Photo by: Stringer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire, according to reports on Friday.
The ceasefire renewal came after Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said 18 people were killed following overnight Israeli air strikes, despite the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that called for an end to all hostilities.
The 14-point MOU provided for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Tehran, among other provisions. Critics slammed the agreement for lessening U.S. leverage, while overly benefiting Iran.
Iran has warned that it would ditch the agreement if Israel continued bombing Lebanon.
Israel said it lost four soldiers in the fighting this week, including a battalion commander, which prompted the strikes overnight Thursday and into Friday morning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military to strike Hezbollah “with force” for what he called “a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
The aggressions prompted Vice President JD Vance to cancel his planned trip to Switzerland for further talks with Iran, and to sign the MOU that President Donald Trump signed at the G7 Summit.
Vance’s trip was set to launch a 60-day period of negotiations to ensure a permanent end to the war.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed the talks had been canceled, saying in a statement, “Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks,” and that “relevant preparatory work” in Bürgenstock is continuing.
A White House spokesperson said Thursday, “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
Iran offered no immediate reaction to the postponement of the talks.
This is a breaking story and has been updated.
The post BREAKING: Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Ceasefire first appeared on Mediaite.
