ISTANBUL
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned on Sunday that negotiations for a peace deal with the US could be halted if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue.
In a post on US social media company X, Qalibaf explained that the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon reflect the US’ inability to fulfill its commitments.
“The Zionist attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut once again demonstrate the United States’ lack of will or ability to fulfill its commitments,” he added.
The Israeli attacks on Lebanon “will not go unanswered,” Gen. Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy inspector brigadier general at Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, said in a statement, according to Fars News Agency.
Asadi added that the Israeli attacks targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut “will not go unanswered.”
At least three people were killed and 15 others injured when the Israeli army launched airstrikes on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday despite an ongoing ceasefire, state news agency NNA reported.
The Israeli army has continued a bombing campaign on Lebanon since March 2 and occupied several towns in the country’s south.
The attacks have killed over 3,700 people, wounded nearly 11,500, and displaced over 1.5 million since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
While US President Donald Trump said the deal with Iran that will open the Strait of Hormuz will be signed on Sunday, Iran has disputed the timeline, and said a final decision is under consideration. After the Israeli strike in Beirut on Sunday, Trump said the attack “should not have happened … when we are so close” to the deal. He urged both Israel and Hezbollah to “stand down,” and hoped for a “long and beautiful peace.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between the US and Iran, also said on Saturday that the deal could be finalized in the next 24 hours.
While Iran has called for ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon, release of its frozen assets and end of US blockade of its ports; the US is demanding that Tehran halt its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
