U.S. Vice President JD Vance said at a White House briefing on Sunday evening that Washington expects Israel not to “go wild” in Lebanon, while also demanding that Hezbollah stop firing rockets and drones at Israel. He said both sides must honor their part of the understanding, and that Israel, like the other parties in the region, must respect the process led by President Donald Trump.
Vance said Trump was frustrated that, as the talks neared a breakthrough, attacks took place in civilian areas of Beirut. “People who have nothing to do with Hezbollah are losing their lives. That is unacceptable,” he said. He added that Israel has the right to defend itself, but must do so in a way that does not endanger the regional deal.
In an unusual defense of Trump’s remarks, Vance said Iran may keep some of its ballistic missiles because states do not give up the right to self-defense. He compared Israel’s right to respond to Hezbollah fire with Iran’s right to keep defensive capabilities. At the same time, he said the final agreement should prevent Tehran from building missiles that could threaten countries around the world, stop it from funding terrorism and instability in the region, and block any effort to rebuild its nuclear weapons program.
Vance said ceasefires can be “messy” and may include localized flare-ups. He said the end goal is for the Lebanese government to control southern Lebanon, prevent Hezbollah from taking over the country, and remove the threat to Israel, which would make Israeli strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon unnecessary. He also announced that the 60-day period in the memorandum of understanding with Iran began officially on Sunday, during which Washington and Tehran are to negotiate a final deal on the nuclear program, missiles, and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to AP, Vance said the U.S. Navy has already lifted the blockade on Iranian ports and allowed more than a dozen vessels to reach them. He also said more than 12.5 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz overnight as part of Washington’s commitments under the agreement. In a separate New York Times interview, he dismissed criticism in Israel of the deal as “strange panic,” saying Israeli fears stem from distrust of the U.S. and arguing that a country of nine million people cannot solve every security problem by killing.
