Leaked reports suggest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers he had secured U.S. approval for a military operation in Lebanon, raising concerns over the collapse of the Washington-backed ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024.

This coincided with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, announcing a visit to Beirut with an economic delegation, while

Lebanon’s government seeks to maintain distance from Tehran, recently declining an official visit to Iran, citing “current circumstances.”