Iran demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as condition for US peace deal, risking agreement collapse

Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday that a tentative deal to end hostilities with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon—a condition that Israel has already rejected and that threatens to derail the agreement entirely. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that without Israeli forces leaving territories occupied during the conflict, "the war has not fully come to an end." The announcement deepens a fundamental disagreement that has plagued negotiations, as U.S. officials say the deal does not call for Israeli withdrawal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Israel will remain in Lebanon "as long as necessary."

The conflict has roots in Israel's February 28 military strikes on Iran conducted jointly with the United States, followed by Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, fired missiles across the border. Israel has since expanded its military presence to unprecedented levels in decades and struck targets deep inside Beirut. While Hezbollah has been weakened militarily, it retains the ability to strike Israel, leaving questions about the campaign's effectiveness. Israeli military operations in Lebanon have killed nearly 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and displaced over 1 million.

The disagreement puts Israel in a difficult position as it attempts to degrade Hezbollah's capabilities without undermining an agreement championed by its most important ally. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Israel's approach, telling reporters Tuesday that he was "not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah," noting that "it just goes on forever." Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter characterized the apparent inclusion of Lebanon in the deal as "unnecessary and unhelpful."

The deal itself remains largely unpublished, and officials have offered contradictory interpretations of its contents. Pakistan, acting as a key mediator alongside Qatar, has stated the deal calls for an end to military operations, including in Lebanon. Switzerland's foreign ministry announced the signing ceremony will take place Friday at the Bürgenstock resort near Luzern. As of Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had not reviewed the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, though Israeli officials have not requested to see it.

The prolonged negotiations have already produced a fragile ceasefire that has failed to develop into a lasting peace, leaving the Strait of Hormuz—a critical waterway for global energy supplies—effectively closed. The disagreement over Lebanon now threatens to unravel the agreement and potentially resume all-out war between the parties.