The latest

The Lebanon escalation is now spilling into the U.S.-Iran track.

Iranian media said Tehran has halted negotiations with Washington in response to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. Reports also said Iran is considering a push to close the Strait of Hormuz to “punish Israel and its supporters.”

Trump sought to lower the temperature. He said he was not informed in advance of Iran’s decision to suspend the talks, but stressed that the move “doesn’t mean the U.S. will drop bombs” on Iran.

Trump also held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latest regional developments, as Washington tries to stop the fighting from moving from southern Lebanon toward Beirut or into a broader confrontation with Iran.

Details

• Israeli forces are expanding operations in southern Lebanon on several fronts. According to Israel, troops crossed the Litani River and captured Beaufort Ridge for the first time in 44 years.

• The Israeli military also issued a broad evacuation warning for residents south of the Zahrani River.

• The IDF said it killed Hezbollah rocket unit commander Mohammad Mousa Matarik in a strike in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon.

• Iran raised its rhetoric in parallel. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued a warning to residents of Israel, while Shekarchi said continued “crimes in Lebanon” would not be acceptable.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu as Washington pushed a gradual de-escalation track.

• The U.S. proposal follows a clear sequence: Hezbollah stops its attacks, Israel avoids escalation toward Beirut, and space opens for a gradual ceasefire.

• Aoun tried to move the proposal forward, but Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s response exposed the difficulty of locking in a truce. According to Reuters, Berri said he could guarantee Hezbollah’s commitment to a ceasefire, but placed the first burden on Israel to stop firing.

• A U.S. official called Berri’s approach insufficient, saying Washington does not expect Israel to absorb continued attacks on civilians by a “terrorist organization.”

• On the Iran track, Tehran has not accepted Trump’s proposed changes to the memorandum of understanding. Tasnim reported that Iran plans to introduce its own amendments to any future draft.

• Trump’s latest comment draws a line between stalled talks and an immediate U.S. strike. The message: Washington is not ready to declare the diplomatic track dead, but it also does not want to look like it is chasing Tehran back to the table.

What to watch

The region is moving into a dangerous phase.

Israel is widening its operation in Lebanon. Washington is trying to keep Beirut out of the fight. Iran is using the talks and the Strait of Hormuz as pressure points.

Trump’s comment reduces the chance of an immediate U.S. strike, but it does not solve the bigger question: whether the fighting stays contained in southern Lebanon, or turns into a wider equation involving northern Israel, Hormuz and the U.S.-Iran negotiations.