Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Friday, killing at least 16 people and leaving several more injured, Al Jazeera reported. Despite the Iran-US deal calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, the strikes continued.
IDF Strikes and Ceasefire Violations
In a statement, the IDF stated that they carried out numerous attacks on southern Lebanon overnight, saying they were a response to Hezbollah's repeated violations of the ceasefire, as per Al Jazeera. The strikes have escalated tensions in the region.
Iran-US Deal Negotiations Postponed
Earlier in the day, the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed that the planned talks between the US and Iran are postponed. Switzerland's Foreign Ministry, responding to an email by ANI, said that it remains ready to facilitate these talks.
Switzerland's Statement: The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed. Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing. No further information can be provided at present, it said.
White House Response
A White House spokesperson on Thursday said that US Vice President JD Vance will not depart for Switzerland for further talks as the plans have not been finalised. The spokesperson said that a delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity.
As the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalised, and the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable, the spokesperson said.
As of now, the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible, they added.
Iran's Response
Meanwhile, in Tehran, the Iranian Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council announced that if the other side violates the agreement, countermeasures will be taken accordingly. The council, as quoted by ISNA News Agency, said that with complete distrust of the renegade and treaty-breaking enemy and with close monitoring of the negotiation process and implementation of plans, if any violations are committed by the American side, countermeasures will be taken according to a predetermined plan.
