Trump Aims to Calm Lebanon Tensions to Keep Peace Talks Alive

maezlx4v0gw94{]32qanyooc_media_dl_1.png Bloomberg reporting

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(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered differing accounts of a call about the fighting in Lebanon, as the US struggled to get efforts toward an Iran peace deal back on track.  

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The mismatched statements were the latest example of confusing signals on progress to end a war, now in its fourth month, that has killed thousands across the region and triggered a global energy crisis. Iran said Monday that it was suspending talks with the US amid ongoing fighting in Lebanon — which Tehran has said must stop as part of a broader peace deal.

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Trump said earlier Monday that after discussions with Israel and representatives from Hezbollah, a group that the US deems a terrorist group, both had agreed that “Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.” He also said talks with Iran were continuing “at a rapid pace” — countering earlier statements from Tehran. 

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Netanyahu, however, didn’t describe the arrangement in such sweeping terms. While he confirmed that Israel wouldn’t strike targets in Beirut so long as Hezbollah ceased its own attacks, he also said Israel’s campaign in southern Lebanon would continue. 

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“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop firing at our cities and citizens – Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu said in a social media post. “This position of ours remain unchanged. Concurrently, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”

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Oil prices surged to session highs, with Brent rising above $97 a barrel, after the report that talks between Iran and US were halting. Prices eventually pared some gains after Trump’s comments. Brent crude still ended the session up about 4% near $95 a barrel.

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Trump has regularly claimed that negotiations were advancing and close to reaching a deal amid a fragile ceasefire. Iran disputed reports last week that an interim deal was close and on Monday said it would act with its proxies, dubbed the “Axis of Resistance,” against Israel if fighting in Lebanon continued.

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Lebanon has received confirmation that Hezbollah agreed to the US proposal. Israel’s planned attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs will be halted in exchange for the militant group ceasing its strikes, the Lebanese presidency said in a post.

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The ceasefire should be expanded to include the entirety of Lebanese territories, with more negotiations taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidency said.

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Iran has insisted any agreement with Washington must also cover Lebanon, where Tehran-backed Hezbollah and Israel are engaged in a parallel war. Israel deepened its invasion of Lebanon over the weekend, while Hezbollah stepped up attacks on Israel’s north.

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Negotiators will suspend “the exchange of documents” with the US through mediators, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing a statement it didn’t attribute to any official or institution. Iran threatened a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit for oil and liquefied natural gas, according to the report.