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Two killed in drone strike in Lebanon after ceasefire agreement came into effect, state media reports citing medical source
Israel 'committed' to Lebanon ceasefire if Hezbollah honours it, says Israel ambassador to US
Israel's ambassador to the US said that his country would commit to an "immediate ceasefire" in Lebanon if Hezbollah respected it, hours after a US official said the two parties had agreed a new truce.
"Israel remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire," Yechiel Leiter posted on X. "If Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases its hostilities, they will be met with quiet," he added.
Israel-Lebanon talks to be held in Washington next week, US says
The next round of Lebanese-Israeli talks will be held June 23–25 in Washington, the US State Department said following a call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun.
Rubio also "reiterated the need to disarm" Hezbollah and reaffirmed US "support for the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to create a fully sovereign Lebanese state that is at peace with all its neighbors," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Aoun tells Rubio 'comprehensive ceasefire' essential
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a call that a comprehensive ceasefire must be secured in order for talks with Israel to progress.
The Lebanese presidency said Aoun thanked Rubio for US support but stressed "the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire, which Lebanon considers a fundamental basis for advancing the Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week".
Trump asked Israel to agree to ceasefire with Hezbollah, NBC News reports
US President Trump told NBC News in phone interview that he spoke with Israel on Friday and asked them to agree to a ceasefire with Iranian-back militant group Hezbollah.
"You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head," Trump was quoted as saying on X by an NBC reporter, who added that Trump declined to specify whether he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly.
Hormuz ship traffic climbs after war deal
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to its busiest in two months after a deal to halt the US-Iran war, maritime trackers said.
A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly reopened strait on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from tracking firm AXSMarine – more than three times the average of just over seven a day since early March.
In a sign of traffic picking up in the region, empty trucks queued for up to three kilometres (two miles) outside the UAE port of Korfakkan just south of the strait, as at least four container ships unloaded there, an eyewitness told AFP.
🎥 Israel and Hezbollah say they agree to truce despite renewed attacks
Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire after deadly exchanges between the two sides in Lebanon put the deal to end the Middle East war under strain. At least 20 people were killed in Lebanon in fresh strikes, as well as four Israeli soldiers.
In response, the far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said "all of Lebanon must burn".
FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky has more.
Israeli strike on south Lebanon after truce announcement, state media says
Lebanese state media reported an Israeli airstrike on the country's south, soon after a US official said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed a ceasefire.
The official National News Agency (NNA) said the strike targeted the area of Jezzine "a short while ago", adding that one of its journalists reported drones flying over the Tyre area.
An AFP correspondent also reported hearing continuous artillery shelling in the city of Nabatieh.
Iran mediators to meet in Egypt on Sunday
Mediators in the US-Iran conflict, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are due to gather for talks in Egypt on Sunday, Cairo and Islamabad said.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said that the four-way meeting would bring together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt to "discuss regional developments and exchange views on issues related to peace, security and stability".
Egypt's foreign ministry said late Thursday that the meeting would be followed by expanded talks and a joint news conference.
Iran says 'no urgency' to meet US envoys in Switzerland
The Iranian foreign ministry said there was "no urgency" to meet US negotiators in Switzerland, as a memorandum of understanding to end the Middle East war had already been signed electronically.
"Given that the signing of the text of the MoU was done digitally on June 18, there is no urgency to hold the said meeting in Switzerland, but we are planning to hold a meeting in the coming days," the ministry's spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said.
Iran says it plans meeting with US officials in coming days after postponing Friday talks
A planned meeting between Iranian and US officials in Switzerland on Friday has been postponed, with arrangements underway for talks in the coming days, Iran's Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said the meeting was no longer urgent because a memorandum of understanding on ending the war had already been signed digitally between the two sides.
The ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, added that negotiations on a final agreement would depend on the start and continued implementation of specified terms outlined in the memorandum.
Latest Israeli strikes killed 47 in Lebanon, health ministry says
Israeli airstrikes and bombardments killed at least 47 people and wounded 97 others in Lebanon, according to the latest updated toll from the Lebanese health ministry.
The dead included at least seven women and two children and the figures were released as a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was due to start.
Iran FM says talks on final agreement depend on implementation of MOU terms with US
German Chancellor Merz says Iran-US ceasefire needs to hold in Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire, US official says
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official said, after deadly new exchanges in Lebanon put the fragile deal to end the Middle East war under immediate strain.
The truce that began at 4pm local time (1300 GMT) was brokered by US and Qatari mediators following talks with Israel and Iran, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A Gulf diplomat also confirmed the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to AFP.
🎥 Delayed US-Iran talks casts shadow over EU summit
The news that the talks between US and Iran are postponed has cast a shadow over the EU summit, as EU leaders hoped that the memorandum of agreement would bring attention back to the conflict in Ukraine.
But the Middle East is not totally set aside, with EU leaders set to discuss whether to severe trade ties with Israel or not.
FRANCE 24's Armen Georgian tells us more.
🎥 Uncertainty remains amid postponed US-Iran talks and continued fighting in Lebanon
Switzerland has announced that talks planned between the US and Iran are postponed.
Iran's supreme leader voiced scepticism over the deal after it was signed and US Vice President JD Vance cancelled his trip to Geneva.
Iran deal fails to address rights inside country, UN experts say
The US-Iran framework deal agreed this week to end the Middle East war largely fails to address the situation of long-suffering Iranians, UN rights experts said.
A group of 18 independent UN rights experts said they welcomed the deal, but their statement warned that "any agreement that fails to address the human rights situation in Iran will be fundamentally incomplete".
"The memorandum focuses almost entirely on military withdrawal, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear commitments, sanctions relief and a $300 billion reconstruction fund," they pointed out.
"The Iranian people – who have suffered enormously from both external military aggression and internal repression – are barely visible in this framework."
Iran says ships should submit Hormuz transit requests 48 hours in advance
Iran's maritime authority said that all ships seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz should submit a transit request "48 hours in advance", despite its reopening after a US-Iran agreement to end the war.
"To avoid delays at the entrance or exit of the Strait of Hormuz, it is essential that transit requests, complete with all the required information, are submitted at least 48 hours prior to arriving at the strait area," the Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on X.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
