President Donald Trump has been highly critical this week of Israel’s conduct in Lebanon — especially after deadly Israeli airstrikes in Beirut over the weekend nearly blew up the U.S.-Iran peace deal.
“Too many people are being killed,” Trump said at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday. “And you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah.”
‘The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.’
Between March 2 and June 14, at least 3,783 people were killed and 11,699 were wounded during Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah on Lebanese soil, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. At least 28 Israeli soldiers have reportedly perished in the conflict, and four civilians were killed in Hezbollah attacks.
The Lebanese government estimated that by late April, over 21,000 Lebanese homes had been destroyed and over 40,000 housing units had been damaged.
After Israel launched new strikes in Southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Trump resumed his criticism, stating both that “the Lebanon piece is something we’ll have to work on a little bit” and that Israel could “do a much better job on it.”
Trump further marveled that there still is a Lebanon “with all they have been through” and emphasized that there must be an end to the war in the country.
RELATED: Inside the rift: Trump claims Netanyahu has ‘no f**king judgment’ after strike threatens Iran peace deal
Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
After multiple outlets published what was alleged to have been a leaked draft of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, a senior Trump administration official read in a briefing with reporters a transcript of the actual “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” which apparently states in the first of 14 points:
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.
The deal also requires, among other things, that:
- the U.S. and Iran respect one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs;
- the U.S. and Iran commit to negotiating and securing a final deal within the next 60 days;
- the U.S. remove its naval blockade within the next 30 days and remove its forces from the proximity of Iranian territory within 30 days of the final deal;
- Iran make arrangements for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days “only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa”;
- the U.S. will work with regional partners “to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran”;
- the U.S. will take steps to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran;
- Iran reaffirm that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, and the two parties will further discuss the matter of enrichment and related matters “based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal”;
- the U.S. Department of Treasury will, upon the signing of the MOU, issue waivers for the exportation of Iranian oil, petroleum products, and derivatives and all associated services until sanctions are fully terminated;
- the U.S. will take steps to “make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU.”
While President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have reportedly already signed the MOU digitally, a formal signing is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.
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