Persistent fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is threatening a tentative deal reached between the United States and Iran to end their war. The deal includes a ceasefire in Lebanon that would protect Iran’s long-time ally Hezbollah from Israeli strikes, so long as it doesn’t fire at Israel.

Background of the Conflict

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has engaged in conflict with Israel for decades. It has long been committed to Israel’s destruction and has built up a powerful arsenal of rockets, missiles, and drones with Iranian help.

Israel has launched frequent campaigns against Hezbollah, most notably in 2006, when a Hezbollah cross-border raid and the capture of two Israeli soldiers provoked an extensive Israeli air and ground operation that lasted more than a month.

Recent Escalation

A new cycle of violence began after Israel and the US killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an airstrike in late February. In early March, Hezbollah began firing at northern Israel in response to its strikes on Iran.

The Israeli military retaliated by launching an intense wave of airstrikes on what it said were Hezbollah positions – and sent troops deeper into Lebanese territory, seeking to establish a buffer zone. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the military escalation, the health ministry says.

The US-Iran agreement stipulates that the US, Iran, and their allies “declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”

US President Donald Trump said Thursday on social media that as part of the deal, “we expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.