Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, March 9, 2026. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the assassination of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation on Thursday with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon.
He also expressed his condolences for the loss of thousands of precious lives in these hostilities.
The prime minister said Pakistan was engaged in sincere efforts for regional peace and it was in this spirit that peace talks between Iran and the United States were being convened.
While thanking Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his peace efforts, the Lebanese Prime Minister sought Pakistan’s support to immediately end the attacks on Lebanon and its people.
Both leaders agreed to stay in touch.
Talks with Bahrain, Qatar and Austria
Meanwhile, in separate calls, the prime minister thanked Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa for his support in Pakistan’s mediation efforts and discussed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. He also spoke with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressing hope that “through concerted efforts, peace will soon return to the entire region.”
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, warning that they undermine global efforts for regional peace.
“Pakistan condemns, in the strongest terms, the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives and widespread destruction of infrastructure,” the FO said in a statement.
“Israeli actions undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and fundamental humanitarian principles,” he warned.
Pakistan called on the international community to “take urgent measures to end Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
He reiterated his “unwavering solidarity with the government and people of Lebanon during this difficult time,” adding that he supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its peace and stability.
Lebanon declared a day of national mourning on Thursday after Israeli strikes hit the country.
The Lebanese prime minister’s office stated that Thursday will be “a national day of mourning for the martyrs and wounded of the Israeli attacks against hundreds of innocent and defenseless civilians,” ordering the closure of public administrations and the lowering of flags.
Hours later, Hezbollah said it had fired rockets toward Israel in response to what it called a violation of the truce between the United States and Iran.
There were mixed messages about whether the fighting in Lebanon was included in the truce, and Israel insisted it was not.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had ordered his ministers to begin direct talks with Lebanon, pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah amid growing concern that its continued attacks could lead to the collapse of the fragile truce between the United States and Iran.
A Lebanese government official told AFP shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement that Beirut “wants to declare a ceasefire” before starting any negotiations with Israel, a day after deadly attacks across the country.
At least 300 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded in Wednesday’s bombing, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, while Hezbollah said it engaged in hand-to-hand combat against Israeli forces on the ground on Thursday in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.
Netanyahu’s order to negotiate directly with Lebanon’s government focused on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace, according to a statement from his office, but offered no immediate respite from the bombing.
“Lebanon wants a ceasefire before starting negotiations,” said the Lebanese government official, who has knowledge of the matter and requested anonymity.
As Netanyahu spoke, Israel’s military issued a new evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburbs, just a day after the wave of attacks.
“In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, yesterday I ordered the cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said.
“The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon.”
Separately, US President Trump confirmed to NBC News that he had asked Netanyahu to withdraw attacks in Lebanon to help ensure the success of upcoming negotiations.
“I talked to Bibi (Netanyahu) and he’s going to be discreet. I just think we have to be a little more discreet,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said the group rejected direct negotiations with Israel and that the Lebanese government should demand a ceasefire as a precondition before taking further steps.
The Israeli attack on Lebanon, which the UN called “carnage”, has been condemned around the world.
Brussels, Moscow and Ankara demanded that the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran be extended to Lebanon.
“We view the situation in southern Lebanon with particular concern,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, echoing statements from Paris and London.
“The severity with which Israel is waging war there could cause the peace process as a whole to fail, and that must not be allowed to happen,” he warned.
For his part, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran sees Lebanon as an “inseparable part of the ceasefire” and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s attacks rendered “meaningless” talks with US envoys scheduled for the end of the week in Islamabad.
“We continue to attack Hezbollah with force, precision and determination,” Netanyahu said in a social media post.
“Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will attack them. We will continue to attack Hezbollah whenever necessary.”
The day after the attacks, rescuers were still working hard in the rubble of a building hit in the heart of a beachfront residential neighborhood in Beirut.
Half the building had collapsed, some rooms were split in two by the fatal blow, and a dining room and a water fountain were exposed.
The other half of the building is nothing more than a pile of stone and twisted metal, a report card here, a Saint Joseph University law course there, a child’s stuffed animal.
According to Civil Protection, there are still several bodies under the rubble.
(With contributions from Agencies)
