Iran wildly accused the US of breaking the two-week cease-fire as Israel launched its largest-ever blitz on Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Mohsen Rezaee, one of Tehran’s most senior officials, said Washington would be responsible for the truce collapsing before lashing out at Israel, which he branded the “Zionist enemy” in the hate-filled X tirade Wednesday.
“The responsibility for the collapse of the ceasefire lies with America, which either does not want to or cannot leash its rabid dog,” the ex-commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wrote.
“Violations of the ceasefire by America will also not be tolerated.”
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed three elements of Tehran’s 10-point plan had been breached.
He cited the Israeli onslaught in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace, and Tehran being blocked from enriching uranium.
“Now the very ‘workable basis on which to negotiate’ has been openly and clearly violated, even before the negotiations begin,” he wrote.
“In such [a] situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened to unleash a “bigger, better, and stronger” assault if the clerical regime doesn’t uphold its side of the peace bargain.
“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’” Trump said.
But, whether or not the truce applies to Lebanon has proved to be a source of contention.
Israel claims Lebanon is excluded and continues to carry out its campaign rooting out Hezbollah proxies, with Trump siding with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Because of Hezbollah. They were not included in the deal. That’ll get taken care of too. It’s alright,” Trump told PBS, explaining the reason.
On Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Force launched its largest airstrikes on Hezbollah – striking more than 100 targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Haneed Sayed, Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs, said the barrage represented a “very dangerous turning point.”
“These hits are now at the heart of Beirut … Half of the sheltered are in Beirut in this area,” she said.
At least 182 people were killed in the attacks, branded “barbaric” by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and 890 were injured.
Concerns are now mounting that the Israeli strikes could be a death knell to the already fragile-looking ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned the attacks “pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire.”
Qatar branded the strikes “heinous” and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed Macron’s fears.
Hezbollah fired rockets in northern Israel Thursday in retaliation – its first since the ceasefire came into place.
With Post wires
