Trump desperate to avoid derailing of Iran dealpublished at 17:14 BST

17:14 BST

Joe Inwood
World news correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Given that the fighting has already killed thousands, with around a million forced from their homes, maintaining a genuine ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will clearly have an immediate and important impact for the people of Lebanon.

But it will also have consequences for the wider region - including the prospects for peace between the US and Iran.

For Iran, the deal it did with the US covered the entire Middle East, including its ally Hezbollah. The fact that Israel has continued its offensive was seen by many as a key factor in the failure of talks with the US to take place today.

Indeed, President Trump also agreed that the fighting in Lebanon should end, accusing his Israeli allies of being disproportionate in their responses to Hezbollah provocations.

It is clear he knows that what is taking place in Lebanon has the capacity to derail his prized "Memorandum of Understanding" with Iran - something he is desperate to avoid.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from Nabatieh, southern Lebanon

The 16:00 ceasefire appears to be a ceasefire in name only.

We spent the day at a hospital in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, perched on a hilltop with a 360° view of the town and surrounding villages.

Our team counted more than a dozen Israeli air strikes in our time there.

As we were leaving, the ceasefire was announced. But our contacts at the hospital told us the booms kept coming.

According to the Nabatieh ambulance service, there’s been at least 12 strikes since the ceasefire deadline.

People in the city have little hope that it will be respected.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says there is "no basis" behind reports that Iran has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, according to comments shared by Tasnim news agency.

Some outlets reported earlier that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had announced the closure of the vital shipping passage. The New York Post pointed to an IRGC statement read over maritime radio channels, which blamed the closure on Israel's refusal to pull forces out of southern Lebanon.

The US and Iran's 14-point memorandum of understanding - signed earlier this week - states that the shipping channel should be reopened toll-free for 60 days, with discussions taking place about the longer-term future.

In return, the US has dropped its naval blockade on Iranian ports, although some vessels remain "in the general area", US Central Command has said.

Here's a reminder of the US and Iran's initial agreement to end the war, which was signed by both parties on Wednesday and centres around 14 points:

1. "The immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including inLebanon"

2. US and Iran to "respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs"

3. They "commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent"

4. Immediately, the US "will begin the removal of its naval blockade... and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days"

5. In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran "will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge, for 60 days"

6. The US undertakes "with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of" Iran

7. US to "terminate all types of sanctions against" Iran

8. Iran "reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons", but other parts of the programme are still to be negotiated. The two parties "agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs"

9. Pending the final deal, the US and Iran "agree to maintain the status quo"

10. Upon signing, and until the termination of sanctions, US Treasury will "issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services"

11. US undertakes "to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets" of Iran

12. "An executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation" of this memorandum

13. After signing - subject to implementation of points 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 - the US and Iran "will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs"

14. "The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolution"

The situation in Lebanon emphasises complexities of US-Iran dealpublished at 16:00 BST

16:00 BST

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

The deadly escalation in southern Lebanon last night is another sign that Trump is not necessarily in control of the fate of his much-needed deal with Iran - a reality which has got him increasingly angry and frustrated this week.

The agreement - or memorandum of understanding (MoU) - declared a ceasefire in Lebanon as well as between the US and Iran. But that has not been the reality on the ground, seeing Tehran accuse Trump of failing to rein in Israel.

Trump himself has actually given fuel to this argument in an unprecedented set of angry accusations against his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting he has been senselessly killing civilians in his fight against Hezbollah.

Last night’s flare-up in southern Lebanon poses more problems for Trump.

Hezbollah said Israeli forces were trying to infiltrate an area when the group targeted Israeli forces with anti-tank missiles.

Israel’s strikes killed some 18 people in southern Lebanon; Hezbollah killed four Israeli troops including a battalion commander.

While the White House insists there’s now a ceasefire, Israel’s far-right ultra-nationalists are demanding "all of Lebanon must burn" as Tehran calls those ministers a "genocidal death cult".

The survivability of the deal for Trump rests on each side reining in hardliners and showing restraint - and there are few signs of that.

BBC Arabic’s Carine Torbey has been reporting from Tyre, in southern Lebanon, just before the latest ceasefire was announced.

Watch her report below explaining how the city and its residents have been impacted by the conflict.

In recent days, the relationship between Donald Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared strained following the signing of the US-Iran deal.

Israel had continued its strikes on Lebanon, as recently as last night, despite the memorandum of understanding stating that military operations in the country would cease.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France on Wednesday, Trump said Netanyahu was a "good man" but he gets "a little excited sometimes".

He said the PM could do with "a little softer touch", adding: "You don't have to knock down a building every time someone walks into it that's from Hezbollah."

But yesterday, Vice-President JD Vance went even further, telling reporters that he did not appreciate criticism of the deal and of Trump by Israeli cabinet members.

He claimed Trump "is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic" towards Israel at this time.

"The problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump; and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that the country is in," he said.

Image source, Reuters

At least 47 people have been killed and 97 others wounded in Israeli air strikes in the country today, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

A statement by the ministry says the deaths took place between midnight and this afternoon, when a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced.

Israel said earlier today that it had struck two Hezbollah command centres in the Beqaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, before confirming the ceasefire.

Images released by Reuters news agency which were photographed prior to the ceasefire agreement show smoke billowing over southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes.

At least 18 people were killed in southern Lebanon following air strikes overnight. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier it had struck 80 targets linked to Hezbollah.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran at the beginning of March, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.

Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and invading a significant part of the country's south, with the aim of driving back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border.

At least 3,912people have been killed, among them women and children,and a further 11,699 others wounded since the latest conflict began, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

About a million people remain displaced, while dozens of communities in the south have been completely destroyed.

Hezbollah has vowed to continue with its attacks as long as the invasion persists.

The IDF has confirmed that there is a ceasefire in place between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel.

IDF Spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, says in a statement: "We are in a ceasefire. The IDF is prepared to continue fighting if called upon to do so."

The first point in the US-Iran deal declares an "immediate and permanent" termination of military operations on "all fronts", including Lebanon.

It also commits all sides to ensuring Lebanon's "territorial integrity and sovereignty".

Centred around 14 points, the memorandum of understanding also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, a $300bn (£224bn) plan for Iran's "reconstruction", and the US terminating "all types of sanctions" on Iran.

US officials have previously said that while Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire framework, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory was not a condition of the deal and that Israel would retain the right to self-defence.

The announcement comes after at least 18 people were killed in southern Lebanon following a series of Israeli air strikes overnight, according to the country's health ministry. Israel's military says four of its soldiers were also killed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also earlier said it has struck 80 targets linked to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and killed "dozens" of its members.

The developments come a day after the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, including a permanent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.

We'll bring you the latest updates right here on this page.

A US official has confirmed to the BBC that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, which came into effect at 16:00 local time on Friday.