Deadly exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon put a newly signed deal to end the Middle East war under further strain yesterday, after the postponement of planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
The delay came as Tehran’s top negotiator warned it would not bend on its red lines and that its finger was still “on the trigger,” even as shipping appeared to pick up in the Strait of Hormuz.
The deal signed this week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian aims to end a war that began on Feb. 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Photo: AP
The agreement was also meant to halt the fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has always insisted should be covered under any accord, turning Israel’s ongoing campaign there into a source of frustration for Washington.
The Israeli military yesterday said that it had struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and killed dozens of members of the Iran-backed group in response to what it described as ceasefire violations.
Lebanon said 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the south, while Israel’s military reported four troops were killed, drawing furious reactions at home.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli army would stay in Lebanon “as long as necessary” and would make Hezbollah pay a “heavy price” for its attacks.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said after the soldiers’ deaths that “all of Lebanon must burn.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who presided over Trump’s signing of the deal in Versailles, urged Israel to “respect” the accord, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said.
Preparations had been made to host Iranian and US delegations led by Tehran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock, overlooking Lake Lucerne.
The talks were due to begin on a two-month period of negotiations to discuss outstanding issues not covered by the initial deal, notably Iran’s nuclear program.
The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed the discussions had been postponed, but said it “remains ready to facilitate these talks.”
Quoting diplomats, the Financial Times said Israel’s strikes on Lebanon had led to the postponement, but there was no immediate confirmation.
A diplomatic source from the United Arab Emirates said there were “two spoilers” to the deal — namely that Israel “didn’t like it” and that there was also hardline opposition within Iran.
Ghalibaf said that talks with the US would remain bound by Tehran’s “red lines.”
“If the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we have no hesitation in giving a crushing response to the enemy,” he said in remarks published by the official IRNA news agency.
Vance, meanwhile, has expressed a degree of exasperation with the Israeli government rare for a top US official, telling the New York Times “you can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”
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