3 min readApr 10, 2026 06:00 AM IST First published on: Apr 10, 2026 at 06:00 AM ISTAhead of scheduled talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad on Friday — the American delegation will include Vice President J D Vance — the fragile two-week ceasefire announced earlier this week already appears to be wavering. On Wednesday, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, whose military adventurism in Iran hasn’t gone according to plan, intensified Israel’s bombing campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, carrying out its deadliest attack so far, killing at least 250 people. In response, Iran has reportedly again closed the Strait of Hormuz, despite the ceasefire’s provision guaranteeing the safe passage of vessels. Iran and mediator Pakistan maintain that Lebanon was part of the deal; the US and Israel have denied this. Should Iran withdraw from the ceasefire over Israel’s assault on Lebanon — potentially triggering a resumption of US military action — diplomacy could again give way to hostilities.US President Donald Trump must rein in Netanyahu, the only player who could arguably benefit politically from a prolonged conflict. The US remains the only actor capable of compelling Israel to alter its course. It did so in June last year, when Israel struck Iran despite a ceasefire in their 12-day war. Israel’s assault on Lebanon has drawn criticism from France, Spain, Italy, the UK and the EU. But Netanyahu, who has earned himself a reputation as a serial disruptor of settlements in recent years, has said that, despite the ceasefire, Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah “wherever necessary”.AdvertisementSince its emergence after the 1982 Lebanon War, Hezbollah has been seen to pose a direct threat to Israel’s security. Yet recent history — including Israel’s devastation of Gaza — would suggest that indiscriminate attacks on Lebanon that are reportedly causing widespread civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure are more likely to help Hezbollah dig in its heels. The Lebanese government has indicated its intent to disarm the militant group, but has so far lacked the capacity. Now, Israel’s plan to establish a new security zone south of the Litani River, in what is its seventh invasion of Lebanon, amounts to illegal annexation amid a deepening humanitarian crisis: More than a million people in Lebanon have been displaced, and more than 1,700 killed. Such a fraught trajectory will only lead to further destabilisation of the country and heighten the risks of a wider conflagration. Trump must press Israel to hold its fire. The security of the entire region — and, by extension, global energy and food security — depends on it.