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Still no Lebanon: How Trump's refusal to stop Israel's actions remains a hurdle to US-Iran peace deal
Trump also stated that he would like to see more “surgical strikes” against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group currently in conflict with Israel.
Amid stalled negotiations between the United States and Iran, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will not demand the inclusion of Lebanon in a peace deal. Trump's remarks come as Israel continues its attacks on Beirut, despite a ceasefire agreement between Tel Aviv and the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.
Speaking to US-based outlet NBC News, the US president stated Iran would "like to see" a ceasefire in Lebanon. "I think they'd like to see it, but I'm not demanding," he said in the interview recorded on Friday.
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Trump also stated that he would like to see attacks that are more surgical against Hezbollah. "I'd like to see Lebanon have a better life. I'd like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical," he said.
Ironically, Trump's remarks also come after he told the journalist that the US is "very close" to a deal with Iran.
"We're very close. We have a couple of points; they don't even seem like big points. They've conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons," he told NBC News moments before the Lebanon factor.
Israel continues to strike Lebanon
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs as part of its conflict with Hezbollah.Despite a ceasefire agreement between the two, brokered by the US, Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire.
An evacuation warning was also issued on Sunday, after which the IDF stated it "struck a militant command centre in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, in response to Hezbollah's fire towards Israeli territory."
However, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), the strikes targeted two apartments in two buildings.
The first ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was signed on April 17. But the truce has not been respected.
So much so, the attacks in Lebanon have now threatened the already fragile truce between Tehran and Washington.
During negotiations, the US launched fresh strikes towards Iran. Iran also responded with fresh attacks against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran demands Lebanon's inclusion
Since the start of the talks with the US, Iran has called for the inclusion of Lebanon in a ceasefire deal.
As Israel intensified its attacks and expanded military operations, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took to X, accusing both the US and Israel of violating the truce.
Araghchi added that the responsibility for any consequences of these violations will be on the US and Israel to bear.
Furthermore, in a latest warning, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei warned of a "painful response" from Tehran if Israel continues to strike Lebanon.
"We will deliver a decisive and painful response to the Zionist regime's attack on Dahiyeh. These rabid dogs must be disciplined and put back in their place. Look at the sky over the occupied lands tonight," he wrote on X.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)
