Vice President JD Vance postponed his trip to the U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland following reports that the Iranian delegation was refusing to attend.
“The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland, where he’d been set to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program — raising questions about what’s next for the tentative agreement to end the war,” the Associated Press reported.
According to Arab media, Iran is stalling negotiations to strengthen the strategic position of Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy terrorist group in Lebanon.
“The announcement followed a report from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon,” the news agency added.
The news comes days after President Donald signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran, paving the way for a 60-day negotiation window for a final agreement. The agreement requires Israel to halt counter-terrorism operations against the terrorist group and withdraw from southern Lebanon’s security buffer zone — a move opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. It also outlines a $300 billion fund for Iran in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Emboldened by the initial U.S.-Iran agreement, Hezbollah stepped up rocket and drone attacks on Israel. “Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in fresh clashes with the Israeli military today,” The Guardian (UK) reported Thursday night.
Four Israeli soldiers were reported killed when a Hezbollah drone or anti-tank missile struck a tank in southern Lebanon, initial reports suggest. “The IDF announced that Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon was killed in combat overnight while fighting in southern Lebanon. The 32-year-old from Beit Hashita was a commander of the 52nd Battalion, the ‘Iron Footsteps’ formation,” Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Friday morning. “He died alongside three other soldiers after a suspicious target hit a tank in the area of the village of Tebnit.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Hezbollah terror targets following overnight rocket attacks. The Israeli military announced Friday morning that “in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to advance and execute terror attacks against IDF soldiers, the IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the Beqaa Valley.” The military “carried out strikes overnight and this morning on Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure across southern Lebanon,” The Times of Israel confirmed.
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