EU says Middle East stuck in fragile ceasefire cycle

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warned that if the “evil Zionist-American coalition makes another mistake, the region will become hell for it."

“Forty-seven years and one hundred days of resistance, from the battlefield to the city square, from the city square to politics and diplomacy, has transformed the world’s security order,” Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr said.

“Look for a credible threat somewhere other than Washington and Tel Aviv,” he added. “If the evil Zionist-American coalition once again makes a mistake, the region will become hell for it."

He ended his statement by saying: “Greetings to the martyrs of Dahiyeh.”

Ali Khezrian, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said the Islamic Republic would continue missile operations as long as its enemies keep violating the ceasefire on the “resistance front,” adding that Tehran would no longer tolerate breaches in Lebanon and southern Iran.

Khezrian said the enemy would try to suggest that the Islamic Republic entered a military confrontation while the war was limited to Lebanon, calling that claim “a lie.”

He said the ceasefire had been seriously violated not only in Lebanon but also in southern Iran.

Israel’s security cabinet decided to halt strikes in Iran but continue military operations in southern Lebanon, despite Tehran’s demand for a ceasefire across Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

The decision means the Israel Defense Forces will keep operating in southern Lebanon, even as Israel pauses attacks on Iranian targets.

After a lengthy security cabinet debate, ministers decided the IDF would keep clearing Hezbollah hideouts from villages in southern Lebanon’s security zone, though Israel’s next move remains unclear if Hezbollah continues firing, amid calls by some ministers to expand operations to Beirut’s Dahiyeh, Israel Hayom reported.

A US official quoted by CNN denied Israel’s claim that the United States intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel late Sunday.

The official said the US military “didn’t intercept any” of the Iranian missiles fired overnight, a notable shift from previous rounds of conflict with Iran, when the US used significant numbers of its own missile interceptors to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.

The denial contradicted an assertion earlier Monday by an Israeli military official who said the US assisted Israel’s air defense efforts, including by intercepting some of the Iranian missiles.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged all sides in the Middle East to exercise restraint, warning that the recent surge in violence showed the dangers of a fragile ceasefire and the devastating consequences of renewed escalation.

Sharif said Pakistan was working “earnestly and painstakingly” with its partners to seek a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, adding that the final objective appeared close to being achieved.

“We sincerely urge all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance,” Sharif said.

He called on the parties to remain on the path of diplomacy rather than “violence and destruction,” saying peace efforts still had “bright prospects of success.”