Washington, United States. Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, the Trump administration said on Wednesday, raising hopes for a broader deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The announcement came as attacks in Kuwait and near the Strait of Hormuz tested an already fragile regional truce.
Ceasefire terms announced
Tehran had conditioned any deal with the United States in part on an end to fighting between Israel and Lebanon. Earlier, Iran struck Kuwait, damaging its airport and injuring dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia and the evacuation of all its operatives from the South Litani Sector, according to a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department after negotiations in Washington.
Previous truce had failed
The two sides had agreed last month to a ceasefire, but hostilities continued. Israel invaded Lebanon in March in pursuit of Hezbollah, which had fired across the border in support of Tehran.
Attacks in Kuwait and the Gulf
The attacks on Kuwait and in the strait were the latest to test a shaky ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran. Oil prices rose nearly 2% as the strait remained largely closed more than three months after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, killing one person and injuring more than 60 others, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media.
Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways later resumed flights after taking safety measures, the civil aviation authority said.
Conflicting accounts over responsibility
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said they did not fire at Kuwait’s airport and blamed the destruction on U.S. interceptor missiles that failed to hit their targets, according to Iranian state media.
The U.S. military rejected that account and said Iranian drones had deliberately targeted the airport.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that the Revolutionary Guards had attacked the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, a U.S. airbase, and a vessel identified as Panaya. U.S. Central Command denied its bases had been hit and said Iranian ballistic missiles failed to strike their targets in the region.
