Why Lebanon may hold the key to the future of the Iran war

The first days of that ceasefire were marred by disputes over whether it included Lebanon. Israel initially rejected efforts to compel it to stop its attacks on its northern neighbor, even as Iranian officials and Pakistani mediators maintained that Lebanon was part of the deal. It took a call from President Donald Trump to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling him to fall into line to prevent the ceasefire with Iran from collapsing.

It was the first indication – to Iran and the rest of the region – that Trump was not going to let Israel’s war against Hezbollah get in the way of a chance to end a war with Iran that has become economically and politically costly.

As the fire between Israel and Hezbollah intensified and Israel threatened to bomb Hezbollah targets in Beirut earlier this month, Iran vowed to suspend negotiations with the US if the Lebanese capital was struck.