The Middle East teetered between hope and despair on Thursday, within a day of a two-week ceasefire being announced, as the United States and Iran accused each other of violating the terms of the truce, Israel intensified its bombardment of Lebanon, and Iran continued its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post late on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that US forces would remain around Iran until "the real agreement reached is fully complied with".

He said these would include all US ships, aircraft, military personnel with additional ammunition, and "anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already degraded enemy".

Noting that the terms of a tentative truce are "clear and explicit", Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on social media that "the US must choose" between a "ceasefire or continued war via Israel", emphasizing that "it cannot have both".

"The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the US court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments," he added.

On Wednesday, Israel launched widespread strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon, killing more than 250 people. The death toll was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Hezbollah group, The Associated Press reported.

Iran has called the Israeli strikes a blatant violation of the ceasefire terms, which it said include a stop to the fighting in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump have said the terms do not include the issue of Lebanon.

Amid looming uncertainty in the Middle East, China has called on relevant parties to stay calm and exercise self-restraint and de-escalate the situation in the region.

"Lebanon's sovereignty and security should not be violated. Civilians and their property must be protected," Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

"We hope relevant parties will seize the opportunity for peace, bridge differences through dialogue and consultation, and work for restoring peace and stability to the region at an early date," she added.

In response to the latest attacks in Lebanon, Iran, which allowed a few vessels smooth passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, is once again exercising its full control over the critical maritime corridor that typically handles one-fifth of global crude.

Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart on Thursday suggesting the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has placed sea mines along the strait, as uncertainty hangs over the two-week ceasefire and further negotiations are expected in Islamabad, Pakistan.

"All vessels intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are advised to take alternative routes to ensure maritime safety and avoid potential sea mine hazards," the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement quoted by Xinhua News Agency.

Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire deal, condemned Israel's widespread attacks in Lebanon on Thursday, saying that these "undermined international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region". Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media that the US and its allies had agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, "including Lebanon".

The United Nations, France, Italy, Spain, Turkiye, Qatar and the United Kingdom have also condemned the strikes.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that the ongoing military activity in Lebanon "poses a grave risk to the ceasefire and the efforts toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region".

A statement released by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel supports all US efforts to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear threat to the US, Israel, Arab states, and the rest of the world. "The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon," it added.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that it has "eliminated" Muhammad Samir Muhammad Washah, whom it called "a Hamas terrorist operating as an Al Jazeera journalist".

The IDF also claimed that it has killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in Beirut.

Meanwhile, several protests are scheduled across Israel this weekend to oppose the fighting in Lebanon, which organizers describe as "attempts by the Israeli government to undermine the ceasefire with Iran".

Amid this dizzying pace of events in the Middle East, US Vice-President J.D. Vance is expected to lead negotiators from Washington during the first round of talks with Iran in Pakistan on Friday.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com