Though the sides have both said they are close to a preliminary agreement that would reopen the strait, they have repeatedly traded strikes, with escalations in recent days that have included attacks on nearby Arab states hosting US bases.
A Lebanese Middle East Airlines (MEA) aircraft approaches the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport as it flies over Beirut's southern suburbs, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, Lebanon, Mar 30, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
08 Jun 2026 01:14AM
(Updated: 08 Jun 2026 01:15AM)
BEIRUT/DUBAI/NEW BRUNSWICK: Israel struck the outskirts of Beirut on Sunday (Jun 7) for the first time since the US announced a truce plan for Lebanon last week, and an Iranian lawmaker threatened to retaliate, putting talks to end the wider war into new jeopardy.Iran has long said any peace deal with the United States would depend on a ceasefire also holding in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters who fired across the border in solidarity with Tehran.There was no immediate formal response from Tehran to Sunday's Israeli strikes on the southern outskirts of Beirut, but influential hardline Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei posted on X that Iran would deliver a "decisive and painful response"."Look at the sky of the occupied territories tonight," wrote Rezaei, who serves as the spokesperson for parliament's national security committee.
