On a day when Lebanon said 200 of its citizens have been killed in Israeli strikes, its Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said, “We will file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council regarding the Israeli attacks and their expansion in Beirut; this dangerous escalation undermines all efforts to stop the war.” He also ordered the Lebanese Army to deploy in Beirut to maintain security.

Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 203 people were killed in widespread Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Wednesday. It said more than 1,000 were wounded.

The death toll on Wednesday was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah sites.

Meanwhile, the negotiated peace deal between Iran and the United States that had apparently succeeded in bringing respite appeared to be hanging by a thread on Thursday due to what was described as a “legitimate misunderstanding” regarding Lebanon. Less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran, the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and later advised vessels to take alternative routes.

The Lebanon issue: Israel continues to bomb the Lebanese country a day after Iran and Pakistan insisted that the ceasefire applies to the entire area of operations. Israel made its opinion clear by bombing, with troops commanded by Benjamin Netanyahu striking Lebanon the hardest they have ever done, bombing over one hundred sites and resulting in at least 182 casualties.

The Hormuz Strait blockade: In response to Israel’s ‘ceasefire violation,’ Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route, to any oil tankers. This action effectively prevented anyone around the world from celebrating their oil trading affairs, as hundreds of ships have been stranded in the Gulf area while their rate of insurance coverage has gone to an unprecedented cheap rate. After Iran announced closure of the Strait, the US has reportedly demanded that Iran immediately reopen it.

JD Vance stated in a press conference that Lebanon has been misrepresented in terms of its connection to the ceasefire. He said, “We never said anything.” Meanwhile, during a discussion at the Iranian Parliament, chairman Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf indicated that any future discussion about the issue was “unrealistic”.