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Israeli tanks moving through southern Lebanon. / Courtesy of Reuters-Yonhap News

Concerns are mounting that the painstakingly negotiated ceasefire agreement is shaking as the United States and Iran exchange retaliatory airstrikes and counterattacks surrounding assaults on commercial vessels, rapidly escalating military tensions once again.

According to Reuters and other media outlets, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement on the 27th (local time) and announced, "We conducted airstrikes against military facilities inside Iran in response to Iran's continued attacks on commercial shipping." The U.S. military explained that it struck 10 military targets, including reconnaissance infrastructure, communication facilities, air defense bases, and drone storage facilities.

CENTCOM asserted that these airstrikes were carried out as retaliation against Iran's attack on a commercial vessel the previous day, and that even afterward, Iran targeted a commercial ship once again using one-way attack drones at around 4:30 a.m. this morning, Eastern Time. The stance of the U.S. side is that Iran has virtually broken the ceasefire agreement on its own.

U.S. President Donald Trump also confirmed the reality of the airstrikes through his social media platform, Truth Social, and warned, "A moment might come soon when we must militarily finish the job we successfully started. If that happens, Iran will no longer exist." This is interpreted to mean that the U.S. will not rule out large-scale military action should negotiations collapse.

However, Iran did not back down. According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency on the 28th, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that in response to the U.S. airstrikes, it struck eight major U.S. military facilities using missiles and drones, including the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet base at Port Salman in Bahrain.

Iran also warned that the U.S. airstrikes constitute a violation of the ceasefire, and emphasized that if this situation continues, it could halt negotiations with the United States.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is also shaking once again. According to Reuters and AFP, the Israeli military conducted drone airstrikes on the 27th in the Nabatiyeh region of southern Lebanon, a key stronghold of Hezbollah.

The Israeli military explained, "This was an operation targeting terror suspects who pose a threat to our security." These airstrikes took place just one day after Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement for peace under the mediation of the United States.

Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared the agreement null and void, stating, "The agreement concluded in Washington is humiliating and constitutes a surrender of sovereignty," and added, "We will continue to exert pressure until Israel completely withdraws from Lebanon."

                                                                                                         Nam Mi-kyung