'Ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon': Belgian foreign minister

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot on Wednesday called for the ceasefire recently brokered between the US and Iran to be expanded to include Lebanon, as deadly Israeli strikes continued in the Lebanese capital.

Prevot said on social media platform X that he was visiting Beirut to reaffirm Belgium's support for Lebanese authorities, condemning a massive Israeli strike that hit just hundreds of meters from the Belgian embassy.

"We were at the embassy with my delegation, just a few hundred metres from where the missiles struck. This must stop. The ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon!" he said.

Prevot also welcomed an offer by Lebanese President Michel Aoun to open official negotiations with Israel toward a ceasefire, saying that a lack of warning before the strikes underscored the urgent need to broaden the truce.

Israel, while continuing to strike Iran, has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since early March, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.

Lebanese authorities said that at least 1,530 people have been killed and 4,812 others injured in the Israeli attacks.

After mediation from Pakistan, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, saying Tehran presented a "workable" 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face widespread destruction.

Regional tensions escalated after US and Israeli attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory strikes by Tehran that targeted Israel and countries hosting US military assets.