Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Senior officials from Pakistan and the European Union have voiced growing concern over what they described as serious violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, highlighting widening divisions over the scope of a fragile truce linked to broader U.S.–Iran de-escalation efforts.
Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, discussed the situation in a phone call on Thursday, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. Both officials stressed the need for the full implementation of the temporary ceasefire across the Middle East, amid mounting reports of continued hostilities in Lebanon.
Kallas, writing separately on the social platform X, delivered a pointed assessment of the conflict. She said that while Hezbollah had drawn Lebanon into the confrontation, Israel’s right to self-defense did not justify what she described as widespread destruction. She warned that Israeli military actions risk placing the U.S.–Iran ceasefire under severe strain and argued that any truce should explicitly extend to Lebanon.
The EU, she added, continues to support efforts by the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah, reflecting a long-standing European position that the group’s military capabilities undermine national sovereignty and regional stability.
However, there remains no consensus among key actors over whether Lebanon is formally included in the ceasefire framework. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice President JD Vance have both indicated that the current two-week agreement does not cover Lebanon.
In contrast, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, stated publicly that Lebanon is part of the truce, a position echoed by Iranian officials. Figures in Tehran have warned that continued Israeli operations in Lebanon could provoke retaliation, further complicating efforts to sustain the ceasefire with Washington.
The divergence in interpretations underscores the fragility of the current diplomatic arrangement, with Lebanon emerging as a critical fault line that could determine whether the broader de-escalation holds.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. The Lebanese Armed Forces said Thursday that four of its soldiers were killed in Israeli airstrikes carried out a day earlier.
According to the army, two soldiers were killed in the eastern Baalbek region, one in Hermel near the Syrian border, and another in the southern coastal city of Sidon. The strikes mark a significant escalation, as they directly targeted members of the Lebanese military rather than exclusively focusing on Hezbollah positions.
As international calls grow for restraint and clarity on the scope of the ceasefire, the continued violence in Lebanon risks pulling additional actors into the conflict and undermining already fragile diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader regional war.
