Netanyahu Threatens Beirut; Iran and US Contradict Each Other
Trump says negotiations with Tehran are accelerating, but Persian regime announces suspension of dialogue. Israeli PM threatens to attack Beirut if Hezbollah does not stop attacks on the north of the country
Flags of Israel's Golan Brigades flutter over Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon - (credit: AFP)
The United States and Iran have taken opposing positions regarding ceasefire negotiations. US President Donald Trump declared that talks with Tehran are progressing rapidly. "The talks continue, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the Republican wrote on his Truth Social account. However, the Iranian news agency Tasnim announced that the Persian regime has suspended negotiations. According to Tasnim, the decision was made due to the "crimes" that Israel "continues to commit" in Lebanon and violations "on all fronts" of the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington signed on April 8. "The Iranian negotiating team therefore suspends dialogue and the exchange of texts through mediators," the outlet stated.
Trump assured that Israel and the Lebanese Shiite fundamentalist movement Hezbollah have agreed to stop fighting. The White House chief revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised not to conduct a ground incursion into southern Beirut. However, the head of government of the Jewish state warned that he will order attacks on the Lebanese capital if Hezbollah does not cease hostilities. "This afternoon I spoke with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and our citizens, Israel will attack terrorist targets in Beirut," Netanyahu said.
Shortly after, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington issued a statement saying that Lebanese authorities received confirmation of Hezbollah's agreement to the US proposal, which calls for a reciprocal pause in attacks. On the front, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) captured a Crusader-era castle in the Marjayoun region of southern Lebanon. The strategic Beaufort fortress, also known as Qalaat al Shakif, had been used as an Israeli base during the previous occupation, which lasted two decades and ended in 2000.
Eugene Gholz, a national security expert and political scientist at the University of Notre Dame, reminded Correio that negotiation requires the involvement of both parties. "If the Iranians do not want to negotiate, the prospects for a meaningful agreement are minimal. But both sides also change their minds frequently: negotiations can be interrupted one day and resumed the next. It is possible that one faction in Iran wants to suspend negotiations while another wants to continue them," he explained. "We don't have much information about which faction is actually in charge—or if any of them really is."
Misalignment
Regarding Netanyahu's offensive in Lebanon, Gholz said the United States has had difficulty restraining Israel for years. "This became very evident regarding Iran," he noted. He suspects Trump wants to make a deal and is frustrated that Israelis do not seem very interested in stopping the war. "Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have said several times that they are inclined to accelerate attacks—to cause as much damage as possible to Hezbollah before any ceasefire or peace agreement is negotiated and imposed. Basically, Israeli and US interests are not aligned at the moment," Gholz observed.
