Middle East and North Africa

Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report, where we’ll tackle one of the biggest open questions despite a nominal two-week cease-fire in Iran.

Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israel continues to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran’s cyberwarriors target U.S. infrastructure, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte makes an uncomfortable visit to Washington.

Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report, where we’ll tackle one of the biggest open questions despite a nominal two-week cease-fire in Iran.

Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israel continues to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran’s cyberwarriors target U.S. infrastructure, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte makes an uncomfortable visit to Washington.

Will Netanyahu Derail the Iran War Cease-Fire?

Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon emerged as perhaps the greatest challenge to the fragile Iran war cease-fire since it was announced on Tuesday night.

Pakistan, which brokered the truce and is set to host peace talks between Washington and Tehran, has said Lebanon is part of the truce. Iran, a close ally of Hezbollah, has also insisted that that is the case. But Israel and the United States have said Lebanon is not part of the deal.

And just hours after the cease-fire began, Israel on Wednesday launched its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since renewed fighting with Hezbollah broke out on March 2, hitting more than 100 targets in 10 minutes, killing over 300 people, and wounding more than 1,100.

Iran has threatened to abandon the cease-fire process and carry out “STRONG responses” over the continued bombardment of Lebanon and its lack of inclusion in the truce, and Israel is now under rising pressure from the Trump administration to scale back its campaign. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a more “low-key” operation against Hezbollah.

In response, Netanyahu announced that Israel would soon begin direct talks with the Lebanese government on establishing peaceful relations and disarming Hezbollah. Yet he vowed to continue targeting the group, insisting that “there is no cease-fire in Lebanon.”

“A feeling of chaos.” Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations in Lebanon are reporting horrific scenes of human suffering from the Israeli bombing campaign and raising alarm bells about the toll the strikes are taking on the country’s civilians.

Jeremy Ristord, who serves as head of mission for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Lebanon, told SitRep that Wednesday was the “bloodiest day” since the resumption of the Israel-Hezbollah........

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