Israel's Intense Strikes on Lebanon Cast Doubt on West Asia Peace Prospects

Tehran. Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, Israel launched its most intense attack on Lebanon to date, casting uncertainty over hopes for peace in West Asia. 

On Wednesday, Israeli military aircraft bombed various regions of Lebanon, resulting in 254 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Following this attack, Iran warned that it would be 'pointless' to participate in the planned permanent peace agreement talks with the United States.

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire. According to him, while Israel is escalating a parallel war against Hezbollah, the US is acting against the spirit of the agreement by pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Under these circumstances, the future of the peace talks, scheduled to begin later this week, remains in limbo.

There is a clear disagreement between the US, Israel, and Iran regarding the scope of the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Vice President JD Vance have clarified that the two-week ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon. 

Vance remarked that the Iranian side has a 'misunderstanding' that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, along with 13 European nations, Japan, and Canada, have condemned the Israeli attacks and demanded that Lebanon be included in the ceasefire.

Claims from both sides also clash on the nuclear issue. President Trump claimed via social media that Iran has agreed to stop uranium enrichment and destroy its stockpiles. However, Iranian negotiator Ghalibaf maintains that under the terms of the ceasefire, Iran is permitted to continue uranium enrichment. 

The impact of the war is also visible in the global market. Although oil prices fell by 14 percent following news of the ceasefire, Iran's obstruction of the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabian oil pipelines keeps the risk of an energy crisis alive. Israel's threat that it has its 'finger on the trigger' and could return to war at any moment has spread fear in Lebanon and surrounding areas. Hezbollah has also fired rockets into northern Israel in response to Israeli violations.

Although both sides claim victory in this five-week-long war, the core disputes remain unresolved. Analysts suggest that the military campaign launched by Trump and Netanyahu on February 28, with the aim of toppling the Iranian regime and ending its nuclear program, has not significantly weakened Iran's power. 

While people in the streets of Tehran celebrated the ceasefire, they themselves do not seem convinced that this peace will be sustainable due to the volatile policies of Israel and Trump.