Israel warns Iran-backed forces threaten Trump’s Middle East peace push

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: As Vice President JD Vance sits down with negotiators in Switzerland to advance the Trump administration’s fragile Middle East peace initiative, Israel is warning that forces aligned with Iran are actively working to derail the effort.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on Sunday, June 21, argued that repeated attacks by Hezbollah are threatening to undermine hopes for a regional breakthrough just as Washington and Tehran prepare for another critical round of talks.

Isaac Herzog blasts Iranian proxies

The timing of Herzog’s remarks highlights the growing challenge facing negotiators gathered in Switzerland.

While diplomats are trying to build momentum behind the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, fresh violence along the Israel-Lebanon border continues to cast doubt over whether the region is truly moving toward de-escalation.

Herzog, while speaking to Fox News, suggested that the biggest threat to any future agreement is not the negotiating table itself but what is happening on the ground.

According to the Israeli president, Hezbollah continues to operate as an extension of Iranian influence in Lebanon, creating conditions that make long-term stability nearly impossible.

He argued that every new exchange of fire pushes the region further away from the diplomatic outcome world leaders claim to support.

"They keep on violating it through their violent proxy called Hezbollah," Herzog said, referring to the ceasefire arrangement that has repeatedly come under strain.

The Israeli President questioned how any meaningful peace process can succeed if armed groups continue to operate independently of the Lebanese state.

Herzog seeks solution to 'Hezbollah problem'

For Herzog, however, the discussion ultimately comes back to one issue.

He argued that lasting peace between Israel and Lebanon cannot exist while Hezbollah remains heavily armed and capable of independently triggering military confrontations.

The Israeli president described the question of Hezbollah's future as the central strategic debate surrounding Lebanon today.

Any diplomatic formula that avoids that issue, he suggested, risks becoming little more than a temporary pause before the next crisis.

At the same time, Herzog emphasized that Israel continues to maintain close communication with Washington and respects President Trump’s efforts to reshape the region through diplomacy.

Herzog’s warning arrives as Vance negotiates peace with Iran in Switzerland. 

The Switzerland negotiations are already expected to be difficult. Now they are unfolding against a backdrop of ceasefire violations, competing accusations and growing mistrust between regional actors.

That reality has turned Vance’s trip into more than just another diplomatic meeting.

For now, Herzog’s message is blunt: peace remains possible, but not if Iran-backed groups continue to operate outside the framework negotiators are trying to build.