Israel and Hezbollah agree fragile ceasefire, but US-Iran peace talks postponed after deadly airstrikes

Ceasefire reached after deadly night

On the night of Thursday to Friday, Israeli warplanes and drones struck at least eleven towns across southern Lebanon, killing a confirmed 18 people (eight from a single family, according to Lebanese authorities). Four Israeli soldiers died when Hezbollah hit an Israeli tank in the same period. The violence continued into Friday morning, with artillery shelling on Nabatieh and surrounding areas claiming at least five more lives, according to the state news agency NNA. Al‑Jazeera put the total Lebanese death toll from the Israeli operation at 47.

Despite the bloodshed, Israel and Hezbollah announced a ceasefire in the afternoon. The deal, brokered by the United States and Qatar with assistance from Iran, was to take effect at 16:00 local time. A Hezbollah source told Reuters:

“As soon as we heard about the ceasefire, we applied it from our side.”

However, Al‑Jazeera’s correspondent reported that Israel carried out at least twelve more airstrikes in southern Lebanon in the first hour after the truce began:

“It doesn’t feel like a ceasefire. Instead, there’s a sense of déjà vu.”

US-Iran peace process disrupted

The new ceasefire was an explicit requirement of the memorandum of understanding that the United States and Iran signed on Wednesday. That agreement demands an “immediate and permanent” end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and gives negotiators 60 days to reach a definitive accord on Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues.

Because Israel’s overnight strikes violated the condition, Iran cancelled the follow‑up talks that were to have been held at the Swiss mountain village of Burgenstock. US Vice President JD Vance had already prepared to fly; his staff and a press pool were waiting at the airport when the White House announced the trip was off, citing “logistical unpredictability.” Vance used a Washington press conference to deliver an unusually blunt rebuke of the Netanyahu government:

“If I were in the Israeli government cabinet, I might not attack the only powerful ally I have left in the world.”

Israel insists on buffer zone

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that the ceasefire does not mean a withdrawal.

“To bring security back to the north of Israel, it is necessary to occupy a strip in southern Lebanon.”

The Israeli military will remain in the buffer zone “as long as Israeli security needs require,” an official told Haaretz. That stance directly conflicts with the US‑Iran text, which calls for respect for Lebanon’s “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity.”

Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the continuation of talks depends on Iran’s “red lines,” while the Swiss hosts confirmed that the Burgenstock site remains secured and prepared in case delegations fly in later. The memorandum allows until mid‑August for a final deal, leaving a narrow window for diplomacy.

Ripple effects and the Strait of Hormuz

The broader détente between Washington and Tehran is already producing tangible results: the Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen toll‑free for commercial traffic within 30 days, and at least three Saudi crude‑oil tankers passed through the waterway on Thursday, Reuters reported. President Trump, speaking to Axios, underlined his leverage:

“We’re the ones with the guns.”

Whether the fragile Lebanon truce can hold long enough to keep the US‑Iran peace track alive remains the central question of the coming days.