US President Donald Trump's Iran peace bid has been shattered on day one after Israel defied a major point of the agreement and launched major attacks on Lebanon. At least 18 people have been killed by waves of air-strikes and artillery fire on Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, forcing the cancellation of today's peace talks in Switzerland.
Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed, one of them a Lieutenant Colonel, in fierce fighting as strikes also hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's eastern Beqaa Valley. A further five Israeli soldiers have been injured by a drone attack on their position. The attacks and ensuing intense fighting are some of the most violent and deadly the region has seen in weeks, despite Trump vowing peace in Lebanon.
Trump's MOU Faces Immediate Crisis
Israel sees its exclusion from peace negotiations with Iran as a betrayal since Operation Epic Fury was a joint assault on Iran's military, nuclear programme and its regime. Many Israelis are furious Trump's negotiators agreed to include a no-fighting in Lebanon clause in the talks with Iran, which had been a red-line for Tehran. Trump's signing at Versailles put the 60-day ceasefire and negotiation framework into effect, though key issues remain unresolved.
The disagreement has led to growing tension between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump has been openly critical of Netanyahu's recent moves, saying the day before the agreement was signed that "without the U.S. there would be no Israel." He added: "I have had a great relationship with Bibi. Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon."
Israel's Stance on Southern Lebanon
Israel is lobbying Washington heavily about keeping troops in Lebanon, which would be a clear breach of Trump's Iran memorandum of understanding. Most Israelis see keeping a troop presence in southern Lebanon as an essential buffer to protect northern communities against Hezbollah cross-border attacks. Netanyahu told Trump during a phone call that Israel will not leave southern Lebanon "as long as Israel's security needs require it."
Peace Talks Cancelled
Further talks were expected in Burgenstock, Switzerland but have already been cancelled over the latest flare-up. US Central Command says it has lifted its blockade on Iranian ports as Tehran says its Persian Gulf Strait Authority has been charged with issuing permits for commercial vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei appears to have endorsed negotiations, saying in a statement that "it is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy's opinion." Vice President JD Vance, who disliked the idea of war with Iran, has increasingly become the administration's face of the conflict and issued a blunt warning to Israel, saying Trump was "the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time."
