Trump warns Israel and Iran not to ‘blow it’
US President Donald Trump called for no further attacks on anyone after the Israeli army announced that it had attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut; This complicates efforts to reach an agreement that would potentially end the US-Iran war.
Smoke billowed over Lebanon’s capital and Civil Defense said three bodies and six injured people had been pulled from the rubble.
Iran threatened military intervention.
Trump reacted on social media: “We are very close to an agreement that will bring peace to the region.”
“Let’s not explode!” he said.
The deal’s current form is deeply disappointing to the Israeli government, which has been sidelined in negotiations led by Pakistan and others.
The last time Israel struck Beirut’s suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation in fighting between Iran and Israel since a tenuous ceasefire came into force on April 7.
Saying that the agreement could be signed on Sunday, Trump pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop hitting Lebanon hard as the agreement approached, but the prime minister opposed him.
Netanyahu’s office said the attacks were in response to Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired three projectiles and released footage of an audible explosion followed by billowing smoke. There has been no statement yet from Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in their statement: “Israel will not tolerate firing on its own territory.” he said. The army later said it was making preparations for a possible fire in the coming hours.
An Associated Press photographer who was at the scene in Beirut said a five-story apartment building with shops on the ground floor was hit.
The bottom two floors were the most severely damaged. Residents of the southern suburbs were seen fleeing, many of whom had returned to their homes after weeks of relative calm.
Hezbollah fired a missile at Israel on March 2, two days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, sparking war in the Middle East.
Israeli troops have since deepened their occupation of Lebanon further than at any time in more than a quarter-century.
Iran wants a ceasefire agreement that would also cover the conflict in Lebanon.
Tehran’s chief negotiator, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned the US about X after Israel’s attacks: “If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, it is not possible to talk about continuing.”
“Without a doubt, these crimes will not remain unanswered,” said General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy commander of Iran’s Joint Command Headquarters, the official Mizan news agency reported.
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Sunday to finalize the deal, according to two regional officials.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, expressed cautious optimism that the United States and Iran are finally approaching a deal that could halt hostilities that have killed thousands of people and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has thrown world markets into turmoil.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the agreement would be signed on Sunday, while Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said this could happen in the coming days.
Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened immediately after the signing.
The agreement is expected to be signed electronically without an in-person ceremony, but it is unclear when and how the signing will take place.
The agreement does not resolve the thorniest issues between the United States and Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program or billions of dollars in frozen funds, but provides a 60-day framework for technical discussions on those issues, according to Pakistani and regional officials familiar with the ongoing negotiations.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity; it’s a short, technical step up to 90 percent weapons-grade levels.
