Conflict Events Archive | ConflictClarifier

Iran warned Israel of a "harsh response" on Wednesday after accusing it of violating the Lebanon ceasefire 84 times since a US-Iran memorandum aimed at ending the illegal US-Israeli war against Iran was agreed. The warning came after Israeli strikes killed four people in southern Lebanon and as Israeli forces continued operations around Nabatieh, raising doubts over whether the accord due to be signed in Switzerland on Friday will hold. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said continued Israeli attacks or the presence of Israeli forces in Lebanese territory would breach the interim agreement. “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end,” he said. Tehran has repeatedly stated that an end to hostilities in Lebanon forms part of any broader settlement with Washington, while Israeli leaders have signalled they intend to maintain military occupation in the south. According to a report by Israeli newspaper Maariv, Israeli officials have instructed security agencies to continue preparing military plans and have expressed doubts that the agreement will survive. Israeli minister Zeev Elkin said Israel was not party to the talks and had no right to demand access to the memorandum. He also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected proposals tied to an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. US President Donald Trump criticised Israel’s conduct in Lebanon. “Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for too long and too many people are being killed,” he said. “You don’t need to knock down an apartment house when you are looking for somebody because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they are not all Hezbollah.” Despite the criticism, Israeli forces carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli jets hit Nabatieh al-Fawqa and the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit. The strikes followed drone attacks on Tuesday that killed at least four people in Nabatieh governorate. The attacks hit two vehicles in Mayfadoun and a third vehicle in Shoukin. Lebanon’s health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,826 people and wounded 11,851 since fighting resumed on 2 March. The G7 nations, meeting in France, called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and backed efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and restore state control over weapons. The statement also briefly pledged to accelerate humanitarian and reconstruction work in Gaza and called for an end to violence in the West Bank. The Guardian reported that Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, and left Hebrew graffiti on the walls. The violence has raised pressure on the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. Pakistan, one of the mediators, said the agreement includes an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including Lebanon”. The deal is due to be signed in Switzerland on Friday. The signing is set to take place at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne, with Pakistan and Qatar among the mediators behind the venue choice. Trump claimed the Strait of Hormuz would reopen by Friday and said the agreement would go to Congress for review. The agreement also includes talks on a proposed 300 billion dollar investment fund for Iran. Vice President JD Vance told CBS News that the fund was not a US payment to Tehran and that any economic benefit would depend on Iran meeting its obligations. “When people say that billions of dollars of assets will be released, that’s not true,” Vance told CBS. “What is true is that Iran will have a much better and much more prosperous future if they meet the obligations they make in this agreement.” The fund would be linked to private investment and support from Gulf partners, rather than direct US funds. The agreement also raises questions over frozen Iranian assets. Iran’s Mehr News Agency said a draft memorandum referred to the release of 24 billion dollars in frozen assets. Vance rejected that figure and said it did not appear in the texts discussed with Iran. The deal extends the ceasefire framework for 60 days. During that period, the US and Iran plan to negotiate over sanctions, nuclear inspections, enriched uranium and the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s nuclear stockpile remains one of the central disputes. Iran holds more than 440kg of enriched uranium. Vance claimed that Tehran had agreed to surrender its stockpile, accept inspections and refrain from producing or buying nuclear weapons. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council had approved the deal to test “America’s genuine commitment to respecting the rights of the Iranian nation”. HT

strikeJun 17, 2026