Israel refuses peace demand

Iran's demands for the peace agreement

Vilma Strömberg

Updated 00.13 | Published 2026-06-16 23.52

 

At least four have been killed after new attacks in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Photo: Mohammed Zaatari /AP/TT

Iran believes that a requirement for the peace agreement is that Israel withdraws from Lebanon.

But Israel has stated that it will stay "as long as necessary".

And on Tuesday there are reports of new attacks in southern Lebanon.

What is included in the agreement between Iran and the US that is supposed to lead to peace has not yet been made public. Something that is still unclear is whether an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon should be a condition of the agreement. There are different reports from sources with knowledge of the content of the agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims that it would be considered a violation of the agreement if Israel remained in Lebanon.

“As long as the Israeli forces have not withdrawn from the areas they occupied during this war, the war has not completely ended,” Araghchi said on Tuesday, according to the AP.

          

          People returning to their homes after the attacks. Photo: Hussein Malla /AP/TT

Netanyahu: Staying “as long as necessary”

At the same time, a US source told the AP that the agreement would not require an Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has said that Israeli forces will remain in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria “as long as necessary.”

The Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah said on Tuesday that it believes that Iran, in the continuing negotiations after the agreement was officially signed on Friday, will demand an Israeli withdrawal.

"We believe that there will be no nuclear energy agreement between Iran and the United States if Israel does not withdraw," Hezbollah told Reuters.

          

          Flags representing Hezbollah and Iran were seen after the Israeli attacks. Photo: Mohammed                      Zaatari /AP/TT

New attacks in Lebanon

Despite the current ceasefire, there were reports on Tuesday of new Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

At least four people have been killed in drone attacks on southern Lebanon, TT reports, citing the Lebanese state news agency NNA.

The Israeli military says it attacked "a suspicious vehicle" in southern Lebanon. It also says it stopped and shot down projectiles fired by Hezbollah.

After the attacks, Iran warns Israel not to continue attacking Lebanon and refers to the agreement between the United States and Iran.

“Any violation will be met with a decisive and crushing response,” Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Iran’s National Security Commission, wrote in a post on X.

The agreement was signed digitally, but the official signing ceremony will be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The location was reportedly suggested by mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, along with the United States and Iran.