Lebanon20 June, 20262 min read
Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 32 In Lebanon, Threatening US-Iran Talks In Switzerland
Israeli strikes in Lebanon threaten to derail US-Iran talks in Switzerland. U.S.-Iran talks were called off amid Lebanon fighting.
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Strikes, deaths, and talks
Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 32 people despite a ceasefire being in place, 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 in the Nabatieh district killed 16 people and wounded 12 on Saturday, while Lebanon’s National News Agency said a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli attack on the village of Kfar Reman. The violence complicated planned follow-up talks between Iran and the US on the memorandum of understanding, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry saying the talks would be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday.
Voices and diverging framing
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 “also costing us [the government] a lot of money and a lot of pain.” In a statement carried by The Guardian, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, “All of Lebanon must burn,” after Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers and Israel carried out retaliatory airstrikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley.
The Guardian said the US looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible” after the talks were called off, while the BBC reported that Switzerland’s foreign ministry later confirmed the talks at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort had been “postponed.” The BBC also quoted Israeli military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin confirming, “We are in a ceasefire,” as an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force at 16:00 local time.
What’s at stake next
The AP said the interim agreement to end the Iran war had already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but that the accord faced threats “chiefly from Lebanon,” where fighting led to a delay in the start of talks planned for Friday in Switzerland.
The BBC said the deal included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and a $300bn (£224bn) plan for Iran’s “reconstruction,” while also binding both sides to achieving a final deal in a “maximum” of 60 days.
AP reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated, while Hezbollah refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.
In the same reporting, the BBC said Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approved the deal with the US despite having a “different view,” while President Trump responded that “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED!”