Iran has called into question a pending framework agreement with the United States to end the war after Israel attacked the suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, prompting criticism from US President Donald Trump.
"The Zionists' incursion into Dahiyeh has once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfil its commitments or the ability to do so," Iran's parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X on Sunday. Dahiyeh refers to the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut.
"If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible," Ghalibaf added. Giving the green light to such attacks cannot yield diplomatic concessions, he said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, responding to Ghalibaf’s post on X, accused Iran of lying. “Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, is the one that attacked Israel again this morning, completely unprovoked,” the ministry said in an X post. "Hezbollah constantly fires at Israeli civilians."
Trump meanwhile criticized Israel for reacting to a "small and meaningless" Hezbollah attack that "should not disrupt this important process."
"This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
Israel on Sunday struck Beirut's Dahiyeh suburbs, which are considered a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, saying the attacks were a response to attacks by the militia on Israeli territory and aimed at a Hezbollah command centre.
At least three people were killed and six injured, the Lebanese civil defence force said. Sources in Lebanon said that Israel had targeted a Hezbollah commander.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened Israel with retaliatory strikes, with a spokesman for the elite force telling the IRIB state broadcaster: "There is no doubt that these crimes will not go unanswered."
Trump's Sunday timeline in doubt
Trump had said on Saturday that an agreement to end the fighting was scheduled to be signed on Sunday. His announcement was preceded by positive signals from both sides, as well as from mediator Pakistan.
However, the Iranian Fars news agency cited an insider as saying on Sunday morning that Tehran had not yet made a final decision. "The examination of the political, legal and technical aspects at the expert level is still ongoing," the agency quoted a source close to the negotiating team as saying.
Iran's main condition for an agreement with the US is an end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Israel, however, strictly opposes linking the two fronts. It wants to destroy Hezbollah and reach a peace settlement with the Lebanese government in Beirut. Hezbollah refuses to negotiate with Israel and is demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli ground forces from Lebanon.
For many residents of Beirut’s suburbs, the constant attacks have become a terrifying part of everyday life. "It's the same every Sunday. We leave the area for two hours after an attack, then we come back," one local woman told dpa, adding that people were tired of war.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military said two impacts were recorded on Israeli territory near the border with Lebanon, but no injuries were reported. Warning sirens had sounded in several towns along Israel's northern border. Israeli news outlet Ynet reported that one drone struck near the border town of Shlomi.
Syrian president: No plans to join war in Lebanon
Syria's transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa has meanwhile said Syria does not plan to take part in the war between Hezbollah and Israel in neighbouring Lebanon.
Al-Sharaa said on Saturday in Damascus that rumours of a Syrian incursion into Lebanon were false, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. "We support an end to the war, a strengthening of institutions, the forging of economic ties and a calming of the situation in Lebanon," he said.
He added that the question of an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon was currently far more important for Syria.
Trump had recently raised the possibility of Syrian involvement in Israel's war against Hezbollah. The US could help Lebanon with more targeted strikes against the militia, or Syria could help, Trump suggested.
Syria had a good leader and was bringing the situation in its own country under control very successfully, Trump said, a reference to the ousting of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, who had been allied with Iran and Hezbollah.
The government of Syria's transitional president al-Sharaa has been seeking closer ties with Arab states, the US and other Western countries.
