PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVE

Islamabad reads the Beirut strike through its mediating role in the Iran-US negotiations. Dawn makes a crucial point: the April 17 Lebanon-Israel ceasefire 'forms the foundation of the broader Iran-US war truce, the halt of Israeli strikes on Lebanon being a key Iranian demand in its negotiations with Washington.' By striking Beirut, Israel weakens the argument Iran can make to its domestic audience to justify an agreement — and directly complicates Pakistan's work. Dawn documents that the Lebanese government initiated its highest-level contacts with Israel in decades, via Lebanon's US ambassador — two rounds in Washington on April 14 and 23, a third round planned for the following week. Pakistan observes that Iran watches these talks with extreme suspicion — Hezbollah 'firmly opposes' Lebanon-Israel contacts, and every Israeli strike on Beirut strengthens hardliners in Tehran. Islamabad finds itself in an impossible position: it must convince Tehran that Washington's proposed deal is serious, while Israel — the US's de facto ally — has just struck the capital of the country whose ceasefire was an Iranian condition.