Foreign Affairs
State of the Union: Hezbollah and Israel continued to accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
A ceasefire to the Iran War entered its 19th day on Sunday as the New York Times reported that Iranian officials are set to return to Islamabad to try reviving peace talks, though the possibility of renewed direct talks between Washington and Tehran remains uncertain.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that the return of Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Pakistan would be for the purpose of conversations with Pakistani mediators, to convey Iran’s positions for ending the war.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump cancelled a trip by U.S. envoys to Pakistan, describing it as a waste of time and money.
Iran has said that the U.S. lifting its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a precondition for its participation in another round of direct talks to end the war.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held a phone call on Sunday to discuss “developments related to the ceasefire,” Iranian media reported.
Trump, asked Saturday night whether he believed a shooting incident hours earlier at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was motivated by the war with Iran, told reporters “I don’t think so, but you never know.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “forceful,” attacks on southern Lebanon, saying military action was needed to root out Hezbollah. “It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,” Netanyahu said on Sunday during a cabinet meeting.
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Netanyahu’s orders to target southern Lebanon come nine days after Trump said that Israel is “prohibited” from bombing Lebanon. “Enough is enough!!!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Tehran has insisted that the ceasefire to the Iran war covers Lebanon as well, while Washington and Israel deny that Lebanon is included.
Israel’s military issued evacuation orders Sunday for seven southern Lebanese towns north of the Litani River. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday that Israel’s evacuation orders in the south “may amount to forced displacement, prohibited under international law.”
Seven people were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The IDF said that an Israeli soldier was killed and six were wounded by a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon.
