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<\/source><\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Persistent fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is threatening a tentative deal reached between the United States and Iran to end their war.\n <\/p>\n
\n Their memorandum of understanding includes a ceasefire in Lebanon that would protect Iran\u2019s long-time ally Hezbollah from Israeli strikes, so long as it doesn\u2019t fire at Israel.\n <\/p>\n
\n The fighting has already led to the postponement of US-Iran talks that would begin the difficult process of resolving long-term issues like Tehran\u2019s nuclear program and sanctions.\n <\/p>\n
\n Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist movement<\/a> with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East, has engaged in conflict with Israel for decades, after establishing itself as a force in Lebanon in the 1980s.\n <\/p>\n \n Israel has launched frequent campaigns against Hezbollah, most notably in 2006, when a Hezbollah cross-border raid and the capture of two Israeli soldiers provoked an extensive Israeli air and ground operation that lasted more than a month.\n <\/p>\n \n In October 2023, it began cross-border rocket fire after Israel began bombarding Gaza in response to Hamas\u2019 attack on southern Israel. A year of combat ensued, during which Israel killed Hezbollah\u2019s long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n In November 2024, Israel approved a ceasefire deal that required it to withdraw from southern Lebanon. But Israeli forces continued to hold positions beyond the deadline and carried out near-daily strikes, alleging Hezbollah violations of the deal.\n <\/p>\n \n A new cycle of violence began after Israel and the US killed Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an airstrike in late February.\n <\/p>\n \n In early March, Hezbollah began firing at northern Israel in response to its strikes on Iran.\n <\/p>\n \n More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the military escalation, the health ministry says.\n <\/p>\n \n The first paragraph of the 14-point memorandum<\/a> of understanding shows the end of hostilities in Lebanon as paramount to the agreement.\n <\/p>\n