A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Israel's war in Lebanon has complicated the Trump administration's effort to get out of the war with Iran.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Here's how those two conflicts are connected. When the United States and Israel attacked Iran early this year, Iran's ally Hezbollah in Lebanon struck back against Israel. Israeli forces then invaded Lebanon. Now President Trump wants out of the war, and Iranians are insisting that any peace deal should include Lebanon. Israeli forces have intensified attacks there and moved further into the country.
MARTÍNEZ: Here to tell us more about this is NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Jane, so we've been hearing a lot about whether the U.S. is close to an agreement with Iran or not. Where do things stand?
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Well, here's the latest from Vice President JD Vance last night in Washington. He said, quote, "we're not there," but, "we're very close." He did say, though, that it's hard to say if or when President Trump would sign a deal, so there's that uncertainty. U.S. and Iranian officials over the past week have said that a potential deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it would leave nuclear talks for later. One of the sticking points there is still what Iran does with its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. The U.S. wants it to send those out of the country.
MARTÍNEZ: So as Steve mentioned earlier, Iran has insisted it won't sign a deal with the U.S. without an end to the war in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the militant group Hezbollah. Any sign of that happening?
ARRAF: Well, Israel has actually intensified its attacks here, and it could indeed put an agreement between Iran and the U.S. at risk. It has expanded its invasion in the south and yesterday launched another attack in a Beirut suburb where Hezbollah has offices, the first attack in Beirut in almost three weeks. The Israeli prime minister has said he will crush Hezbollah, the militant group, but civilians are paying a very high price. And that's while Israel, despite a ceasefire there, has also expanded areas of Gaza that it has occupied. And it intends to take more, according to Israel's prime minister, which is pushing civilians into smaller and smaller areas.
MARTÍNEZ: Today in Washington, Lebanese and Israeli military officials are meeting again. How much leverage, Jane, does the Lebanese government have over Hezbollah?
ARRAF: Well, not a whole lot. Hezbollah was formed to counter an Israeli invasion in the '80s and has since become a part of a Lebanese state, essentially, not just security. It has parliament members, runs social services, so it still wields quite a lot of power. We sat down recently with Hezbollah's spokesman here, and he said they will not disarm while Lebanon is under attack.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, it's supposed to be a ceasefire in Lebanon. Clearly, it is not. How is the country coping with that?
ARRAF: Well, their entire border villages erased in the south, and fighting now centers around the district of Tyre. That city has been inhabited for 5,000 years. It has important Roman sites, a nearby Crusader castle. Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame tells NPR the Israeli strikes have put those at risk.
GHASSAN SALAME: I can tell you that in Tyre, there has been bombing around 100 meter from the ruins. The Beaufort Castle has been hit directly, but archaeologists cannot reach there.
ARRAF: He says he hopes there will be a ceasefire soon to allow them to assess the damage. And meanwhile, of course, there's the human cost - tens of thousands of people being displaced again from there.
MARTÍNEZ: That is NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut. Jane, thank you.
ARRAF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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