Trump threatens to resume strikes on Iran over Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon

Trump Threatens to Resume Iran Attacks Over Hezbollah

President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the United States would renew military strikes against Iran unless Tehran restrains its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, injecting fresh uncertainty into high-stakes peace talks underway in Switzerland.

“Iran must immediately halt their well-compensated proxies in Lebanon from creating chaos,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to Reuters. “If they fail to do so, we will strike Iran very forcefully once more, just as we did last week, but even more intensely!!!”streetinsider

The threat landed as Vice President JD Vance arrived at Emmen Air Base in Switzerland early Sunday to lead negotiations with an Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The talks at the Bürgenstock Resort, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, aim to convert the memorandum of understanding signed last week into a lasting peace agreement within a 60-day window.apnews

Fighting in Lebanon Strains the Deal

The MOU explicitly calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, but fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued to flare. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 47 people in Lebanon that day, according to Reuters. Despite the truce, Israeli warplanes and drones struck targets across the Nabatieh region overnight into Saturday, killing at least 16 more people and injuring 12, Lebanese officials said.usnews

Iran responded Saturday by announcing it would close the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli attacks as a breach of the agreement. U.S. Central Command disputed the claim, with Navy Captain Tim Hawkins stating that shipping was “continuing to flow” and that U.S. forces were monitoring the waterway. The strait handles roughly 20 percent of global oil shipments.cnbc

Netanyahu and the Intelligence Warning

The escalation cycle reflects a deeper tension within the U.S.-brokered framework. The Washington Post reported Friday that U.S. intelligence officials have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to continue military operations against Hezbollah regardless of the MOU’s provisions.dailysabah

“Continuing to occupy part of Lebanon is a recipe for disaster,” a U.S. official told the Post. “Without a full Israeli withdrawal, the likelihood of resumed hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah is all but certain.”dailysabah

Vance warned Israel on Thursday against alienating its “only powerful ally,” saying Trump “is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time”. Netanyahu’s government has maintained that Israel retains the right to use force against threats from Iran and Hezbollah, having not been party to the U.S.-Iran negotiations.arnnewscentre

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Lebanon would be a central focus of Sunday’s talks, with spokesman Esmail Baghaei emphasizing that “implementation, not signatures” would determine the deal’s viability.apnews