Isreal to stay ‘indefinitely’ in lands seized in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, says defence minister

Israel’s defence minister said Monday that Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, potentially challenging an interim deal that Iran and the United States reached hours earlier that includes opening the Strait of Hormuz and further extending a shaky ceasefire. 

Details of the deal were not immediately released and Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would take place Friday in Switzerland.

But the memorandum of understanding over the war already faced hurdles. Israel’s continued hostilities with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, nearly derailed the negotiations. Israel joined the US in launching the war on Feb. 28.

Read moreUS and Iran agree to memorandum of understanding, 'immediate' end to military operations

In the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the deal, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending. Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with “great force”.

Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) of territory – an area that is slightly smaller than New York City.

'Our worries are increasing day by day': A Lebanese family lives through wartime

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Meanwhile, the deal between the US and Iran gives just 60 days to resolve what to do about Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its atomic program. That took years to resolve in Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from that accord in his first term, setting the stage for the tensions that culminated in the war.

“Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on social media as he celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday with a UFC cage match fight at the White House. 

He added, “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” which was imposed in retaliation for Iran’s grip on the crucial waterway.

He soon hedged, however, saying the strait wouldn’t open until Friday’s signing. 

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement on state television but said Iran would not start implementing it until it was signed Friday. He said the deal followed talks with Qatar, another mediator.

Pakistan first announced the deal, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”. He added that mediators this week will facilitate meetings to “lay the foundation for the technical talks”.

Read moreLebanon reports Israeli strikes in south and east amid broad evacuation warnings

Broader negotiations on outstanding issues like Iran’s nuclear programme would continue over the next 60 days, two senior Pakistani officials said earlier Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. If the sides fail to reach a resolution within that time, the timeline could be extended.

Iranian state television cited the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council as saying the war on all fronts “will end immediately and permanently beginning tonight” – and that the US blockade “will be terminated immediately and in full.”

Qatari mediators later left Tehran following 17 hours of negotiations, said an official briefed on the developments who spoke on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the talks. Separate preparatory meetings with each side will take place in Doha this week, the official said.

It was not clear who from Iran would sign the deal on Friday. US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News the White House was still figuring out who would attend: “I certainly plan to be there, but it’s possible the president himself could be there.”

But concern among Republicans in the US already could be seen. They included US Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who described Vance as “the architect of the deal”.

“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham wrote online. 

(FRANCE 24 with AP)