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President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their ceasefire for another three weeks after a meeting at the White House on Thursday. Neither the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun nor the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Trump’s announcement. The success of the ceasefire will likely depend on the powerful Lebanese Shi’a militant group Hezbollah which did not participate in the talks. Hezbollah’s operations, which have included launching missiles into Israel, along the Lebanon-Israel border have long been a major concern of the Israeli government. Nada Hamadeh, the Lebanese Ambassador expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s role in extending the ceasefire. Prior to Trump’s announcement there were signs that the current ceasefire was on the verge of collapsing as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged attacks. Time will tell if the ceasefire produces a desirable resolution to the tensions that has characterized relations between the neighboring countries. Earlier in the week, another round of talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan collapsed before they could get off the ground. While the US prepared to send a delegation to Islamabad for talks, internal disputes within Iran’s leadership derailed the formation of a delegation and an agenda from which to negotiate. According to The Economist the Iranian regime is divided between hardliners and nationalists each with different stances on key issues. The nationalist faction favors relinquishing its proxy network in exchange for sanctions relief and sees its nuclear program as a source of regional tension while the hardliners see a nuclear bomb as a deterrent against future aggressors. Following the collapse of proposed talks military actions around the Strait of Hormuz escalated in the following days. On Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said that it had seized control of two ships in the Strait, the Epaminandos and the MSC Francesca. According to Iran the crews of the Greek and Panamanian ships are safe and accounted for. The US continued its military blockade of Iran and seized an oil tanker of Iran’s coast. On Thursday President Trump said that had ordered the US to “shoot to kill” the small Iranian boats that are active in the Strait. According to Axios, Iran has again begun mining the Strait of Hormuz.
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