Israel Strikes Lebanon, Iran Attacks Gulf States, Hormuz Traffic Halts on Ceasefire Day One
Iran halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, then allowed two vessels through before closing transit again.
MIDDLE EAST — A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced April 8 following Pakistani mediation, fractured within hours as Israel hit more than 100 targets across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people, and Iran launched missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.
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Iran halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, then allowed two vessels through before closing transit again.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi formally accepted the ceasefire but conditioned Strait of Hormuz passage on “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces.” President Trump said the ceasefire required the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the strait.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the strait must reopen “without any limitations, whether in the form of tolls or otherwise.”
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the United States violated three clauses of the ceasefire framework. Vice President JD Vance, who will lead the U.S. delegation at Islamabad talks on April 10, addressed the claims and said they were unfounded.
The U.S. Department of War reported American and Israeli forces struck more than 13,000 targets over 38 days of Operation Epic Fury.
Israel Hits More Than 100 Lebanon Targets, Killing 254
Israel launched its largest coordinated attack on Lebanon since the war began on April 8, hitting more than 100 sites across the country. Lebanon’s civil defense department reported at least 254 people killed and more than 1,100 wounded.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed approximately 50 fighter jets and 160 munitions, according to Lebanese government reporting.
Strikes hit central Beirut without prior warning, including at least five neighborhoods during rush-hour traffic. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported the attacks were “unprecedented in number and intensity.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire with Iran and that Israel would “continue to operate” against Hezbollah. According to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the ceasefire mediator, the agreement included Lebanon.
The IDF stated, “In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF has ceased fire in the operation against Iran, and is highly prepared to respond defensively against any violation.
Overnight, the IDF conducted a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting missile launch sites and launchers across Iran, in order to significantly degrade its launching capabilities.”
The statement added, “Simultaneously, in Lebanon, the IDF is continuing to conduct targeted ground operations against Hezbollah. The IDF will continue to operate across all fronts to defend Israel.”
The IRGC said, “We issue a firm warning to the United States, which violates treaties, and to its Zionist ally, its executioner: if the aggression against beloved Lebanon does not cease immediately, we will fulfill our duty and deliver a response.”
Hezbollah reported firing rockets at the kibbutz of Manara in northern Israel early April 9, its first attack since the ceasefire was announced, citing Israeli violations.
Assessment: Netanyahu’s statement that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire directly contradicts Sharif’s statement that it is. The Western joint statement (10 nations plus Japan) called for ceasefire implementation “including in Lebanon.”
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with both Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and Trump, then said the ceasefire must be “fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon.” Ghalibaf cited the Lebanon strikes as one of three U.S. ceasefire violations.
The IRGC’s threat to “deliver a response” if Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue introduces a direct Iranian military dimension to the Lebanon front, separate from Hezbollah’s retaliatory rockets at Manara. Iran’s Hormuz re-closure was also linked to the Lebanon strikes, connecting the two fronts operationally.
Iran Halts Hormuz Tanker Traffic After Lebanon Strikes
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