Renewed clashes come as diplomats to join next round of U.S.-Iran peace talks.
Strait Closed Again
The Wall Street Journal reports Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz as Fighting Flares Again in Lebanon
Iranian security officials said they had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing what they said was the U.S. failure to stop the fighting in Lebanon as required under the agreement signed earlier this week by President Trump.
The announcement by Iran’s joint military command came as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah flared again in Lebanon on Saturday, just hours after the two sides agreed to a renewed ceasefire. It undid for now the main achievement of the deal, which was to set the stage for reopening a waterway vital to world energy markets.
Even before Iran’s announcement, however, the recovery of traffic through the strait had been halting. Iran had imposed new procedures, including a demand that ships register to cross two days in advance, and wary shipowners were monitoring the still-uncertain environment in the waterway.
The flare-up in fighting comes as the U.S. and Iran work to get their next round of peace talks back on track. Iran said Saturday its delegation would attend talks in Switzerland after postponing plans to travel Friday, a hiccup that followed an earlier round of heavy Israeli strikes carried out in retaliation for a Hezbollah drone attack that killed four Israeli soldiers.
The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, a mediator in the negotiations, said representatives of the U.S. and Iran would meet Sunday in Switzerland for what it called technical-level talks.
Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that acts independently of Lebanon’s government, agreed to a renewed ceasefire that took effect at 4 p.m. local time Friday. But on Saturday, Lebanese state media reported a new round of Israeli attacks including around the southern city of Nabatieh.
The Israeli military carried out the attacks after Hezbollah fired more than 50 times at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, a military official said.
Lebanese health officials said seven people were killed in the strikes. They said 83 people had been killed and 141 wounded in the earlier attacks, in which Israel said it killed dozens of militants.
Saturday’s strikes extended the fallout of what had been one of the most serious escalations in Lebanon since a ceasefire was reached in April. The fighting had never stopped for long despite the truce, as Israel continued to hold territory in southern Lebanon and the two sides repeatedly clashed.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance then criticized Israel in tough terms for what they called excessive use of force.
The president softened his tone Friday, telling reporters that Israel and the U.S. fought well together and praising Netanyahu.
“We’ve had a great relationship with Israel, we were very formidable,” Trump said. “And Bibi Netanyahu is a warrior prime minister, and he should be acknowledged as that.”
Inconsistent Message
Trump provides an inconsistent message. Israel is sure to notice and did.
Until Trump tells Israel in no uncertain terms that it will neither defend Israel nor give Israel any weapons or military support, Israel will not cease and desist in Lebanon.
Yet, it is hard to bind third parties to deals they did not sign.
Separately, Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah need their own deal, independent of Iran’s deal with Trump. However, that’s the last thing Netanyahu wants.
The only realistic way to force that setup is for the US to threaten to halt all aid and protection of Israel, then hope Netanyahu loses the next election to more moderate forces.
Israel Elections
Legislative elections are scheduled to be held in Israel by October 27, 2026 to elect the 120 members of the twenty-sixth Knesset.
However, the elections could be held earlier, as 106 members of the twenty-fifth Knesset have supported a bill proposing earlier elections.
I hope Netanyahu is outed, then thrown into prison where he belongs for war crimes. But that’s not why he may finally end up in prison.
Netanyahu currently faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust according to Honest Reporting.
The problem is No Israeli prime minister has ever been indicted while in office much less stand trial.
Talks Still On
Meanwhile, the talks are still ongoing despite this flareup.
That’s a good sign. And pressuring Trump is a good move by Iran.
Also see my post yesterday Ceasefire Broken but Back On, Vance-Iran Meeting Called Off, Now What?
The agreement did not even last a day. It’s fundamentally flawed.
The fundamentally flawed deal is to the advantage of Iran, and Iran is using that advantage well.
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