{"id":173900,"date":"2026-06-23T14:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/173900\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T14:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:02:21","slug":"iran-warns-fresh-attacks-in-lebanon-will-jeopardise-peace-talks-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/173900\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran warns fresh attacks in Lebanon will jeopardise peace talks \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israeli <\/a>gunfire killed two people in southern Lebanon <\/a>on Tuesday, Lebanon\u2019s cvil defence and state media said, the first reported fatalities resulting from Israeli fire in \u200cLebanon in three days.<\/p>\n

A ceasefire between Iran-backed Hizbullah <\/a>and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon has largely held since Sunday, the longest lull yet in the war \u200bthat spilled over from the conflict between the United States<\/a> and Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Israeli soldiers opened fire at a group of people near a bulldozer clearing a road in the al-Deir neighbourhood of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, Lebanon\u2019s state news agency NNA reported.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military said it \u201cstruck armed terrorists who posed an \u200bimmediate threat\u201d to soldiers in the Ali al-Taher ridge area of the south, within an area of south Lebanon where Israeli forces have declared a \u201csecurity zone\u201d.<\/p>\n

It \u2060was not immediately clear if this was the same incident.<\/p>\n

Hizbullah described the attack as \u200ca \u200c\u201cblatant violation\u201d\u200bof a ceasefire \u2060agreement between \u200bthe two \u200bsides, but \u200cdid not say \u2060whether it would take \u200cretaliatory action.<\/p>\n

Iran insisted Israel cease fire in Lebanon as part \u200cof \u200can interim \u200bagreement with the United States signed last week.<\/p>\n

Asked about the latest incident, Iran\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told reporters that any violation of the memorandum of \u2060understanding in Lebanon would create challenges for peace talks.<\/p>\n

\u201cLebanon \u200bis an unquestionable part of the agreement, and whatever happens \u200bin Lebanon affects the whole process, and it is the United States which should use all its leverage against Israel to make \u200cit to stop attacks against Lebanon,\u201d he \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n

A joint statement issued on Monday at the end of US-Iranian talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar in Switzerland said the \u2060parties had agreed to create \u201ca de-confliction cell\u201d \u2060to ensure adherence to the termination \u200bof hostilities in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Israeli forces remain deployed deep inside southern Lebanon, having invaded during their offensive against Hizbullah. <\/p>\n

The latest round of hostilities began on March 2nd, when Hizbullah opened fire at Israel in support of Tehran, two days into the US-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,100 people, including 773 women, children and healthcare workers, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The toll does not say how many combatants are among the dead.<\/p>\n

Israeli attacks have forced some 1.2 million people from their homes in Lebanon, according to Lebanese \u200cauthorities.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s death toll from this \u2060round of hostilities with Hezbollah includes at least 32 soldiers and four Israeli civilians.<\/p>\n

The United States<\/a>, meanwhile, has waived sanctions on Iran <\/a>for 60 days after the first talks under \u200ca nascent peace deal, with US president Donald Trump<\/a> saying he will \u201cdo what I have to do\u201d if Iran does not stick to its side of the agreement.<\/p>\n

US vice president JD Vance<\/a> said talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland <\/a>had \u200blaid a good foundation for a final peace deal, although Iran denied that it had begun discussions of its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n

The two sides, trying to build on the interim deal they signed last week, agreed a roadmap towards a permanent agreement within 60 days at the talks in the Qatari-owned Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said.<\/p>\n

They also agreed on a mechanism to end fighting in Lebanon between US ally Israel and Iran-aligned Hizbullah, and opened a communications \u200bline to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz in order to avoid conflict in the strategic waterway.<\/p>\n

In the first of several steps envisaged under the agreement to provide economic relief to Iran, the US Treasury announced \u2060a waiver until August 21st on sanctions, allowing Tehran to sell oil and related products and receive payment for them.<\/p>\n

\"USUS president Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. Photograph: Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Officials reported a sustained lull in fighting in \u200cLebanon under \u200cthe \u200bagreement aimed at ending hostilities across the region, even as Israel said it would maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon and continue to act to \u201cneutralise\u201d threats against Israeli soldiers and citizens.<\/p>\n

Tanker traffic through Hormuz started to pick up on Monday, with the foreign minister of Oman affirming his country\u2019s commitment \u2060to international law and toll-free safe passage during negotiations with Iran over administering \u200bthe vital waterway.<\/p>\n

US-Israeli attacks on Iran, and Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed thousands of people and \u200bdisplaced millions. The Iran war has also shaken markets around the world and raised global oil prices. Crude prices extended losses on Tuesday after settling 3 per cent lower on Monday.<\/p>\n

Israel was not \u200cparty to the peace agreement but on Friday it agreed a new \u200bceasefire in Lebanon. Though intense fighting continued for another day, Lebanese officials said it had abated since Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Israel and Lebanon were due to start a new round of talks in Washington \u2060on Tuesday, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as \u2060they appear to be overshadowed by Iran\u2019s decision to \u200bmake Lebanon part of its negotiations with the United States.<\/p>\n

Vance, who has maintained an upbeat tone since the memorandum of understanding was signed, said Tehran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the country, and to establish mechanisms to handle its assets frozen abroad and manage ceasefires.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal,\u201d he told reporters after taking part in the talks.<\/p>\n

However, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told the official IRNA news agency that Iran had not yet discussed nuclear issues or made new commitments.<\/p>\n

Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday that Iran will agree to have weapons inspections to ensure \u201cnuclear honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Iran doesn\u2019t live up to their agreement, or if they\u2019re not behaving, I will do what I have to do,\u201d Trump later told reporters.<\/p>\n

Iran has limited inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency since the US and Israel launched a \u200cfirst round of air strikes last year, and \u2060suspended them entirely when war broke out in February. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful.<\/p>\n

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on social media that Tehran had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the release of some of its frozen assets abroad and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan for Iran.<\/p>\n

Vance said \u200cWhite House envoy Jared Kushner, Trump\u2019s son-in-law, had come up with a process whereby the US and Qatar would have control over Iranian funds when they are unfrozen, and the money could be spent on US corn, soy and wheat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the \u200bmoney that we lift is going to go to our farmers,\u201d Trump told reporters.<\/p>\n

However, Iran\u2019s central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said there \u200bwas no such obligation and said at least some of the remaining frozen funds could be used to buy other non-sanctioned goods, Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency reported.<\/p>\n

Technical talks were due to continue for the rest of this week. \u2013 Reuters <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israeli gunfire killed two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanon\u2019s cvil defence and state media said, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[177,20819,34,37,93,49,4512,51,36],"class_list":["post-173900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran","tag-conflict","tag-destruction","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-lebanon","tag-middle-east","tag-mideast","tag-united-states","tag-war"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116799795748598235","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}