Breaking Update
Amid Renewed Tensions, Trump Says Lebanon Not Part of Iran Deal
President Trump stated Lebanon is not part of the US-Iran deal, giving Israel a green light for military action against Hezbollah.
Jerusalem, 8 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Lebanon was not part of the deal the U.S. reached yesterday with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump clarified tonight, effectively signaling that Israel has a green light to continue its military campaign against Hezbollah while Washington pursues a parallel diplomatic track with Tehran.
Asked about ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Trump said the Lebanese theater was outside the scope of the understandings reached with Iran and described it as a separate confrontation.
His remarks reinforced the Israeli position that the temporary pause applies only to the direct U.S.-Iran-Israel axis and does not include Hezbollah.
The statement came as Iran and allied actors escalated warnings that continued Israeli action in Lebanon could unravel the fragile arrangement. Iranian-linked outlets and officials indicated that attacks on Hezbollah could be treated by Tehran as a violation of the broader understanding surrounding the ceasefire, raising the possibility that the two-week pause could collapse before talks even begin.
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed tonight.
Several vessels have reportedly received messages from the Iranian Navy stating that any vessel trying to travel into the strait will be targeted and destroyed.
At the same time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned they will respond if Israel does not stop attacks on Hezbollah, calling it “aggression”. “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,” the Guards warned in a statement aired on state TV.
