Lebanon announces partial ceasefire between Israel, Hezbollah but attacks continue
Overview of the Lebanon-Israel-Hezbollah Conflict and Ceasefire
By Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily and Hatem Maher
Announcement of Partial Ceasefire
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, June 1 (Reuters) - Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Terms of the Agreement
According to Lebanon's embassy in Washington, the agreement would not end the conflict in that country. But it calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel.
Continued Hostilities
Hostilities in southern Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March, continued on Monday evening. Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said that it intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, and that no injuries were reported.
International Reactions and Statements
U.S. and Israeli Leadership Responses
U.S. President Donald Trump, who first announced the agreement, said Hezbollah, through intermediaries, had pledged not to attack Israel. No U.S. president has ever spoken with Hezbollah, with or without intermediaries. The U.S. has designated the group as a terrorist organization.
Trump also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to pull back any troops preparing to attack Beirut.
After Trump's announcement, Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations in southern Lebanon, where ground forces are pushing toward the Zaharani River, their deepest incursion in Lebanon in 25 years.
Hezbollah's Position
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the militia would support a full ceasefire across all Lebanon as a precursor to the withdrawal of Israeli troops. He did not say whether the group would stop its strikes on Israeli territory.
Prospects for Expanding the Ceasefire
Lebanon said it would seek to expand the ceasefire in talks with Israel in Washington on Wednesday.
Wider Context of the Conflict
Background and Ongoing War
That could clear the path for renewed efforts to end the three-month-old war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The process has been stuck in limbo for weeks under a fragile ceasefire as negotiators have been unable to agree on an initial framework for peace talks.
The Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2 as an offshoot of the broader conflict and has been entangled with it ever since.
Iran's Stance and Involvement
Iran has insisted on a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition of any deal to end the war, while the U.S. has said the two conflicts are separate.
"The ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement.
Escalation Risks and Economic Impact
Iran Threatens to Break Off Talks
Suspension of Peace Negotiations
IRAN THREATENS TO BREAK OFF TALKS
Iranian state media said earlier on Monday that Tehran was halting indirect peace negotiations with the U.S. and might end a ceasefire that has largely held since early April, citing the war in Lebanon.
There was no direct confirmation of the reports from Iranian officials, and Trump told an NBC reporter that he had not heard from Iran. He said in a CNBC interview on Monday that the peace talks had "started to get very boring" and that he did not care if they were over.
"I really don't care, I couldn't care less," Trump said.
Repeated Strikes Despite Ceasefire
Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly said he is close to signing a peace agreement but has yet to do so. Despite the ceasefire, Iran and the U.S. have exchanged strikes several times over the past week.
Threats to Global Oil Supply
Meanwhile, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, Esmaeil Qaani, threatened to expand its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab El Mandeb Strait, another chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Iran has already bottled up maritime traffic in the Gulf that before the war provided one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, sending prices sharply higher.
Oil prices rose 4% on Monday on the heightened tensions.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Andy Sullivan, Lincoln Feast, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Allen and Cynthia Osterman; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Alex Richardson and Andrew Heavens)
