US peace deal with Iran in question as Israel strikes Lebanon

Expected right stop the war with Iran and open Strait of Hormuz hanging in the balance, like Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon traded strikes Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday in a post on social media that they struck a “Hezbollah command center” in Beirut after Hezbollah launched airstrikes “against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.” The Israel Defense Forces said it was preparing for new strikes on Israeli territory in the near future Telegram post

The exchange of blows follows the President of the United States Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran would sign an agreement on Sunday to end hostilities with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump, in a Sunday Truth Social post, said the Israeli attacks on Beirut “should not have happened, especially on a special day when we are so close to a peace deal with Iran.”

“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it responded to was very minor and senseless, no one was harmed, injured or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” he wrote. “There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel.”

The US president warned the parties not to “blow.”

The agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding, by reports includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and taking steps to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. It would also end Tehran’s funding of violence and impose a “verification regime” on the Islamic Republic.

Iran will be rewarded for compliance, including asset freezes and sanctions relief.

Trump later told Fox News that he was still waiting for the agreement to be signed on Sunday and that he had spoken with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The president reportedly asked Netanyahu, “What the hell are you doing?” and urged the Israeli leader not to strike again. He also reportedly said he would order Iran not to respond.

Trump said on Saturday Social truth that he hopes “this process will be quick, easy and smooth,” adding the threat that if it doesn’t, “we have a final alternative that hopefully will never be used again!”

An exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon last week threatened to derail a fragile ceasefire and reignite a conflict that has lasted more than three months. The US briefly struck targets in Iran, while Iran fired missiles at Israel and other US allies in the region. The proposed deal was announced shortly after the exchange.

But renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah overnight on Sunday raised doubts that a peace deal is likely to be reached.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Kalibaf said in a report to X that Israeli strikes in Lebanon threatened to derail the deal.

“The Zionist invasion of Dahiya showed once again that America lacks the will to fulfill its obligations or the ability to do so,” he said in the message, according to a translation by X. “If you lack the will and the ability to fulfill your obligations, it is impossible to talk about continuing the path.”

However, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that he remains confident the agreement will be signed within the day during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I am confident in myself. The team is confident,” he said. “I don’t want to preempt the president or the vice president, but they have every intention of doing it today.”

Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett said, “For all I know, we’re on the right track. It’s not a matter of when, it’s a matter of when.”

“If Iran wants to keep it going, they obviously need to pull back Hezbollah,” Hegseth said.

This story is evolving. Check for updates.