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Strikes derail ceasefire
Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 32 people despite a ceasefire being in place, as the violence threatened to derail talks between the United States and Iran aimed at cementing a fragile peace process.
“Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 32 people despite a ceasefire being in place, with the violence threatening to derail talks between the United States and Iran aimed at cementing a fragile peace process”
Al Jazeera reported that there had been more than 100 Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon since midnight, with civilians among those killed and wounded in Tyre.
Lebanon’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 16 people and wounded 12 in the Nabatieh district in the country’s south on Saturday, while Lebanon’s National News Agency said a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli attack on the village of Kfar Reman.
Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride said the situation points to the "shaky nature" of this ceasefire, and that the negotiating process seems to be reliant upon Lebanon and what happens in the coming days and weeks.
The Lebanese army said in a statement on Saturday that the continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon aimed to obstruct efforts to restore stability in the country.
Talks in Switzerland
As Israeli air raids and drone attacks continued in southern Lebanon, Vice President JD Vance departed for Switzerland from Joint Base Andrews to take part in direct long-term peace talks with Iran, saying he would be in Switzerland for "a day or two."
Vance said he was hoping to make progress on the nuclear issue and on the Lebanon ceasefire issue, while Pakistan and Qatar served as mediators between the U.S. and Iran throughout the war.
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed over ceasefire violations after Israel continued deadly strikes in southern Lebanon, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned ships not to approach the waterway.
U.S. Central Command denied the claim, saying "Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case," even as the dispute over the strait added pressure to the talks.
The Guardian reported that Donald Trump declared "NO TOLLS" would be charged on ships seeking to pass through the strait during or after the 60-day interim ceasefire.
What’s at stake
The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding explicitly states that ending the war in Lebanon is an integral part of the broader ceasefire arrangement across all fronts, and Al Jazeera reported that Iran views a ceasefire in Lebanon as essential to the diplomatic process.
“Dozens killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon”
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121 others, underscoring the scale of the fighting that the talks are meant to stop.
The Lebanese member of parliament Najat Aoun Saliba told Al Jazeera that people in Lebanon are tired and have had enough of the killing and destruction, adding that it is "costing us [the government] a lot of money and a lot of pain."
Hezbollah said on Saturday that it had targeted Israeli troops that had advanced towards an area near Nabatieh overnight, while the Israeli military published a statement saying Hezbollah had launched more than 50 projectiles towards soldiers operating in southern Lebanon overnight.
The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence officials do not expect Israel to halt its strikes on Hezbollah, even though the cease-fire deal between the United States and Iran calls for an end to fighting in Lebanon.
