IDF says Hezbollah attacks on troops in south Lebanon continue; no injuries caused

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they unfold.

Vance says nuclear inspectors will ‘absolutely’ return to Iran under terms of deal

US Vice President J.D. Vance tells NBC News in an interview that nuclear inspectors will “absolutely” be allowed to return to Iran as part of a deal with the US to end the war between the two countries.

“In fact, one of the core parts of the agreement is that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that’s something that’s spelled out very clearly” in the memorandum of understanding the US and Iran have already agreed to, NBC quotes Vance saying.

Eight people feared dead in B-52 plane crash in California, says US military

Eight people are feared to have died when a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after take-off in California today, says the US air force base where the accident happened.

“An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after take-off at 11.20 am (PDT). Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable,” says a statement from Edwards Air Force Base.

3 explosions heard near Strait of Hormuz, said to be part of effort to ‘manage traffic’

Iran’s Mehr news agency says that the sound of three explosions was heard south of Qeshm Island and in the Strait of Hormuz area, adding that initial reports suggest the blasts were likely carried out to “manage traffic in the strait.”

Add ToI as a preferred source on Google

Vance says US-Iran MOU is a ‘very general document’

US Vice President JD Vance says the US’s memorandum of understanding with Iran is “a very general document” with specifics of the deal to be worked out during further negotiations.

“The MOU… is about a page and half so it is a very general document,” Vance says on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper. “On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase.”

Report: Trump administration’s $300 billion Iran fund to be for companies, not governments

A $300 billion fund the Trump administration is considering for Iran would be created for companies keen to invest in the country and not from governments, the Financial Times reports, citing a source briefed on the talks.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

Report: Senior Israeli official calls US-Iran deal ‘terrible’; PM refused Vance’s request to scale back IDF presence in Lebanon

Israeli officials were shocked by the Sunday announcement that the US and Iran had reached a deal, with one senior Israeli official calling the agreement “terrible for us,” Channel 13 news reports.

Jerusalem had long assessed that the negotiations would end up collapsing, the report notes.

It adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently held a tense phone call with US Vice President JD Vance in which the latter asked for Israel to scale back the IDF’s presence in Lebanon, but Netanyahu refused.

“The IDF won’t withdraw, but from now on, every action will be scrutinized,” a source is quoted as saying by the network.

IDF says Hezbollah attacks on troops in Lebanon continuing, no injuries; 4 strikes on terror operatives conducted today

Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon a short while ago, the military says, one of several attacks carried out by the terror group today.

The IDF also confirms striking Hezbollah operatives who “posed a threat” to forces in southern Lebanon today.

According to the military, the rockets fired at Israeli forces a short while ago were intercepted by air defenses. No sirens sounded in any towns in Israel.

Additionally, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile and several mortars at troops in southern Lebanon, in several separate attacks today, with no injuries caused, the IDF says.

Also, in four separate incidents today, the IDF says, troops spotted “several terrorists traveling in vehicles and approaching IDF soldiers, in a manner that posed an immediate threat to them.”

The Israeli Air Force then struck “all of the threats in a precise manner,” the military adds.