New Israeli strikes in Lebanon raised questions about the durability of the agreement, prompting Vice President JD Vance to cancel his planned trip to Switzerland for the talks|Gage Skidmore|CC BY-SA 4.0
The US effort to swiftly launch high-stakes negotiations with Iran encountered a setback on Friday.
New Israeli strikes in Lebanon raised questions about the durability of the agreement, prompting Vice President JD Vance to cancel his planned trip to Switzerland for the talks.
The decision followed Iran’s demand that Israel halt its strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon before talks could proceed.
Fighting escalated as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people while four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would remain in a southern Lebanon “security zone” as long as security concerns persist. At the same time, Iran has called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territory.
After the talks were delayed, US officials said the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was back in effect.