Lebanon is an obstacle in Donald Trump's efforts to strike a deal with Iranpublished at 07:17 BST
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beirut
Image source, Getty ImagesSmoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Sunday
The latest developments are another sign of how fragile the situation in the region is and could further complicate President Trump’s efforts to strike a deal with Iran.
This war is unpopular in the US, where many still struggle to understand why it happened in the first place, while Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to an economic shock being felt around the world.
One of the obstacles in the negotiations is the conflict in Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed militia and political party Hezbollah is based.
The group started attacking Israel again after the killing of the Iranian supreme leader at the start of the war. Israel, in response, has carried out a devastating bombing campaign, killing more than 3,000 people including many civilians, and occupying a significant part of southern Lebanon.
Iran says the ceasefire there includes the conflict here, and had threatened to strike Israel if it attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based.
Israel rejects that Lebanon is part of the truce, saying its war against Hezbollah continues.
The group is increasingly isolated domestically but has rejected calls to disarm, something the Lebanese government says can only be achieved through diplomacy, not war.











