Israel’s military said its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war.

US-Iran Talks Delayed

Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, which Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend, found themselves postponed as the fighting intensified. Mediators worked to reschedule the meetings crucial for starting talks over a permanent end to the Iran war, with much of the attention focused on Lebanon, regional officials said.

The Israeli military also said it struck targets in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday, with Lebanese media saying the village of Douris was hit. The death toll in Lebanon rose sharply, with at least 18 people killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Israel, meantime, said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.

Impact on US-Iran Agreement

The continued fighting in Lebanon could unravel the newly signed deal, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The deal aims to end the war and has reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, while bringing the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran’s stranglehold on the strait had all but stopped the flow of oil through the key waterway.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.