The administration of American President Donald Trump will support the escalation of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, a senior American official suggested according to Axios. The American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused Hezbollah of systematically undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing southern Lebanon and advancing indirect negotiations between Beirut and Jerusalem. As he stated, “Hezbollah repeatedly ignores calls for ceasefire toward Israel, including the latest warning. Israel will never be forced to tolerate attacks against its forces and citizens without response.”
According to the same official, Hezbollah has launched more than a thousand drones and over 700 rockets since April 17, in an attempt to undermine ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. “Today’s status quo is not sustainable,” he characteristically noted. He also added that “Hezbollah bears full responsibility for the current situation. It violated the March 2nd ceasefire and is now seeking to prevent the Lebanese people from following the path of peace and reconstruction.”
The official further noted that Hezbollah “fears the negotiations being conducted by the Lebanese government with Israel with US support,” adding that “this constitutes an existential threat to Hezbollah.”
Finally, he emphasized that “a successful ceasefire under Lebanese government leadership would deprive Hezbollah of its power and narrative.”
Iran accuses US of testing new “weapons system”
Tehran meanwhile accuses the US of having “tested a new weapons system on Iranian civilians” during the war, calling it a heinous war crime.
Specifically, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei released details about an American missile strike on an indoor gymnasium, which occurred on February 28, the first day of the American-Israeli war, and, as he stressed, killed 24 people, including a 2-year-old girl, while injuring more than 130, many of whom now face permanent disabilities.
Baghaei, in a post on platform X, emphasizes that the attack used a new weapons system, specifically air-launched missiles that deployed “high-velocity tungsten pellets that swept the area in all directions with devastating power.”
“This was not a mistake – it was a calculated decision to test the destructive power of a new weapons system on Iranian civilians,” Baghaei stated.
“Such an act constitutes a clear and abhorrent war crime,” noted Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, adding that those who ordered and executed this attack must be held accountable before any competent court.
“The Iranian nation will never forget its martyred sons and daughters. We will neither forget nor forgive this crime,” he concluded.
During a meeting with Dr. Mousa Mousavi, the member of Parliament for Mehr & #Lamerd, I was briefed on the harrowing details of a devastating American missile strike on a sports hall in the city of Lamerd, Fars Province.
On the afternoon of Saturday, 9 Esfand 1404 (28 February… https://t.co/tHr7g6gPIv
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) May 25, 2026
