Senate

Graham on Israel-Lebanon ceasefire: ‘Last thing’ US needs is to ‘throw Hezbollah a lifeline’

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by Sarah Davis - 04/16/26 5:51 PM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 04/16/26 5:51 PM ET

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) responded on Thursday to the new short-term ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

“While I appreciate every effort to bring peace through diplomacy in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, we have to be realistic about the situation on the ground,” the GOP senator wrote on the social platform X.

“The last thing we need to do in the name of peace is throw Hezbollah a lifeline by restricting Israel’s ability to attack this terrorist organization,” he continued.

President Trump announced earlier Thursday that the two countries had agreed to a 10-day halt in fighting amid the Iran war. Israel has been targeting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia, in the country. Israeli strikes have killed almost 2,200 people in Lebanon.

The temporary ceasefire agreement with Lebanon could be a major development in the U.S.’s negotiations for a peace deal with Iran, amid ongoing diplomatic activity between American and Iranian officials.

The U.S. and Israel launched joint military operations on Iran amid nuclear deal negotiations at the end of February. After Trump announced a two-week halt in fighting between the two sides last week, Tehran insisted that Lebanon be covered under this temporary peace agreement.

The truce between Lebanon and Israel went into effect at 5 p.m. EDT, the equivalent of midnight local time in both countries.

Graham, a strong advocate for Israel and outspoken critic of Iran and Hezbollah, expressed hesitation about the effectiveness of this deal.

“I will not support any agreement regarding peace in Lebanon that fails to convince me that it will result in the disarmament and demise of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization,” the senator said. “They are a threat to the United States, Israel and the region.”

“I look forward to reviewing any peace plan to see if it accomplishes this basic task,” he continued. “Any plan needs to be submitted to Congress, the same position I took in previous administrations.”

Graham’s views on the war have drawn criticism from some of his Republican colleagues, as the known war hawk urged the Trump administration to increase the scale of its attacks on Iran.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) accused “Washington’s war machine” of attempting to make the conflict “another Iraq” in an X post at the end of March.

“And yes, when we say Washington’s war machine, we mean Lindsey Graham,” she added.

After Trump announced a temporary ceasefire with Iran, Graham toned down his calls to ramp up military operations, saying he supported the peace efforts.

“Not only do I support @POTUS and his team’s efforts to negotiate with Iran to find a solution to the threats this regime presents to the region and the world, I encourage it. It is the outcome I seek, not the method,” Graham wrote on X.

“If diplomacy can achieve these objectives, I would not only support it, but I would also prefer it because war literally is hell.”

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