(CBS News) – What to know about the Iran war today:
- The U.S. carried out retaliatory strikes against Iran on Friday after Iranian forces hit a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier. On Saturday morning, Bahrain reported strikes by Iranian drones, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed targeted a “U.S. terrorist army” in the Gulf state.
- President Trump on Friday called Iran’s attack a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire, as Tehran and Washington appear to remain at odds on even basic points in their memorandum of understanding, including control of the strait and how Iran will spend its unfrozen funds. Mr. Trump has not publicly reacted to Saturday’s strike.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the framework of a deal Friday between Lebanon and Israel, but Hezbollah, which was not part of the negotiations, rejected the deal on Saturday, calling it a “disgrace” and promised to keep fighting Israeli forces.
Israeli military to stay in southern Lebanon per trilateral agreement, Israel says
Opposing peace deals appear to be causing an issue for the United States and peace in the Middle East.
Israel is insisting the trilateral agreement signed with Lebanon, and negotiated alongside the U.S., allows Israeli forces to remain in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. The Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah, which was not part of the negotiations, today said it would not abide by those conditions.
“The important principle established in the agreement is that there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon, and the safety of the residents of the north is guaranteed,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a video statement Saturday evening..
“This is the basic condition to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have pledged and which we are being implemented,” he added.
The trilateral agreement signed Friday contradicts the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed with Iran earlier this month, according to both Iran and Hezbollah. The MOU stipulates the war will end “on all fronts, including in Lebanon” and Iran and the U.S. will “ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.” Neither Israel nor Hezbollah was involved in the MOU negotiations.
“The test will be in implementing the agreement, and many more challenges are expected,” Katz said in the recording.. “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended stay in the security zone, and to deploy accordingly to protect IDF soldiers and remove threats from northern communities.”
