{"id":1468,"date":"2026-06-19T10:28:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:28:05","slug":"can-us-iran-peace-deal-survive-israeli-bombing-of-lebanon-explainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=1468","title":{"rendered":"Can US-Iran peace \u2018deal\u2019 survive Israeli bombing of Lebanon? | Explainer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>8 Minute, 39 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

The fragile United States-Iran peace agreement<\/a> is hanging by a thread as Israel intensifies its military campaign in southern Lebanon, raising fears it could unravel before formal negotiations are completed.<\/p>\n

The agreement, which the US and Iran signed earlier this week, triggers a 60-day negotiation period for the two to reach a formal peace deal, and talks were supposed to begin in Switzerland on Friday.<\/p>\n

However, US Vice President JD Vance cancelled his flight to Switzerland on Thursday night at the last minute after Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon<\/a>, which killed at least 18 people, after which Iran said its negotiators were not prepared to begin talks until the agreement, which stipulates that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire, showed signs of being implemented.<\/p>\n

Analysts say Israel\u2019s continued bombardment of southern Lebanon is poised to derail any hope of ending the war in the Middle East. Israel currently occupies one-fifth of Lebanon, which it has subjected to near-daily attacks since early March. More than 3,000 people have been killed, and more than one million have been displaced from their homes.<\/p>\n

While the US-Iran agreement stipulates that both sides will commit to ensuring the \u201cterritorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon\u201d, Israeli officials have stated this week that their forces will not withdraw from the territory. Ministers in Israel have said \u201call of Lebanon must burn.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, can the deal survive in the face of Israeli bombing? And can President Donald Trump rein in Israel\u2019s Benjamin Netanyahu?<\/p>\n

\"President
President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Vice President JD Vance listen in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington, Dc [Mark Schiefelbein\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why have Iranian and US negotiators cancelled trips to Switzerland?<\/h2>\n

Neither side has given an official reason for cancelling trips to begin the awaited talks,\u00a0which were to be held at the Burgenstock Resort in Stansstad, near Lucerne in central Switzerland.<\/p>\n

A statement from the White House noted that \u201cthe plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalised,\u201d adding that the Vance-led delegation is \u201cprepared to depart at the first available opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, it added, \u201cthe logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now, the Vice President is not departing tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that there was no confirmation that Iranian negotiators would travel for talks, because they first wanted \u2060to see signs that the interim agreement, which includes Lebanon in the US-Iran ceasefire, is being implemented.<\/p>\n

The Swiss Foreign Ministry followed up with a statement, saying talks to implement the preliminary deal struck between Tehran and \u2060Washington to end the war have been \u201cpostponed\u201d.<\/p>\n

No new date has yet been set for talks to commence, despite the 60-day clock for a deal to be reached beginning on Thursday this week.<\/p>\n

\"lebanon\"
Israeli military vehicles drive on a Lebanese road by the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, June 18, 2026 [Gil Eliyahu\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s happening in Lebanon?<\/h2>\n

Just after midnight local time on Thursday night (21:00 GMT), residents in southern Lebanon woke up to the start of an intense Israeli bombardment of their villages and cities, hours before US-Iran talks were scheduled to begin in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

The attacks have so far killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens, with the largest number of bodies pulled out from a bombed-out residential building in Harouf village.<\/p>\n

Israel has been on one of its deadliest sprees of attacks on southern Lebanon since its ally, the US, came into an agreement with Iran to end the hostilities on all fronts \u2013 including Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Israel began near-daily attacks on Lebanon in early March, when the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in response to the US-Israeli attacks on Tehran that killed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top Iranian officials.<\/p>\n

Israeli attacks have continued despite a US-brokered \u201cceasefire\u201d in April. Now, despite the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU), they are continuing.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Friday, Israel\u2019s military said attacks on southern Lebanon overnight, which have continued through the morning, were a response to Hezbollah\u2019s \u201crepeated violations of the ceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hezbollah acknowledged attacks on Israeli military positions inside Lebanon. Soon after, the Israeli military announced that four of its soldiers had been killed during combat in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s political ally, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli national security minister, said \u201call of Lebanon must burn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not forfeit,\u201d Ben-Gvir wrote in a post on X, adding that, in the region, you needed to \u201cgo berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"lebanon\"
A man smokes a cigarette as he stands with a relative at his house, damaged by an Israeli air strike, while they look at neighbouring houses that were destroyed. The men returned to their village after being displaced by the war, following the deal between the US and Iran, in Qlailieh, Tyre district, Lebanon, June 18, 2026 [Zohra Bensemra\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What does the peace agreement say about Lebanon?<\/h2>\n

The first clause of the MoU signed by the US and Iran on Wednesday this week addresses the question of Lebanon.<\/p>\n

The US and Iran have agreed to the \u201cimmediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon\u201d, it states.<\/p>\n

Additionally, it says, both sides will commit to ensuring the \u201cterritorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, there is no mention of Israel in the MoU at all, leaving interpretation of this clause wide open, experts say.<\/p>\n

Given that the agreement is solely between the US and Iran \u2013 Israel and Hezbollah are not signatories \u2013 it is unclear how a ceasefire in Lebanon would be implemented, or whether it means Iran must stop funding Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has noted that Tehran \u201cdoes not separate the United States and the Israeli regime\u201d, adding that it is the responsibility of the US to ensure Israel respects commitments made under the memorandum.<\/p>\n

How has Israel responded to the US-Iran agreement?<\/h2>\n

There is fury in Israel over the deal \u2013 and political allies and opposition alike are circling Prime Minister Netanyahu over it.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Israel was reportedly neither privy to negotiations nor allowed to review the text before it was signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu has said \u201cthe battle is not over yet,\u201d and \u201cIsrael still faces additional challenges,\u201d noting that the military would not withdraw from occupied Lebanese land.<\/p>\n

Israel \u201cwill restore security to the north\u201d, and this requires \u201cmaintaining the security strip in southern Lebanon\u201d, from which Israel will not withdraw \u201cas long as Israel\u2019s security needs require it\u201d, Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement: \u201cNetanyahu and I are pursuing a clear policy under which the [military] will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza for an unlimited period of time in order to protect the border and Israeli communities from there against jihadist elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

These statements come against the backdrop of simmering tensions between Washington and Israel.<\/p>\n

At the G7 summit in France, Trump criticised Netanyahu\u2019s bombing tactics in Lebanon that have led to large numbers of civilian casualties.<\/p>\n

He told reporters from the sidelines of the summit that Israel had been fighting Hezbollah \u201ctoo long and too many people are being killed\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to knock down an apartment house every time you\u2019re looking for somebody because there\u2019s a lot of people in those apartment houses \u2013 and they\u2019re not all Hezbollah,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Vice President Vance also lashed out at Israeli cabinet ministers for speaking out against the deal on Thursday. \u201cWhat is your exact proposal? You\u2019re a country of nine million people. You can\u2019t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,\u201d he said, addressing Israeli leaders.<\/p>\n

\"iran\"
Women carrying a child walk past a mural depicting former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures, on the day Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem delivers a televised speech, near the burial site of Hassan Nasrallah on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 17, 2026 [Mohamed Azakir\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Could Israel torpedo the peace deal?<\/h2>\n

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that the onus is now on US President Trump to \u201cdecide whether he wants the MoU to stand or not\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants the deal to survive, he has to exercise American leverage, not just to reprimand Netanyahu, but to force him to stop the war in Lebanon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From Tehran\u2019s perspective, Vaez said, \u201cif [Trump] is unwilling or unable to rein Netanyahu in, no deal with the US is worth the paper it is written on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tahani Mustafa, a visiting fellow on the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said \u201cthe MoU does not necessarily guarantee that Israel is going to behave or not try to torpedo the process, especially given the tensions between the US and Israel,\u201d in addition to domestic pressure on Netanyahu, who faces national elections by October this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [Israel] could well try to torpedo this [deal], and we\u2019ve seen in the past where Israel has been defiant despite what the US has often tried to sort of push it towards,\u201d she told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

The only thing that can guarantee further negotiations to secure the deal \u201cis serious, hard pressure on Israel \u2013 but Washington has shown that it really doesn\u2019t have the political will to do that\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n

That leaves keeping the peace talks on track down to Iran, \u201ceven if that means Israel\u2019s bombing of Lebanon continues, which it most likely will\u201d, Mustafa noted.<\/p>\n

Vaez of Crisis Group, however, said continued killings in Lebanon would quickly unravel the negotiations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran might be able to afford to delink Lebanon at some point down the road, but not when the ink isn\u2019t fully dry on the MoU,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fragile United States-Iran peace agreement is hanging by a thread as Israel intensifies its military campaign in southern Lebanon, raising fears it could unravel before formal negotiations are completed. The agreement, which the US and Iran signed earlier this week, triggers a 60-day negotiation period for the two to reach a formal peace deal,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-international-news","8":"category-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}