Shafaq News- Washington
US Vice President JD Vance declared on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between Washington and Tehran constitutes a broader regional peace agreement covering Israel, Lebanon, and the Arab Gulf states.
Speaking in a TV interview, Vance acknowledged that ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon could complicate the settlement. "This is a regional peace agreement. It will include the Gulf, Israel, and Lebanon. The key point is that it is a genuine regional peace agreement."
Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations (G7) welcomed the US-Iran agreement the same day and voiced support for Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and stability.
Iran's state-affiliated Mehr News Agency and Bloomberg both published draft texts of the MoU, each containing a US commitment to ceasefire provisions across all fronts, including Lebanon.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told his Lebanese counterpart, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, by phone that Washington must compel Israel to end its military campaign in Lebanon, halt home demolitions, and withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue to occupy southern Lebanon regardless of the Washington-Tehran framework.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group, said it had received assurances from Tehran that Iran would press for Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon in the next phase of negotiations with Washington.
The Iran-aligned Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters reported 84 Israeli violations of the Lebanon ceasefire in the two days following the deal's announcement, warning that Israeli forces would face a strong response if the attacks on southern Lebanon continued.
Israeli artillery struck the Ali al-Taher heights and the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, while Israeli aircraft carried out a separate airstrike near the town of Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district. Ten rockets were subsequently fired toward Israeli troop concentrations near Kfar Tebnit, according to local media.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the cumulative death toll in Lebanon since March 2 has surpassed 3,826, with more than 11,851 wounded —figures that do not include four additional fatalities recorded in Tuesday's strikes.
The formal signing of the US-Iran MoU is scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland.
Read more: US-Iran ceasefire deal leaves Lebanon without guarantees