The lack of a two-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be a dealbreaker for Iran’s regime as the ceasefire takes effect.

While the Trump administration maintains the deal does not include the Tehran-backed terrorist movement Hezbollah, Iran is threatening to use that exclusion as a pressure point against the U.S., potentially collapsing the entire ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that “The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”

IRAN REVEALS 10-POINT PLAN FOR PEACE WITH THE US – HERE’S WHAT’S IN IT

His comments were later echoed by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz ​Sharif, a key intermediary in ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran over Operation Epic Fury, said the ​two-week ceasefire would include Lebanon.

Hezbollah reneged on a U.S. negotiated November 2024 ceasefire by entering the war against Israel on March 2025 to aid Iran. Many experts say long-term regional security depends on Lebanon’s government and army disarming the terror group.

Edy Cohen, an Israeli security expert on Hezbollah, who was born in Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that “Hezbollah will never disarm itself. From its perspective, it protects two million Shiites. The only way to defeat Hezbollah is to first define it as a terrorist organization. Not to allow its political wing to exist and also to order the Lebanese army to gather in the areas under its control area by area.”

He added that “Dismantling Hezbollah must be carried out in stages. The Lebanese government must first take possession of the heavy weapons. Not to allow it to concentrate except in Dahiya [a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah and Shiite stronghold]. Leave it in one place and control all the roads leading to it. Little by little, it can be dismantled. Israel cannot and should not disarm Hezbollah. It can only assist with bombing from above.”

TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS

On Wednesday, the IDF said it hit over 100 targets in 10 minutes, including, “Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command-and-control centers: Intelligence command centers and central headquarters used by Hezbollah terrorists for directing and planning terror attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.” Reuters, quoting the country’s health ministry, said some 91 people were killed in Beirut, with a total of at least 182 killed nationwide on Wednesday.

The IDF added, “The large-scale strike was based on precise IDF intelligence and was planned meticulously over weeks. Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations. Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible.”

Since the war started and before Wednesday’s attacks, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,530 people in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. The Long War Journal notes “that neither the Lebanese Health Ministry nor Hezbollah has provided an official count of the group’s fallen fighters.”

Guila Fakhoury, whose father, Amer, was kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2019, told Fox News Digital that “Iran and the IRGC are occupying Lebanon through their proxy Hezbollah.” 

Fakhoury, who was born in Lebanon, said, “The majority of Lebanese people believe the actions of Hezbollah caused Israel to occupy southern Lebanon and don’t want Iran and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is threatening the entire government.”

VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL ‘FIND OUT’ TRUMP IS ‘NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND’ IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART

As the president and co-founder of the Amer Foundation, an organization dedicated to help families of illegal detainees and educate on Middle East policy and geopolitics, she said is seeing some positive steps being taken including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun calling for negotiations with Israel.

She said the “only solution is to have peace with Israel. I think there a lot of Shiites who are against Hezbollah… The majority of the Lebanese people just want peace. We hope the Trump administration will push the Lebanese government and Israel’s government to start peace talks.”

Last week, Iran’s regime defied Lebanon’s expulsion order for its ambassador by saying he would stay, further increasing tensions in a country in the crosshairs of the latest fighting between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

Lebanon had declared Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani “persona non grata” to weaken Iran’s diplomatic presence and have a chargé d’affaires at its embassy instead. But the deadline to leave the country was Sunday and an Iranian spokesperson said the ambassador’s mission in Beirut continues.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Lebanon’s government and the Embassy in Washington D.C. for a comment.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Good morning from Brussels.

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The two-week truce agreed by Washington and Tehran on Tuesday evening has left the world on edge.

A meeting between NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump in Washington overnight failed to ease pressure on the transatlantic alliance, after several NATO countries resisted Trump’s calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz over the last weeks.

After more than two hours at the White House, Rutte told CNN that Trump was “clearly” disappointed with many NATO allies, adding: “I can see his point.” The NATO chief said, however, that even if “some” allies had failed to meet their commitments in the Iran operation, “the large majority of Europeans” had been helpful.

In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to withdraw from the 32-member alliance.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” Trump posted on Truth Social overnight after meeting Rutte.

Speaking to Europe Today, former US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder said threats by Trump to pull out of NATO, alongside disputes with European allies over their reluctance to participate in the Iran war, have triggered the “worst crisis” the alliance has ever experienced.

“The last six weeks have been extraordinarily damaging to NATO,” he said, adding: “We see a divided NATO, which has been the goal of first the Soviet Union and then Russia for the better part of 80 years.” Watch.

Meanwhile, the terms of the agreement between the US and Iran remain contested by both sides, with Lebanon’s fate still unclear after Israel carried out a new wave of heavy strikes in the country of the cedars, killing 182 and injuring 890, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

In a call on Wednesday evening with French President Emmanuel Macron, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian stressed the need for a ceasefire in Lebanon, calling it a key condition of Iran’s ten-point plan.

But US Vice President J.D. Vance earlier denied Lebanon was included in the deal, saying the US position focused on Iran and its allies, including Israel and the Gulf Arab states. Macron, who also spoke with Trump, expressed hope Lebanon would be part of the agreement.

Vance will lead a US delegation to Pakistan for talks with Iran starting Saturday.

Israeli bombings in Lebanon amid the regional ceasefire sparked sharp international reactions. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the scale of the killing and destruction was “nothing short of horrific,” adding that “such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief.”

European leaders also reacted. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot was at the Belgian embassy in Beirut a few hundred meters from where missiles struck.”This must stop,” he wrote on X saying the ceasefire must include Lebanon.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a staunch opponent of the war in Iran, also said on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “contempt for life and international law is intolerable,” calling for the EU to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, warned that Italy does not want “a second Gaza.” Tajani also summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Farnesina.

After US-Iran ceasefire deal, Europe faces tough questions

European leaders were quick to hail the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran as a “much-needed de-escalation”, as Ursula von der Leyen put it.

The breakthrough, however, leaves several major questions unanswered for Europeans, who have been largely sidelined from the diplomatic process, Jorge Liboreiro writes.

Chief among them is the Strait of Hormuz, which used to carry a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the war erupted. Europeans have repeatedly voiced their readiness to help secure the waterway, but only after the hot phase of the conflict is over. Now, with the ceasefire deal on the table, they will be asked to make good on their promise. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, a group of about 15 countries is preparing to deploy a “strictly defensive mission” to the strait.

Tehran, however, has indicated it wants to retain tight control of Hormuz, and Donald Trump has floated a “joint venture” to charge vessels for transit, which Brussels considers unlawful.

Besides freedom of navigation, Europeans face the prospect of granting sanctions relief to Iran, which could be hard to stomach given Tehran’s support for Russia’s war on Ukraine. And there are serious concerns about Lebanon’s exclusion from the ceasefire deal.

Read Jorge’s full analysis.

Leaked audio reveals Szijjártó calling Lavrov ahead of crucial EU summit

Several Hungarian investigative news outlets revealed that Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in 2023 to brief him on a debate among EU leaders over whether to open accession talks with Ukraine at a key summit in Brussels.

“Sometimes good-willed direct blackmailing is the best option,” Lavrov said as Szijjártó stepped out of the meeting to call him, according to transcripts of the audio recording, which was leaked days before Hungary’s pivotal general election on Sunday.

The call took place before Orbán lifted his veto and stepped out of the leaders’ meeting for a coffee break, enabling the other 26 EU leaders to approve the start of Ukraine’s membership talks. Szijjártó remained in the room, continuing to observe the negotiations after Orbán left.

Sandor Zsiros has more.

If you have any questions about the Hungarian elections, drop them below this post on our social media. Sándor will reply with another video on Friday.

More from our newsrooms

Two French nationals return to France after four years in Iranian prisons. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens who arrived back in the French capital on Wednesday after nearly four years in detention in Iran on espionage charges.

Investigation reveals major global router breach by Russian GRU. After a major investigation in collaboration with international partners, the FBI has uncovered a large-scale operation by Russian hackers targeting data from governments, armed forces, and critical infrastructure.

We’re also keeping an eye on

– Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for the Economy, holds an exchange of views with MEPs from the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

– Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addresses the Italian parliament.

That’s it for today. Remember to sign up to receive Europe Today in your inbox every weekday morning at 08.30.

“The Pitt” actor Patrick Ball broke down in tears while speaking to Cultured magazine and revealed how the Emmy-winning HBO Max medical series helped him get out $80,000 worth of student loan debt. Ball stars on the show as Dr. Frank Langdon. “The Pitt” is currently airing its second season on the streamer.

“I paid off my student loans like three months into ‘The Pitt,’ and that was a really profound moment because I thought I was gonna die with it,” Ball said through tears. “It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it. I was $80,000 in debt and I had been through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem. I had just thought that was going to be my life forever, and that is a really heavy thing to live with.”

Ball added, “Paying off those student loans and getting back to zero, I remember being like, ‘Man, if this show works, great. If it doesn’t work, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt.’ No take-backsies on that.”

Ball earned a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for best supporting actor in a drama series thanks to his performance on “The Pitt.” He won a SAG Award as part of the show’s ensemble cast, which is headlined by Emmy winner Noah Wyle. Prior to being cast in “The Pitt,” Ball was leaning towards a life outside of Hollywood all together.

“The financial outlook can be bleak. I was looking for an off-ramp,” Ball told the publication, noting his then-girlfriend’s dad was trying to convince him to join the FBI. He was later working four jobs when he moved to New York City.

“I was working at a coffee shop, I was working at a restaurant, I was working as a wardrobe assistant for ‘And Just Like That,’ I was doing these corporate coaching seminars,” he continued. “I don’t think I’ve told anybody this story, but I was doing these seminars where they’d bring me into Blackrock and Blackstone and Goldman Sachs, and they would want to teach these young administrators how to have difficult conversations, à la how to fire somebody. They would bring me in as an actor so that these administrators could get practice firing someone. So I have been fired more than anyone you’ve ever met, I promise you. I’ve been fired thousands of times. And then the call for ‘The Pitt’ came in and everything was different.”

Head over to Cultured’s website to read Ball’s profile in its entirety.