The fragile truce in Lebanon is under maximum pressure. The Iranian Armed Forces have issued a stern warning to Israel, after denouncing that its troops committed 84 violations of the ceasefire in a space of just 48 hours. Tehran has threatened a “forceful military response” if the attacks do not stop immediately, a warning that comes on the eve of the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement with the United States, scheduled for this Friday in Switzerland.
Almost in parallel, US President Donald Trump yesterday had an unusual public disagreement with his traditional ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the G7 summit in France, Trump launched a direct rebuke of the military tactics of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in its campaign against the Shiite militia party Hezbollah.
Despite diplomatic efforts in international offices, violence on the ground does not let up. Reports from the Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) confirmed that at least four people died this Tuesday after a series of Israeli drone attacks in the southern region of Nabatieh, specifically in the towns of Mifdoun and Choukin. The impacts affected three moving civilian vehicles, forcing an emergency intervention by the Lebanese Red Cross and the Civil Defense services to recover the bodies and treat the injured, adds EFE.
Hezbollah fighters, for their part, also launched at least ten rockets against Israeli forces in the vicinity of Kfar Tebnit, Qatari television Al Jazeera reports.
According to the latest data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Israeli military campaign – which began on this front on March 2 – has already claimed the lives of 3,826 people and left 11,851 injured.
“It is not necessary to demolish an apartment building”
In statements that reflect the growing impatience of the White House, Trump yesterday described from the French Alps as unnecessary the widespread bombing of residential areas in the search for fighters.
“Too many people have been killed. You don’t have to demolish an apartment building every time you look for someone, because there are a lot of people in those buildings and not all of them are from Hezbollah,” said the US president. Trump added that Israel has been fighting the pro-Iran militia “for too long” and demanded that Netanyahu be “more responsible” with respect to Lebanon.
“Without us, without the US, there would be no Israel. With me there would be no Israel, no other president was willing to do what I did”
“Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. With me there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did,” Trump remarked, recalling the weight of his historical political support just before demanding greater restraint on the Lebanese front.
Washington’s unease coincides with private complaints from senior Israeli officials about Trump’s rapprochement with Tehran. In recent days, the US president has expressed his fear that the raids on Beirut and southern Lebanon will undermine the pact he has negotiated with the Iranian government.
Trump’s statements at the G7 expose a fundamental paradox: the US president seeks to consolidate a great diplomatic victory with Iran, but his strategy collides head-on with the military objectives of his main ally in the region. For Tehran, the total cessation of Israeli hostilities in Lebanon is a non-negotiable condition for signing the memorandum this Friday in Switzerland.
Although Trump’s rebuke to Netanyahu has been officially publicized by the White House accounts, analysts doubt that this will translate into a real change in the policy of military assistance to Israel. As long as Tel Aviv insists that Hezbollah uses the population as “human shields” and maintains its operations, the truce risks blowing up before the paper agreement is signed.
Where are the contacts?
The next few hours will be decisive to see if the Washington-Tehran axis manages to stop the combat dynamics in southern Lebanon or if the region slides towards a new direct confrontation.
Meanwhile, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs advances the scenario of hope: the signing ceremony of the sought-after agreement will take place in the tourist complex of Burgenstock, near Lucerne. It is supposed to end the war started by Israel and the US on February 28.
The US Vice President, JD Vance, stated this morning that Iran could access “real benefits” under the agreement “if it behaves correctly”, that is, if it does not acquire a nuclear weapon, keeps the Strait of Hormuz open and stops financing armed groups. And regarding the compensation money, a very controversial point, Trump’s number two also declared that it would not come from American taxpayers, but from Persian Gulf countries.
From what has been leaked so far, the deal is expected to allow Iran to sell oil freely during a 60-day negotiation period, while opening the door to broader sanctions relief, access to frozen funds and a possible $300 billion reconstruction investment fund if a final nuclear deal is reached. Critics argue that, after breaking the 2015 nuclear deal – agreed upon by the entire West – during his first term, Trump is following the same strategy: unfreezing funds in exchange for nuclear concessions; It could even go a step further with the reconstruction fund, say sources familiar with the digital process. Axios.
