The Israeli military said Sunday that it had struck a Hezbollah target on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, an escalation that threatened to imperil U.S. peace talks with Iran and drew the ire of President Trump.<\/p>\n
Hours after the attack, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the strikes \u201cshould not have happened\u201d and urged Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militia, to exercise restraint.<\/p>\n
The violence in Lebanon on Sunday complicated an already delicate moment as Mr. Trump and Iran appeared to be edging toward signing a framework peace agreement. It also underscored how the conflict in Lebanon has become a sticking point in those talks.<\/p>\n
Iran has insisted that any agreement with the United States extend to the conflict in Lebanon. Fighting there erupted after Hezbollah fired at Israel in solidarity with Tehran soon after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February.<\/p>\n
But any deal that includes Lebanon would depend on both the United States being able to compel Israel to wind down its military campaign there and Iran\u2019s cooperation in restraining its proxy, Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are part of the ongoing negotiations.<\/p>\n
That thorny dynamic was on full display on Sunday, with the Israeli strikes threatening to create a broader flare-up if Iran decided to take retaliatory action against Israel, as it did a week ago under similar circumstances.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n