Iran and Hezbollah seemingly suspend attacks on Israel as hostage deal summit gets off to ‘promising start’

High-level talks focus on details of the deal's implementation

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The retaliatory attacks on Israel that Iran and Hezbollah have been threatening in the last few weeks appear to be on hold for the moment. This comes as a high-level summit in Qatar focused on a hostage deal made a promising start on Thursday and is scheduled to continue at least through the day.

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said the first day of talks was a “promising start,” noting that some gaps had already been narrowed during the diplomatic efforts leading up to the negotiations.

After Iranian officials had already suggested that the regime might abandon its retaliatory strike if Hamas and Israel reached an agreement during the current talks, the Washington Post reported that the terror group would suspend its attacks for the duration of the talks.

“The party does not want to be held accountable for obstructing the talks or a potential deal,” a source with close ties to Hezbollah told the Post on Friday.

In addition, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani briefed the Iranian foreign minister on the discussions and stressed the importance of de-escalating regional tensions, according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

The news outlet Axios also reported that U.S. officials indicated progress was made on Thursday.

While no Hamas representatives attended, talks were held for several hours with delegations led by CIA Director Bill Burns, U.S. President Joe Biden’s top Middle East advisor Brett McGurk, Al Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel.

On Thursday, senior Hamas official Husam Badran stated the terror group believes any negotiations “must be based on a clear plan to implement what was previously agreed upon.”

He reiterated Hamas’ demands of “a comprehensive ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, the return of the displaced and the reconstruction, in addition to a prisoner exchange deal.”

Throughout the day, Hamas representatives were briefed on the progress of the talks by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, according to Axios.

Kirby noted that previous negotiation rounds were also held indirectly, “where mediators will sit and discuss, work things out, and then those mediators will be in touch with Hamas, and then Hamas leaders in Doha communicate directly with Mr. Sinwar for final answers.”

The mediating countries “are resolute in their commitment to move forward in their endeavors to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza strip that would facilitate the release of hostages and enable the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” said Qatar’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed Al-Ansari.

Kirby further emphasized that, given the complexity of the agreement and the details of how it would be implemented, there was still progress needed before a final agreement could be reached.

“The remaining obstacles can be overcome, and we must bring this process to a close,” Kirby said.