Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon in intense fighting as US-Iran talks postponed

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight into Friday and Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Lebanese media reported at least 18 people killed in the strikes, and Israel said four soldiers died.

The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is the most precarious part of the Iran deal. Neither Israel nor the militant group signed the agreement — but it is supposed to end their fighting, and Iran has signaled its willingness to risk renewed war in the region for the sake of its interests in Lebanon and its most important regional ally.

Iranian officials didn’t travel as planned to Switzerland for talks on Friday with the United States, in part over the fighting, a regional official said. U.S. Vice President JD Vance also called off his trip, and mediators are now scrambling to reschedule the meetings, which were supposed to begin addressing how to restrict Iran’s nuclear program — the core issue over which Israel and the U.S. went to war on Feb. 28.

The talks are also supposed to bring about a permanent end to the conflict. The interim deal has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, after Iranian attacks and threats all but stopped the flow of oil and natural gas through the waterway. That caused energy prices to skyrocket far beyond the region, and President Donald Trump said he signed the agreement to avoid “economic catastrophe” in the U.S.

The fighting in Lebanon could unravel the deal

The Israeli military said strikes were ongoing on Friday after four of its soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. An explosive drone attack wounded another five, it added.

Israel then launched multiple strikes against “Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in Nabatiyeh and other areas, according to a military statement, which accused the militant group of “blatant ceasefire violations.”

Later, the military said it also struck targets in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese media saying the village of Douris was hit.

“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or on our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement Friday.

Hezbollah acknowledged targeting Israeli tanks and said its attacks were in response to what it called Israel’s own violation of the ceasefire. It said the attacks came after Israeli forces attempted to reach the northern side of Ali al-Taher hilltop, a strategic point that overlooks Nabatiyeh and that Israeli troops have been trying to capture.

The fighting threatens to unravel the newly signed deal. Beyond ending the hostilities in Lebanon, the agreement calls for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

It does not say whether that means Israel would withdraw from the large swaths of southern Lebanon it has occupied since Hezbollah joined the war in its early days by firing rockets and drones at northern Israel.

Iran has insisted Israel pull back, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that forces would remain in a “security zone” of southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”

Israel’s actions in Lebanon have created a rift between Israel and the U.S., with Trump becoming increasingly critical of his close ally Netanyahu.

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, came to Israel’s defense on Friday, however, noting the deaths of the soldiers in a post on X.

“Israel strikes when struck,” he wrote. “Ceasefire happens when Hezbollah stops shooting & killing.”

Talks in Switzerland were postponed

Two regional officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said mediators were focused on calming the fighting in Lebanon.

One said Iran pulled out of the Switzerland meeting specifically over the fighting and Netanyahu’s comments, describing them as violating the interim deal between Iran and the U.S. The White House, however, blamed logistical issues when Vance put off his trip.

Two other regional officials, similarly speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, described Pakistan as being “stunned” by Iran’s decision not to go to the talks.

Much remains to be resolved

The discussions in Switzerland are expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains it is peaceful, though it has highly enriched uranium that could be used to build multiple atomic bombs, should it choose to do so, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Those talks are expected to be extremely difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump scrapped during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.

The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to come up with a nuclear agreement but that can be extended. It outlines lucrative incentives if Iran does reach a new agreement, including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction.

Already Iran has won some concessions. Following the signing of the interim deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and is allowing it to sell its oil freely. The deal also calls for Iran’s assets to be unfrozen — though it’s not clear how quickly.

Oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz this week after months of being unable to use the critical channel. More than 12.5 million barrels of oil were shipped through the waterway on Wednesday night, the U.S. said.

Still, it is expected to take weeks or months for the normal flow of oil and gas to resume, even if traffic fully resumes in the strait.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Areej Hazboun in Jerusalem contributed to this story.