DUBAI: Iran, the United States and Israel said they reached a deal for a two-week ceasefire, with Tehran saying it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.
Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan, but he later called the plan fraudulent without elaborating.
Trump's threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran hit a new extreme hours before the ceasefire when he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it supports Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn't include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where more than 1,500 people have been killed.
Egypt has called for Israel to immediately stop attacks on Lebanon as part of US President Donald Trump's two-week ceasefire declaration in the region.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the situation in Lebanon remains critical”.
“This declaration of a cessation of military operations must be reflected in Israel immediately ceasing its repeated attacks on brotherly Lebanon,” it said.
Residents of Tel Aviv, Israel, are taking news of the ceasefire with a grain of salt
“A lot is unclear, the feeling is sour,“ Zamir Bakal told The Associated Press, adding, “we're looking forward positively and hope that good things will come out of it”.
After another night disrupted by a blaring missile warning after the announced ceasefire, some residents were jogging on the city's long promenade and playing beach volleyball.
Yehuda Raveh said he believes Israel will be “in a slightly better position” if the agreement extends to the fighting with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but he added, “we did not solve our problems”.
Dan Tzivoni decried what he sees as Israel's lack of political independence, saying Israel “became a little bit a puppet of the United States” and claiming it doesn't know how to translate “very impressive military achievements” into political achievements.
Nizan Yogev sounded optimistic despite the tentative nature of the announcement, saying, “A temporary agreement will become permanent, and we will return to routine.”
Iraq's Civilian Aviation Authority chief Bankin Rekani said the country's airports and airspace have reopened following the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran.
He made the announcement hours after the two-week cessation of hostilities mediated by Pakistan went into effect.
Airspace and flights throughout the region have been disrupted by the war. Baghdad and Irbil's international airports were shuttered and the latter faced threats and attacks.
Families displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war scrambled to pack belongings in hopes of returning home after Pakistan said the Iran war ceasefire would include Lebanon.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed his country's military would press on in Lebanon.
At a displacement camp along Beirut's waterfront, families whiplashed by the conflicting statements expressed confusion and despair.
“We're just stuck,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35. “We can't take this anymore, sleeping in a tent, not showering, the uncertainty.”
His family set out Wednesday for the coastal city of Sidon, where he said they would wait before venturing further south to their abandoned home in Nabatieh.
Others said they expected Israel to escalate operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah even as guns fell silent elsewhere.
“Israel isn't going to give up,” said Shadi Chehadeh, 47, who fled his southern village of Zefta to sleep in his car in Beirut. “They want our land.”
India's foreign ministry on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East Asia and said it expects the “unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce” through the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry in a statement said the fighting has caused “immense suffering” and disrupted global energy supplies and trade. “We have consistently advocated de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy to bring an early end to the conflict,” the ministry said.
The leaders of France, Spain and Finland and top European Union leaders all issued statements welcoming the two-week pause in fighting but urging swift negotiations to bring the war to a permanent end.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the planned pause in fighting between Iran, the United States and Iran as “a very good thing” and said he hopes it “will be fully respected in the whole region and permit negotiations to be held”.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been Europe's loudest critic of the US and Israel's military actions in the Middle East, criticised the threats of violence that preceded the ceasefire announcement.
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket,” Sánchez wrote on X, adding, “What's needed now: diplomacy, international legality, and PEACE.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, and Antonio Costa, the head of the European Council, praised Pakistani mediation efforts in social media posts Wednesday.
The Turkish and Austrian foreign ministries issued statements welcoming the deal and calling for further negotiations. Austria also offered to host talks.
A regional official said Lebanon is included in the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
The official, who is involved in negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pause applies to “all fronts including Lebanon”.
Pakistan, which is a key mediator, has said the ceasefire includes the fighting in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said Wednesday that the ceasefire won't stop his country's fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
China welcomed the ceasefire agreed between Iran and the United States but did not confirm any direct talks with Iran that might have led to acceptance of the agreement.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also welcomed efforts by Pakistan and others, adding without elaborating that China “did its own efforts”.
“We have been advocating for peace talks and a ceasefire,” Mao said in Beijing, adding that Chinese authorities will “keep playing a constructive role” toward peace.
China and Pakistan agreed days earlier to promote a five-point proposal aimed at restoring peace in the Middle East after a monthlong war.
The five points they said they would pursue included an immediate cessation of hostilities, the start of peace talks as soon as possible, ensuring the safety of nonmilitary targets, guaranteeing navigation safety through the Strait of Hormuz and safeguarding the primacy of the UN Charter.