Israel Opposition Leaders Slam Netanyahu Over Ceasefire with Iran

 People enter an underground parking garage as sirens warn of an incoming missile fired from Yemen in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
People enter an underground parking garage as sirens warn of an incoming missile fired from Yemen in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
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Israel Opposition Leaders Slam Netanyahu Over Ceasefire with Iran

 People enter an underground parking garage as sirens warn of an incoming missile fired from Yemen in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
People enter an underground parking garage as sirens warn of an incoming missile fired from Yemen in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)

Israel's opposition leaders swiftly criticized the ceasefire with Iran on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to achieve the war's objectives. 

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in an 11th-hour bid to avert all-out destruction of Iran threatened by US President Donald Trump. 

Netanyahu's office said Israel supported Trump's decision to suspend the bombing of Iran, but maintained the ceasefire "does not include Lebanon" where Israeli forces are fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

"There has never been a political disaster like this in our entire history. Israel was not even close to the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security," the country's main opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X. 

"The army carried out everything that was asked of it, and the public showed remarkable resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and did not achieve any of the goals he himself set." 

Netanyahu had set the elimination or at least severe degradation of Iran's nuclear program as a central goal of the war, describing it as an "existential threat" to Israel. 

He also called for the neutralizing of Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, the weakening or potentially toppling of the Iranian regime and the curbing of Tehran's regional influence by targeting its network of allied groups. 

"It will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu caused due to arrogance, negligence, and lack of strategic planning," Lapid said. 

The head of the left-wing Democrats party, Yair Golan, called the ceasefire a "strategic failure" by Netanyahu. 

"He promised a historic victory and security for generations, and in practice, we got one of the most severe strategic failures Israel has ever known," Golan said on X. 

"It's a total failure that endangers Israel's security for years to come." 

Member of parliament and opposition figure Avigdor Liberman also denounced the truce, saying it gave the Iranian regime "an opportunity to regroup". 

"Any agreement with Iran that does not include renouncing the destruction of Israel, uranium enrichment, the production of ballistic missiles, and support for terrorist organizations in the region means that we will have to return to another campaign under more difficult conditions and pay a heavier price," Liberman said on X. 

More reaction was expected to come later on Wednesday after the end of the Jewish holiday of Passover. 

Even as Israel backed Trump's ceasefire plan with Iran, it said the truce did not include Lebanon. 

Israel has been fighting a war with Hezbollah since the Lebanese armed group launched rocket fire at Israel in March after the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. 



Pakistan PM Says US-Iran Ceasefire Violations Reported, Urges Restraint

People wave Iranian national flags as they gather at Enghelab Square following the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
People wave Iranian national flags as they gather at Enghelab Square following the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Pakistan PM Says US-Iran Ceasefire Violations Reported, Urges Restraint

People wave Iranian national flags as they gather at Enghelab Square following the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
People wave Iranian national flags as they gather at Enghelab Square following the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, in Tehran, Iran, 08 April 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that violations of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran "have been reported" and pressed countries to respect the truce.

"Violations of ceasefire have been reported at (a) few places across the conflict zone which undermine the spirit of peace process," Sharif said on X, AFP reported.

"I earnestly and sincerely urge 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."


Germany's Merz Speaks with Trump after Iran Ceasefire, Sources Says

FILED - 03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa
FILED - 03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa
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Germany's Merz Speaks with Trump after Iran Ceasefire, Sources Says

FILED - 03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa
FILED - 03 March 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke with US President Donald Trump by telephone on Wednesday afternoon after the latter's ceasefire with Iran, two German government source told Reuters.

According to Germany's Bild newspaper, whichfirst reported the call, the conversation was brief and friendly, with Merz looking to get an overview on the current state of diplomatic affairs.

The two leaders did not address Germany's possible involvement in securing the Strait of Hormuz, reported Bild.


Iran Downs Israeli-made Drone above Town in South: State TV

An Iranian national flag is placed by the rubble of a collapsed building following strikes at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on April 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
An Iranian national flag is placed by the rubble of a collapsed building following strikes at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on April 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
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Iran Downs Israeli-made Drone above Town in South: State TV

An Iranian national flag is placed by the rubble of a collapsed building following strikes at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on April 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
An Iranian national flag is placed by the rubble of a collapsed building following strikes at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on April 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /

Iranian forces downed an Israeli-made Hermes drone flying above the town of Lar in the south of the country on Wednesday, state television said, citing a statement from the Revolutionary Guards.

"Minutes ago, an advanced Hermes 900 drone was intercepted and destroyed in the sky over Lar, Fars Province, by fire from the Revolutionary Guards' modern aerospace defence system," the statement reported by broadcaster IRIB said.

It added that "the entry of any type of enemy American or Zionist aircraft into the country's skies, even without conducting military operations, is considered a violation of the ceasefire and a decisive response will be given".