A two-week cessation of hostilities has not ended the military threats and actions which are targeting civilians and infrastructure as journalists are killed in Gaza and neighborhoods leveled in Lebanon
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Wednesday April 15, 2026
Geostrategic Analysis
Talks held between the Lebanese government and the State of Israel in Washington, D.C. on April 14 did not reach any agreement to end the assault by Tel Aviv against the people of Beirut and other areas in the south and other areas of the country of 6 million people.
After a ceasefire was announced one week earlier when United States President Donald Trump accepted the ten-point plan for discussions put forward by the Islamic Republic of Iran which led to talks in Pakistan the following weekend, the administration in Washington later denied that Lebanon was included in the temporary ceasefire which was contrary to what Tehran and Pakistan had noted.
The Israeli occupation forces then unleashed the heaviest bombardment against Lebanon in the recent phase of the war. It was reported that more than 300 people were killed on April 8. Residential areas were hit hard under the guise that these neighborhoods were strongholds of the Hezbollah resistance movement.
Hezbollah has been the only armed forces which are defending the country against the Israeli military. Several attempts to break through the Hezbollah defenses in the South have been met with fierce resistance.
Over the last six weeks, Hezbollah has resumed its firing of missiles into the northern occupied territories of Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have imposed strict censorship over the actual damage being done to the apartheid state by Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC). Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had reached a ceasefire agreement through mediation by France in November 2024.
Nonetheless, there had been hundreds of violations of the agreement on the part of the Israeli occupation forces. The Lebanese government has been unwilling to confront the Israelis and therefore participated in the talks at the State Department on April 14.
Yet, Hezbollah has rejected the political direction of the Lebanese government. Although Hezbollah is part of that government, it does not have control over the foreign policy of the state under the sectarian structures which characterizes Lebanon.
In a report published by Al Mayadeen on April 15, it emphasized:
“The southern city of Bint Jbeil continues to demonstrate ‘rare resilience’ in the face of intense Israeli fire, as Resistance fighters remain steadfast on the battlefield, Lebanese Member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah affirmed on Wednesday. Speaking during a press conference at the Lebanese Parliament, Fadlallah emphasized that the Resistance ‘does not recognize withdrawal’, noting that fighters continue to launch attacks against Israeli occupation forces from and around the city, while the Israeli military struggles to establish a foothold in frontline villages. He added that the Israeli occupation is seeking to manufacture a ‘false image of victory’ in Bint Jbeil to counter deeply rooted perception of its fragility, invoking the notion of the entity as a ‘spider’s web’. According to Fadlallah, Resistance drones and missile operations continue to inflict significant losses on Israeli forces.” (https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-mp–resistance-rejects-us-backed-political-course)
This fierce resistance has mirrored the developments in Iran. Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran have maintained close relations for decades.
Since February 28, the level of resistance and retaliation against Washington and Tel Aviv has been astonishing to the international community. The Trump administration has announced on numerous occasions from the beginning of the attacks on Tehran which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials, that the war had been won already by the U.S. and Israel.
Yet, thousands of troops have been deployed to the Persian Gulf. The White House has upheld the illegal bombing of Lebanon and the blatant violation of the ceasefire of November 2024.
Iran Threatens to Retaliate for U.S. Attempted Blockade of Its Ports
A high-level delegation from Pakistan visited the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 15 bringing a message from the Trump administration related to their terms for another round of talks in Islamabad. The potential for additional talks would involve technical issues involving the situation near the Strait of Hormuz which Iran is controlling.
The Trump administration announced on April 13 that it was imposing its own blockade over the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Iran to accept its ever changing views on the war and its purpose. Although Trump has claimed that Washington is controlling entry and exit from the Strait, tracking data indicate that some vessels are able to pass through the waterway.
An article published by Press TV on April 15 said of the current situation in the region that:
“Iran’s top military commander, Major General Ali Abdollahi, has issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that any attempt to block maritime trade in the Persian Gulf or Sea of Oman would be met with decisive action. In remarks made on Wednesday, General Abdollahi, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, emphasized that if the US continues its illegal maritime blockade and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers, it would be a violation of the ceasefire agreement. He added that Iran’s military forces would not allow any exports or imports to take place in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or the Red Sea.” (https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/15/766923/Iran-s-top-general-warns-US-over-illegal-naval-blockage-in-Persian-Gulf-)
These comments reveal the potential for even more economic distress on a world scale. Since the beginning of the Israel-US attacks on Iran, fuel prices have skyrocketed. The price of fuel and the increasing scarcity of availability of petroleum and natural gas portend much for the well-being of the peoples of the industrialized capitalist states as well as the Global South.
Iran through its True Promise 4 military campaign launched thousands of drones and missiles at the apartheid state occupying Palestine. In addition, the Persian Gulf Arab Monarchies who allow their territories to serve as bases for Pentagon military forces were hit with thousands more drones and missiles causing tremendous physical and economic damages.
As a direct result of the US-Israeli initiated war on Iran and Lebanon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is suggesting that a world recession could take place within a few months. These remarks are not taking into consideration the already devastating impact of the Trump tariffs policy which has caused confusion and the closure of small and medium sized enterprises.
In countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Malawi, Somalia, the Philippines, and many other geopolitical regions throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, the problems associated with the war are causing shortages of fuel, natural gas, fertilizer and many other essential goods. Even within the industrialized capitalist states of Europe and North America, the actual prices for goods and services particularly related to food, housing and energy are rising at an alarming rate.
The above-mentioned Iranian General was quoted as saying:
“Should the aggressive and terrorist United States continue its illegal action of naval blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action by the US will be the precursor to violating the ceasefire, and the powerful Iranian armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea. Iran will take strong measures to defend its national sovereignty and interests.”
Therefore, the White House has set the stage for an even worse economic crisis internationally. This unfolding quagmire will be met with more militant resistance against the fascism of the Trump administration and the expanding war machine of the Pentagon.
Palestinians Still Being Dislocated and Killed
Since the beginning of the Israeli-US war against Iran, the events inside Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have been overshadowed in the western corporate media. Nonetheless, the publications coming out of the region which support the resistance have reported extensively on events in Gaza.
In the West Bank more illegal settlements are being approved by the Zionist state. This further encroachment against the Palestinian people is being carried out through violence perpetrated by settler gangs and the security forces.
Several targeted assassinations of journalists have taken place in Gaza and Lebanon. The overall number of journalists killed in Gaza is estimated to be more than 200 since October 2023.
The Committee to Protect Journalists pointed out on April 8:
“Israel carried out deadly strikes in both Gaza and Lebanon on Wednesday, killing journalists Mohammed Samir Washah, Ghada Dayekh, and Suzan Khalil in a sharp escalation of attacks on the press. Washah, a correspondent for Qatari-based Al Jazeera Mubasher, was killed when his car was targeted by an Israeli drone attack in Gaza City. In Lebanon, separate Israeli strikes killed Dayekh, a presenter with Sawt Al-Farah, and Khalil, a reporter and presenter on Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio. These killings come amid intensified Israeli bombardment across Lebanon, hours after a ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the United States, including more than 100 strikes launched within minutes despite ceasefire announcements.” (https://cpj.org/2026/04/israel-kills-3-journalists-in-gaza-and-lebanon-in-one-day-cpj-calls-for-international-action/)
These developments in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and the entire Persian Gulf are interconnected. Until the U.S. withdraws its military presence and support for the settler-colonial state there can be no peace in West Asia.
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Distributed By: THE PAN-AFRICAN RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION PROJECT–
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