Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire despite US-Iran deal

**Will Chalk** (0:00)
This is The Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk, and in the early hours of Tuesday, the 16th of June, these are our main stories. We've heard so much about this potential US-Iran peace deal, but could violence between Israel and Hezbollah undermine it before it's been officially signed? Also, Iran begin their Football World Cup campaign with a great match against New Zealand in LA.
Also, in this podcast, we hear how growing anger in the US against AI data centers has led to voters abandoning the Republican Party.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:37)
My entire community is going to break rank. Everybody, all of us, we've had enough.

**Will Chalk** (0:42)
Could a little-known island off Sierra Leone become the Singapore of West Africa? And we get a glimpse of a new exhibition by the award-winning British sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor.
Well, the virtual ink is barely dry on the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, and Israel and Hezbollah are back attacking each other, with skirmishes reported on both sides. The problem is, the ongoing unrest is so deep rooted that even if this latest deal calls for an immediate and permanent halt to all military operations, including in Lebanon, it's hard to see an end to the fighting there anytime soon. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is insisting his country's forces will remain there as long as necessary.

**Ed Butler** (1:32)
Regarding Lebanon, we've created a buffer zone, a security zone, and we'll remain there as long as necessary. Iran wanted us to withdraw from there, but that did not happen. Do you know why it didn't happen, among other reasons? Because I stood very, very firm.
And I believe our American friends respect this determination and stance, this persistence. We're staying there because we need to protect the residents of the North.

**Will Chalk** (1:56)
Well, despite Benjamin Netanyahu's confidence there, this could put him at further odds with President Trump, who's already criticized him over recent Israeli attacks on Beirut. To remind you where we are as we record this podcast, we're told the deal's been signed electronically by both sides, but we're light on details as to what's in it. And we're told there's going to be a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday.
I asked our correspondent Charlotte Gallagher if these skirmishes have already broken the deal.

**Charlotte Gallagher** (2:26)
It really depends who you ask. The US say Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon is not part of the framework deal. However, Iran say it very much is. So this will be one of the things that they've got to hammer out over the next 60 days. Of course, that is if the ceasefire stands. As well as, of course, Iran's nuclear program, that's going to be a really hard issue for them to go through during that time. But as you said, skirmishes earlier, a man was killed. Lebanese state media say in a drone attack on the car, an Israeli drone attack, the Israeli military say numerous rockets were fired at their soldiers inside southern Lebanon. So the conflict there is still continuing, but of course, on a much smaller scale than it has been previously.

**Will Chalk** (3:08)
Benjamin Netanyahu has said many, many times how little desire he has to stop striking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Does that put him then on a collision course with Donald Trump? And how can he get out of it?

**Charlotte Gallagher** (3:21)
We know that Donald Trump was very angry when Israel hit Beirut as the ceasefire deal was nearly signed. And we know that they had a very strongly worded conversation. That was President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. In a press conference earlier, he was pressed on his relationship with President Trump. And Benjamin Netanyahu said they didn't always see eye to eye, but they'd known each other for a long time. And he said his priority was always the defense of Israel. But it does certainly look like Israel is more isolated from its most powerful ally than it has been in recent times. You know, they weren't included in these talks with Iran and the US. Israel were told what was going to happen. They weren't consulted. So I think they're definitely not as close as they have been. That's the way it seems certainly. And that is what people inside Israel are saying. The deal has been really criticized by not just Israeli politicians, but the public as well. Yeah.

**Will Chalk** (4:20)
And of course, that has implications, doesn't it, for Benjamin Netanyahu's political career?

**Charlotte Gallagher** (4:26)
It does. I mean, there is an election upcoming in Israel and opposition figures, people that are running against Benjamin Netanyahu will say, well, you started a war and you couldn't finish this war. So that will be one of the accusations thrown at him. In his press conference earlier, he sort of used it a bit as a party political broadcast, actually, Will. He was saying, I am the only leader of Israel that will stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. If you don't have me, things could be very different. And he was really kind of making his pitch to the voters in Israel. As much as answering questions about the deal, he was saying, look, vote for me. And another reason why he wants people to vote for him is he's facing corruption charges, which he denies. And if he is no longer leader of Israel, they could very well move through the courts. So obviously that in his mind as well.