Israel-Lebanon ceasefire fuels hopes of diplomatic breakthrough with Iran

A US-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon has raised hopes of progress towards a broader diplomatic settlement involving Iran, as Washington seeks to ease tensions across the Middle East.

The Trump administration said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a new ceasefire following negotiations mediated by the United States, a development that could help advance efforts to end the wider conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Tehran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace agreement with Washington and has signalled in recent days that it could increase support for Hezbollah if Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue or escalate.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the ceasefire would take effect within 24 hours once all parties concerned approved the arrangement. Hezbollah had not publicly commented on the agreement at the time of reporting.

However, uncertainty over the durability of the truce remained after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said military operations in Lebanon would continue for now and that Israeli forces would not withdraw from southern Lebanon.

The agreement follows a fresh escalation in regional violence. Israeli strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon, while US and Iranian forces exchanged attacks in the Gulf on Wednesday.

Diplomatic opening

US President Donald Trump indicated that progress in negotiations with Iran could come within days.

"If it happens, it could happen over the weekend," Trump told reporters at the White House, without elaborating.

According to Washington, efforts are underway to separate discussions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz from developments in Lebanon.

The strategic waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, has remained largely disrupted for more than three months following the outbreak of hostilities.

Oil prices retreated on Thursday after rising sharply a day earlier, with markets reacting positively to the prospect of diplomatic progress.

Regional tensions remain high

The ceasefire announcement came a day after strikes damaged facilities at Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring more than 60 others, according to Kuwaiti authorities.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied deliberately targeting the airport and claimed the damage resulted from failed US interceptor missile activity. The US military rejected that assertion and said Iranian drones had intentionally targeted the facility.

Iranian media also reported attacks on the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a US air base elsewhere in the region. US Central Command denied the claims and said Iranian missiles failed to hit their intended targets.

CENTCOM said it subsequently carried out what it described as defensive strikes against missile launch sites and naval assets in southern Iran.

Iran outlines conditions

Iran and the United States signalled progress last week towards an initial framework agreement aimed at halting hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, although a final deal has yet to be concluded.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a message on Thursday that Iran's adversaries had failed militarily and were now attempting to create divisions within the country.

Tehran is seeking sanctions relief, access to frozen oil revenues, an end to restrictions affecting its ports and preservation of its influence over the Strait of Hormuz as part of any broader settlement.

Trump has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains Washington's primary objective. Iran continues to insist that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes.