Iran Halts Traffic In the Strait of Hormuz as Israel Launches "Largest Wave" of Airstrikes in Lebanon

by Staff Writer 08-04-2026 | 10:44 PM

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reports that Iran has halted the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz following Israel's latest attacks on Lebanon adding that ships travelling WITHOUT permission will be targetted and destroyed.

The news agency, quoting a senior Iranian Iranian official said, that Tehran will punish the zionist regime in response to the onslaught against Lebanon and the violation of the ceasefire terms.

Meanwhile, the IRGC says that the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS tripoli have been targeted forcing them to retreat to the Indian Ocean.

These moves come after Israel air raids struck central Beirut without warning, just hours after the ceasefire was announced in the United States-Israeli war with Iran.

Despite the ceasefire being a respite for many across the world, its future is uncertain as Israel has launched what the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) calls its "biggest strikes" since the start of its ground operation in Lebanon.

The Israeli military described the bombardment as the largest coordinated strike of the current war, with more than 100 Hezbollah-linked targets hit within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

The Israeli military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centres and intelligence infrastructure, and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.

The Lebanese President has described what the Israeli attacks as a "massacre".

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said that at least 89 people had been killed and over 700 wounded, stressing that the figures were preliminary and likely to rise as rescue workers sifted through the rubble.

Israel had already claimed that the truce did not apply to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite mediator Pakistan saying the agreement extended to that front as well.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif says, "Violations of ceasefire reported from across the conflict zone undermine the spirit of peace process".

Taking to X, the Pakistani Premier "urged all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict."

In this backdrop, a group of Western countries is urging "swift and lasting peace" in Iran, and for "all sides" to adhere to the two-week ceasefire - including in Lebanon.

The statement is signed by leaders from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, the European Commission and the European Council.

The leaders welcomed the two-week ceasefire, thanking Pakistan and intermediaries for "facilitating this important agreement".