Israel Attack in Lebanon Derails US-Iran Talks; What Now?
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Strikes in southern Lebanon kill civilians as Israel-Iran tensions rise, forcing postponement of Switzerland talks and deepening regional crisis.
By The State Bureau
New Delhi, June 19: Southern Lebanon was bombarded overnight, reportedly killing 18 civilians. Meanwhile, Israel, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said its strikes also killed four militants, including a lieutenant colonel. Talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, which Vice President JD Vance was expected to attend, were postponed as the fighting intensified.
Mediators worked to reschedule the meetings, which are seen as crucial for initiating talks toward a permanent end to the Iran conflict, with much of the focus now shifting to Lebanon, regional officials said.
The Israeli military also struck targets in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday.
Continued fighting in Lebanon could unravel the newly signed deal, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The agreement aims to end the war and has reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, while bringing the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran’s control over the strait had previously disrupted the flow of oil through the key waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he signed the agreement to avoid “economic catastrophe” in the U.S., after the war drove oil prices higher, unsettled financial markets, and fueled inflation. After the signing of the agreement, more than 12.5 million barrels of oil were shipped through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, the U.S. said.
US and Israel at odds over conflict in Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the agreement. Iran insists Israel must withdraw from large parts of southern Lebanon that it is occupying, but the wording of the interim deal does not explicitly require this.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, has refused to withdraw. He said Thursday that Israeli forces will remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”
Trump, meanwhile, has been openly critical of Netanyahu’s recent moves, saying the day before the agreement with Iran was signed that “without the U.S. there would be no Israel.”
“Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did — I have had a great relationship with Bibi,” Trump said, using a nickname for Netanyahu. “Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”
The renewed Israeli attacks in Lebanon came as planned talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, aimed at reaching a permanent end to the Iran war, were delayed.
Vance delays trip to Switzerland as talks postponed
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday postponed his trip to Switzerland, where he was set to lead the talks. The White House cited logistical issues.
Two regional officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the closed-door nature of the talks, said mediators were focused on de-escalating the fighting in Lebanon. One said Iran pulled out of the Switzerland meeting specifically due to the violence and Netanyahu’s comments, which it described as violating the interim deal between Iran and the U.S.
Two other regional officials, also speaking anonymously for the same reason, described Pakistan as being “stunned” by Iran’s decision not to attend the talks on Friday.
Those discussions in Switzerland were expected to shift the focus toward sanctions relief,
maritime security, nuclear-related measures, verification, sequencing, and regional assurances, one official said. These are key to securing a final agreement between Iran and the U.S.
US defends deal with Iran
Vance, who was initially skeptical about U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict, has increasingly become the administration’s key voice on the issue and has been outspoken in defending the deal.
On Thursday, he appeared at the White House to defend the initial agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and allow further negotiations, arguing that while it involves concessions, Iran must first comply with U.S. demands.
Vance also issued a blunt warning to Israel, saying Trump was “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.”
(With Inputs from news agency AP)
