• Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has said Tehran is ready to continue diplomacy with the United States but says Washington must ensure Israel abides by the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and stops attacking Lebanon.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also says the Trump administration has the “commitment and responsibility” to end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as the deal stipulates.
• A US official has told the Reuters news agency that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon after intensified Israeli attacks killed at least 47 people and wounded 97 others since midnight on Friday.

Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon minutes after new ‘ceasefire’

US-Iran talks in Switzerland delayed amid Israeli attacks on Lebanon

The US vice president was packed and ready to go. His plane was waiting at Joint Base Andrews, and then it was suddenly postponed.

It does appear through subsequent accounts that what happened is that Iran was protesting the ongoing Israeli [military] action in Lebanon. The Iranian representatives declined to travel to Geneva until the Israeli actions ceased, and so JD Vance postponed his trip rather than cancel it until the situation in Lebanon was sorted out.

This is the sticking point at present, that ongoing Israeli action in Lebanon, which has been protested by Iran as being against the conditions of that memorandum of understanding, which the US and Iran had reached.

Successive US presidents have been quick to express their support for Israel, even in dire circumstances, and President Trump is no exception. However, in recent weeks, he’s been increasingly critical of Israel because of how the situation in Lebanon was disrupting the process of negotiations with Iran.

President Trump had what was reported as very heated conversations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And in recent days, he’s repeated this criticism of the actions of the prime minister and indeed of Israel in that ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

Coupling Lebanon to MoU will ‘blow back in Iran’s face’: Former US general

Mark Kimmitt, a former assistant US secretary of state for political-military affairs, says it was a mistake for Iran to link negotiations with Washington to Israel’s war on Lebanon.

As we’ve been reporting, the US-Iran MoU stipulates that the war should end on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel has been carrying out daily attacks and a ground invasion.

“I think we understand what’s holding this up, and that’s the ongoing ceasefire violations between Israel and Lebanon,” Kimmitt told Al Jazeera.

“My personal view is that it was very, very unwise of the Iranians to put that condition inside the MoU for the simple reason that they can’t control what Hezbollah is going to do and the United States doesn’t control what Israel is going to do,” he said.

“The United States and Israel … have overlapping interests, but they don’t have identical interests. Clearly, the United States sees the war with Iran in a different perspective than Israel sees its war with Lebanon, and trying to couple those two issues, I think, is going to blow back in Iran’s face.”

UK foreign secretary calls Israeli minister’s Lebanon remarks ‘abhorrent’

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has denounced remarks by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said “all of Lebanon must burn” after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon.

“Calling for ‘all of Lebanon to burn’ is a horrendous and abhorrent statement from an Israeli Minister who has rightly been sanctioned by the UK Government,” Cooper wrote on X.

She also urged both Israel and Hezbollah to comply with a ceasefire in Lebanon “and ensure that all civilians are protected”.

‘A test’: Iran trying to see how much leverage US has over Israel

Iranian leaders have been so intent on ensuring that Lebanon is included in the deal with the US, Muhanad Seloom of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies says.

“It’s a test. The Iranians are trying to watch whether the United States actually can control or rein in the Israeli side.”

He explained that, from Tehran’s view, if Washington is not able to stop Israel from attacking Lebanon, “who will guarantee that in the future Israel won’t attack Iran itself?”

“So I think for the Iranians, it’s very important to see how much the US has leverage over Israel in these negotiations and whether they can guarantee that Israel will abide by the terms of any upcoming agreements.”

‘Do we finally have a US president ready to put pressure on Netanyahu?’

That’s the key question, says Matthew Duss, the executive vice president at the Center for International Policy.

Duss says that Trump appears increasingly aware that Netanyahu may spoil the ceasefire with his campaign in Lebanon.

“It’s been clear for a while that Netanyahu himself is one of the main sources of instability in the Middle East right now. He’s been the main reason why we couldn’t get a ceasefire in Gaza, and why it took so long to get a ceasefire with Iran,” he said.

“So, as always, the question is: Okay, we know that there are differences of opinion between the president and the Israeli prime minister, but do we finally have an American president who’s willing to put real pressure on Netanyahu when he misbehaves?”

About the next round of Israel-Lebanon talks

The Trump administration has announced a new round of talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials. Here’s what we know about the process:

• The US State Department says the talks, which will take place on June 23 and 25 in Washington, DC, aim to “make progress toward a lasting peace”.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Lebanese President Joseph Aoun “that Lebanon’s bilateral negotiations with Israel represent the only feasible path to reconstruction, economic recovery, and ending recurrent cycles of violence”, according to the State Department.
• Israeli and Lebanese officials held their first direct negotiations in April, but the US-brokered process has not included Hezbollah, which has rejected the talks.
• The US and Israel have been pushing the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah; The Lebanese group has rejected the prospect of disarmament, saying it is defending Lebanese territory against Israeli attacks.
• Aoun – the Lebanese president – has said Israel’s intensified attacks in Lebanon’s south and the Bekaa Valley were jeopardizing ongoing peace efforts but that Lebanon would keep pursuing a “comprehensive ceasefire”, the country’s National News Agency reports.

MSF says Israeli shelling of Nabatieh like ‘a death trap’

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has described Israel’s latest shelling of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon as “relentless” and “devastating”.

“What our teams are describing resembles a death trap,” the group said in a social media post, noting that people have been “caught under heavy shelling”.

“Civilians and first responders must be protected, and unhindered access for rescue teams is urgently needed,” MSF added.

Middle East faces ‘moment of reckoning’

Rami Khouri, a distinguished public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, says US-Israel relations have reached a “decisive moment”.

“We’ve really come to a moment of reckoning here for the United States, for Israel and for the Arab parties, as well and the mediators. Everybody is being put to the test,” Khouri said.

He said that the US and Israel have a history of failing to comply with ceasefire agreements, but will face a tougher challenge this time around due to the involvement of Iran.

“The difference now is that Iran is directly involved, supporting Lebanon and Hezbollah, and this has created a new form of pressure on both Israel and the US,” Khouri said.

“It’s really the only dynamic in town right now – can the Americans reign in the militaristic exuberance and the killing spree of the Israelis? If they can’t, the Iranians are going to respond.”

Following night of relative calm, Israeli air strikes resume in Lebanon

There had been relative calm in Beirut during the nighttime hours, but there have been reports of more air strikes. An air strike down in Rihan Heights and since then, local media have been reporting more air strikes and casualties.

Just after the ceasefire was announced on Friday between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, there has been continued activity on both sides. The authorities in Nabatieh, which seems to have been the centre of much of the up tick, the surge, in these exchanges, reported that there were at least 12 air strikes by Israeli warplanes after the announcement of the ceasefire.

On Friday, there were clashes around Ali Al-Taher Hills between advancing Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters trying to repel them. And the alleged use of phosphorus by Israeli forces in and around the same area.

So [far] it is nothing like the kind of violence we saw throughout that day with something like 150 strikes, and about 15 people killed and 100 people wounded and injured.

But it does point to the shaky nature of this ceasefire, and just also how the whole negotiating process does seem to be reliant upon Lebanon and what happens here in the coming days and weeks.

Future prospects for Lebanon ceasefire unclear

JD Vance cancelled his trip as a result of this flare-up. Steve Witkoff has now come afterwards in his place. So it does show just how vulnerable this whole process is to what happens here on the ground in Lebanon.

We had late on Friday, a phone conversation between President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with Aoun alleging that Israel is threatening to undermine the whole process, getting a guarantee from Rubio about the sovereignty of Lebanon.

But it also points to the fact that when it came to pressuring Hezbollah to agree to the ceasefire, it does seem as though the US officials were going through Tehran rather than Beirut. It does point up the relative influence over this Iranian proxy.

As for future prospects about whether this ceasefire will hold or not, you do have Israeli forces and Hezbollah apparently on completely diametrically opposed routes. You have the Israelis saying that they will not withdraw – Netanyahu reaffirmed that on Friday.

They’re going to continue to stay in southern Lebanon. As long as they do, then Hezbollah seems prepared to repel them as they see it, now supported by the MoU, which calls for the respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Israel kills Lebanese soldier in strike on south Lebanon

A Lebanese soldier has been killed in an Israeli strike on the village of Kfar Reman in southern Lebanon, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
 

Hezbollah lawmaker says ceasefire ‘meaningless’ while Israeli forces remain in Lebanon

A senior Hezbollah lawmaker has ruled out a ceasefire with Israel while Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory, warning that any further aggression would be met with a response.

“The position of the resistance is clear, unambiguous, non-negotiable and without retreat,” Ali Fayyad, a representative of the Hezbollah faction in the Lebanese parliament, said in remarks carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “A ceasefire while the enemy continues its targeting and assassinations is meaningless.

“The right to self-defense is established for us and is not subject to bargaining or negotiation,” he said.

“Iran’s decisive military and diplomatic support for the Lebanese people, and its serious readiness to continue this role until the Zionist occupiers leave our country,” he said, “are all reasons why we can speak of an effective balance with the Zionist enemy.

“This balance opens the horizon for forcing it to leave our land,” he added.

Israeli attack kills family of four in southern Lebanon

An Israeli attack on the village of Barish in southern Lebanon has killed four members of the same family, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA).

The agency described the attack as a massacre, saying the victims were a father, a mother and their two children.

The violence comes despite Israel purportedly agreeing to a ceasefire just yesterday.

At least three people killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon

Israeli attacks continued overnight and early this morning across southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire, according to reports from Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA):

• Three people were killed in an Israeli two-pronged raid on the village of Arab Salim.
• One person was killed in a raid on the municipality of Deir ez-Zahrani.
• One person was killed in an Israeli drone attack on a motorcycle at the eastern entrance to the village of Doueir.
• An air strike on the village of al-Numairiyah destroyed a number of homes.
• Israeli aircraft launched a raid on the village of Kafr Goz, destroying a residential building, followed less than half an hour later by a similar raid destroying another residential building.
• Raids also struck the villages of Kfar Reman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Shukin,
• Habboush, Zebdin, Sajd, and Mahmoudiyah.
• An Israeli drone carried out a raid on the Rahbate neighbourhood in the city of Nabatieh and its outskirts.

Poll suggests majority of Israelis want Netanyahu to leave politics

A new poll by Israel’s Channel 12 indicates that a majority of Israelis are against Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election in a national vote expected to take place in autumn.

The poll showed that 59 percent of participants believe the Israeli prime minister should leave politics and not run for office, compared with 33 percent who back his candidacy, with 8 percent undecided.

Israel’s ongoing attacks aim to obstruct restoration of stability: Lebanese army

Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue after the latest escalation reached wide areas in the south of the country, all the way to the Bekaa Valley, killing and injuring more people and causing extensive destruction to properties, the Lebanese army says.

“The continuation of Israel’s brutal attacks aims to obstruct any solution that would allow the restoration of stability in Lebanon,” the army said in a statement on X.

It also said the Israeli military attacked and killed “a military figure in the army” on the Kafr Reman-Nabatieh road.

Lebanese state media reported earlier that a Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli air attack.

Israel seeks to derail US-Iran talks through Lebanon

Israel appears to be trying to disrupt the emerging US-Iran agreement by escalating in Lebanon, according to Imad Salamey, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University.

“Of course, Israel is not happy about this deal. This has became obvious,” Salamey says. He said Israeli leaders had been openly voicing anger over the agreement, particularly because Hezbollah’s weapons and its role in Lebanon had not been addressed in a way that satisfied Israel.

“Israel is acting like … a spoiler in this dealing, trying to sabotage the entire process,” he said.

Salamey contrasted Israel’s position with what he described as a shift in Tehran’s tone. “For the first time we’re hearing Iranians talking about their intention for peace and stability in the region,” he said, adding that this had not been the case with Washington “for at least four decades”.

He said next week’s Lebanese-Israeli talks could prove decisive. “I think next week it will be a decisive point where we know exactly what’s the Israeli intention and what the American intentions [are] as well.”

At least 12 people killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since dawn

Israel has killed at least 12 people across Lebanon since dawn, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA):

• One person was killed in the town of Sohmor, the western Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon.
• One Lebanese soldier was killed in the village of Kfar Reman, Nabatieh district, southern Lebanon.
• Four members of the same family, including a father, mother and two children, were killed in the village of Barish, Tyre district, southern Lebanon.
• Three people were killed in a two-pronged raid on the village of Arab Salim, Nabatieh district, southern Lebanon.
• One person was killed in the municipality of Deir ez-Zahrani, Nabatieh district, southern Lebanon.
• One person was killed in a drone attack on a motorcycle in the village of Doueir, Nabatieh district, southern Lebanon.
• One person was killed in the municipality of Shahour, Tyre district, southern Lebanon.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon expose widening split with US over Iran deal

Patrick Bury, a defense and security specialist at the University of Bath and former British army officer, says the Israeli escalating attacks on Lebanon “is a divergence coming with more clarity between basically the Israeli national security interests and the US”.

He said Israel and the US appeared aligned at the start of the conflict, but that their shared position has weakened as their political interests have moved in different directions.

Bury said Netanyahu faces domestic pressure but still appears to have support for continuing the war against Hezbollah and Iran. He said Trump faces a different calculation, with Washington and Tehran both having an interest in keeping the deal alive.

“My worry is you end up in a situation where it’s both in Iran and the US’s interest for this deal between them to remain open,” Bury said. But, he added, “It is not in Israel’s interest for this to happen.”

Israeli army spokesperson: ‘Lebanon is not an enemy. The problem is Hezbollah’

An Israeli army spokesperson has said Lebanon itself is not Israel’s enemy, but rather the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“Lebanon is not an enemy of Israel. The problem is Hezbollah, which drags Lebanon time and again into destruction, depriving the Lebanese of stability, security, and prosperity,” Lieutenant Colonel Ella Wawiya said in a post on X.

Wawiya said that if Hezbollah stops violating agreements and refrains from hostile activities then “calm and stability can be achieved for both sides, Israeli and Lebanese.

“A different future for the Lebanese is possible. A future based on stability, development, and prosperity instead of the ongoing spiral of confrontations,” she added.

At least 12 people have been killed in Israeli ⁠air raids and drone attacks in southern Lebanon, just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

The problem are the Israelis since 1968 when they introduced the Menachem Begin doctrine aimed to attack any country in the region preemptively if they dare to launch their own nuclear program. The following is just about bringing to practice that doctrine:

Netanyahu started on June 13, 2025, an preemptive war 12-day war on Iran by claiming without evidence that Tehran was accelerating its nuclear program. Three days later, Netanyahu had asked the US for help in the assassination of the Iranian Leader Khamenei, knowing that Hezbollah would respond. In December of that year, Netanyahu vowed to attack Iran again in 2026.

On February 27, 2026, Jared Kushner told his father-in-law Donald Trump, that Iran was going to attack. The next day, Netanyahu ordered the assassination of the Iranian leader, while Oman was still mediating between Iran and the US. Hezbollah reacted the following day by vowing revenge, which it carried out on March 2nd.

Netanyahu dragged Hezbollah in his war on Iran.

Israel kills 16 people in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh district: Civil Defense

Lebanon’s civil defense agency says Israeli attacks on the southern Nabatieh district have killed 16 people and wounded 12 others, a day after the latest Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire announcement.

The agency said rescue teams had transported “16 dead and 12 wounded” to hospital as Israeli strikes continued to hit the area on Saturday.

Civil defense personnel have been working “since the early morning hours” in Nabatieh in response to ongoing Israeli attacks targeting the area.

Israeli ex-defense chief warns prolonging war puts Israel at risk

Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has told Israeli Channel 12 that Israel is “paying the price for the hallucinations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government”.

He added that the government should have entered negotiations with Lebanon since October 2024, saying soldiers have continued to be killed due to “private and partisan political interests”.

Ya’alon said Netanyahu is prolonging the war “to keep his extremist coalition safe”. He added that Israel is approaching elections, and “if the status quo continues after that, we will have no state left.”

Hezbollah MP says group has ‘full right’ to confront Israeli attacks

Hassan Fadlallah says Hezbollah has the right to respond to Israeli attacks, as Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon despite a new ceasefire announced a day earlier.

“There is talk of a ceasefire. For us, what concerns us is that the enemy fully and comprehensively respects the ceasefire, and doesn’t attempt to attack our country and villages or seek to occupy any new position,” the MP said in a statement on Saturday.

Fadlallah added that “the resistance has the full right to confront this enemy when it attacks us, as it is the aggressor and the occupier.”

Iranians insist US must abide by signed MoU

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says that the memorandum of understanding’s point 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11, are sticking points.

Especially the first point, where the US and Iran have agreed that they are going to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including that of Lebanon.

And unless the situation moves to a settlement in Lebanon, these talks are not going to go forward. So that’s why we’re hearing a lot of push from the Iranians that you have to abide by what you’ve agreed upon already.

You have to make sure that the sanctions relief is provided to us until those sanctions are lifted via the US Treasury giving temporary injunctions. You’ve got to move your forces away from the Iranian territory.

And the Americans are insisting that they need to see action on the ground on what the Iranians are going to do with their uranium stockpile.

Hezbollah says it is committed to truce, promises to confront Israeli expansion

The Lebanese armed group says that while committed to a ceasefire, it will not hesitate to confront any attempt by Israel to seize territory in Lebanon.

The Iran-backed group added in a statement that it attacked Israeli troops that had advanced towards an area near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon overnight.

Hezbollah criticized the Israeli violations that started last night and continued today, adding that it had adhered to the ceasefire since Friday evening, even after Israel violated it from the very first moments.

“However, it remains vigilant, prepared to respond, given the enemy’s history of treachery and betrayal,” the group said.

“The Islamic Resistance declares that, while adhering to the ceasefire, it will not hesitate to confront any attempt by the enemy to seize land and expand its occupation,” it added.

Lebanon caught between US, Iran and Israel agendas

Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, says that the latest violence in Lebanon shows that the ceasefire with Israel lacked the foundations needed to hold.

“The fact is the ceasefire has been very fragile since the beginning,” Nader said, when asked whether the fighting could be separated from broader US-Iran diplomacy.

He said Washington, Tehran and Israel were pursuing fundamentally different goals, leaving Lebanon trapped between competing agendas.

“While for America, Iran is the nuclear issue. For Israel, this is an existential threat, and Iran considers Lebanon as an integral part of its national security,” he said. “And the country of Lebanon is lost between these conflicting agendas, and it’s paying the price.

“Today, we saw that since the morning, military operations have resumed, so that ceasefire was not respected,” he said, warning that Israel was pushing deeper into southern Lebanon and adding that efforts to separate Lebanon’s crisis from the wider Iranian file had failed.

Israel claims Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in Lebanon

The Israeli military says Hezbollah launched more than 50 projectiles overnight towards Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.

It also claimed its forces struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the area, including rocket launch positions, weapons storage facilities, and command centers.

We don't know what message the Israelis are trying to send with such claims. But receiving projectiles fired on them are consequences the Israelis apparently refuse to accept, when they wanted a head of state assassinated, assassinated the head of state, while they knew that Hezbollah would respond and then start saying "Hezbollah attacks 'Israel'" when Hezbollah brings to practice revenge of the assassination.

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon rises to 32

At least 32 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since dawn, as Israel continues to bomb the country despite ceasefire efforts.

• Lebanon’s National News Agency said an Israeli raid hit a house in Sohmor in the western Bekaa while a family was inside, killing four people and injuring one. A child remains trapped under the rubble as rescue teams work to pull him out.
• Lebanon’s Health Emergency Operations Centre also said an Israeli strike on Qanarit, in the Sidon district, killed at least seven people and wounded 13 others in an initial toll.

Iran says closing Strait of Hormuz over deadly Israeli attacks on Lebanon

The Iranian central military command says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon, describing them as a breach of Iran’s agreement with the US.

“It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic; It is noted that this first step is a response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations,” the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement carried by state TV.

Israel continues to advance in Lebanon in order to better negotiate

Officially, Israel is not saying much because it’s still Saturday. The Israeli media is relying on Lebanese and independent reporting to follow the battles on the ground.

But the Israeli war belligerent had already issued a map showing an advancement – an increase in that so-called security buffer zone that Israel wants to hold onto – extending beyond the Litani River. This is occupied Lebanese territory.

It includes those areas that are now being heavily bombarded, where the Israelis are trying to advance and where they suffering casualties as well in battles with Hezbollah.

And the discussions that are out in the open are that Israel wants to gain more territory, more hilltops, to have more advantage when it speaks and then negotiates with the Lebanese government. But more importantly, perhaps, when it tries to reach a compromise with the US administration.

If the Trump administration puts its foot down – and it doesn’t seem like it has, yet – and compels Israel to withdraw, then Israel wants to be able to bargain, leaving some of the areas, scaling back perhaps, and staying in key strategic ones. That explains all this escalation, all this attempt to advance further into Lebanon rather than retreat.

Iran pressuring US to force Israel implement MoU over Lebanon

Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will be closed.

We don’t know whether that’s a decision that’s going to take effect from this moment or it’s a threat.

So there is pressure on the US to force Israel to implement the first article of the memorandum of understanding.

There has been a lot of anger being expressed today and yesterday about it and now it is very clear that Iranian officials are linking Lebanon to moving ahead with the negotiations.

Unprecedented rift between Israel and US over Lebanon

The relationship between the US and Israel is not just about the personal bonds between the leaders. There’s a strategic alliance, and that hasn’t changed. But what we have seen is not only unprecedented criticism from Washington, but also unprecedented attacks in Israel against the US president, against JD Vance. Op-ed pieces in major Israeli media are accusing Trump of betrayal, of selling out Israel, and key political figures are doing the same.

There is a little bit of panic in the Israeli prime minister’s office because he understands very well what losing the trust and friendship of the US president could mean to him not only personally, but also to Israel.

There is an attempt to patch things up, to tone down that criticism, to at least steer away from personal attacks against Trump by Israeli key right-wing figures, especially in light of news that the US president is reaching out to opposition figures in Israel.

That is very concerning to Netanyahu, who’s losing in the numbers. He’s caught between the choice of withdrawing from Lebanon, heeding the calls of the US which will cost him votes, or losing the friendship of Donald Trump, which certainly will cost him a lot more than just votes at the ballots, because it would be a strategic hit for Israel. So, the relations and the dynamics, are quite unprecedented in Israel.

Lebanon says Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,000 people

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121 others.

The ministry also raised the toll in Israeli attacks on Friday from 47 to “a final toll of 83 martyrs and 141 wounded”.

The majority of them were in southern Lebanon, with others in the country’s east.

Netanyahu, Katz order forces to cease southern Lebanon attacks: Report

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 is reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the Israeli army to cease fire in southern Lebanon, without withdrawing from the occupied areas.

Their decision was made in coordination with the US, it added.

Earlier, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah says Israel aims to ‘sabotage’ MoU with Lebanon attacks

Hezbollah says Israel’s escalating attacks on southern Lebanon aim to “sabotage” the interim agreement between the US and Iran.

“In light of the claims and lies that the Israeli enemy continues to promote regarding alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah… Hezbollah affirms that these claims are completely baseless,” said a statement relayed by the group’s media relations office.

“They fall within the framework of the enemy’s persistent attempts to mislead public opinion and are part of its clear and blatant effort to sabotage the agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America.”

Hezbollah said Israel has committed more than 300 “violations” and “breaches” of the ceasefire since dawn on Friday, which include air strikes, firing phosphorus shells and using “internationally prohibited cluster bombs”.

The armed group called on “all countries and officials, especially the United States, [to] exert pressure on the occupying entity to compel it to implement the agreements and cease its attacks, instead of leveling accusations left and right”.

Israel says Hezbollah ‘constantly’ violating ceasefire

Israel’s foreign ministry has accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire that the US had announced a day earlier.

“Hezbollah continues to constantly violate the ceasefire,” ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X, as Israel’s forces clashed with Hezbollah fighters and Israeli jets carried out deadly strikes across southern Lebanon.

Negotiations appear to be going backwards since MoU was signed

Things are moving backwards from when the MoU was signed by Trump in Versailles and Pezeshkian in Tehran.

The basic cause of what is going on in Lebanon, because the MoU says there should be a ceasefire there. Israel is breaching that ceasefire by repeatedly bombarding southern Lebanon. For that reason, the Iranians at first used their first method of trying to complain about that: by delaying the planned talks.

The US side put pressure on Israel. A new ceasefire was announced almost exactly 24 hours ago, but that has not helped, Israel continued to bombard southern Lebanon.

There are comments from JD Vance and Trump, but Israel is not stopping.

The Iranians see this as a serious breach of the MoU. Their first sanction was by not coming here. They have now utilised their best weapon by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran believes this tactic will help get things back on track with regard to southern Lebanon.

But what’s interesting is that the Iranians are now saying they’re coming to Switzerland. There are no commercial flights between Tehran and Zurich, but given the time it will take them to get here, it’s more likely that the talks will now take place on Sunday. The agenda of the talks has now changed completely.

Iran applying ‘maximum pressure’ on Trump

Abdulla Banndar Al Eltaibi, a professor at Qatar University has said that Iran is playing what’s called the weekend strategy.

“That’s what President Trump used to do for the markets not to react during weekends. So they [Iran] are actually applying maximum pressure on President Trump and also the mediators to have Hormuz for Lebanon basically,” he said.

“They want all fighting to stop in Lebanon for the Strait of Hormuz to be restored.”

‘Devastating day’: Ceasefire in Lebanon is one in name only

It hasn’t felt like much of a ceasefire here in southern Lebanon. It was supposed to begin a little more than 24 hours ago at 4pm local time on Friday. Israeli air strikes continued in the immediate aftermath of that. They then ceased for a bit on Friday evening.

But in the early hours of Saturday morning, just after midnight, Israeli troops launched another assault on Ali al-Taher, just up from the city of Nabatieh. They’ve made multiple attempts to seize this high ground around the city. It’s very strategic for both sides to have high ground in this kind of conflict – as with most conflicts.

Hezbollah responded to that attempt, saying that they were able to ambush Israeli soldiers, leading to a number of them being killed and wounded.

The Israelis then put out a statement saying that Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire and so they were hitting Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over the course of the day.

There have been more than 100 Israeli air strikes here in Lebanon since midnight on Friday.

It’s been a devastating day here, with civilians among those killed and wounded. Once again, a whole family was killed in the village of Barish – a man, his wife and their two children.

Killing of soldiers sparks rare rebuke from Lebanese army

Soldiers from the Lebanese army have also been killed today, one of them in a targeted attack on his motorbike, which has spurred quite a critical response from the Lebanese army, which normally stays out of politics.

And that is because the Lebanese state is engaged in its own separate track of negotiations with Israel. They have maintained for a long time now that Iran shouldn’t be negotiating on Lebanon’s behalf and that Hezbollah shouldn’t be negotiating on the state’s behalf.

So they’ve been having these meetings in Washington with the Israelis and part of that is that they’re supposed to be discussing this separate ceasefire and the implementation of pilot zones where the Lebanese army would take over from Israel as part of a withdrawal. But instead, Lebanese soldiers are being killed by the Israeli military. This has sparked a very critical response from the Lebanese army, which says that it seems like Israel is seeking to obstruct anything that could lead to stability here in Lebanon.

We are once again seeing Israel and Hezbollah trade blame for breaking the ceasefire, but the results here on the ground is the death of once again many, many civilians as residential buildings are the targets of Israeli air strikes.

US, Israel’s interests diverging on MoU provision for Lebanon

US and Israeli interests are diverging significantly regarding the MoU’s provision for Lebanon, says Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House.

Both Trump and Vance have accused Netanyahu of “deliberately undermining the MoU by using disproportionate military force” in Lebanon, Mekelberg said.

There are a few different ways in which Israel might respond to US pressure to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon, he added.

The first is that Netanyahu “immediately” concedes to the US and tries to push for a diplomatic solution “vis-a-vis Hezbollah, and the safety and security of the border in Lebanon”.

The second is that the Israeli PM “will push it for another few days” and make the point that “Israel was not part of this agreement”, saying that Israel is continuing its attacks on Lebanon because it has “concerns regarding Hezbollah and Iran’s involvement” and insists that Israel be included in any agreement reached, said Mekelberg.

“But the worst case scenario from Israel’s point of view is Netanyahu… might decide to just go solo and decide to continue the war, completely ignore US public opinion and what Trump says… which of course is an extremely risky scenario for Israel, with a very heavy price for the Lebanese people.”

Iran testing whether US is willing to use its leverage over Israel

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, has said that Iran’s position on continuing negotiations has not changed fundamentally.

“My sense is that they’re going to remain committed to Lebanon being included before anything moves forward. I think their credibility is on the line,” he said.

He noted that Lebanon was mentioned three times in Article One of the MOU between the US and Iran and in one instance, talks about the territorial integrity of Lebanon.

“So I’m guessing the Iranians were talking with the Americans not only about a ceasefire … but also about an Israeli withdrawal [of Lebanon]. Whether that’s a complete withdrawal, whether that’s a partial withdrawal, I don’t know,” he said.

“But when we talk about territorial integrity, we’re talking about Israeli occupation. I think this is a serious issue for the Iranians… and also I think they view this as a test of whether or not the US is serious and whether or not the US is willing to use its leverage over Israel,” he added.

Netanyahu promises to remain in southern Lebanon

The Israeli prime minister has stressed that Israeli troops will remain in southern Lebanon “for as long as necessary to defend its northern border,” according to a Times of Israel report.

In a statement to the media by a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu has reportedly instructed the Israeli army to “respond forcefully to any Hezbollah attack and to act to remove threats against our forces”.

War may shrink Lebanon’s economy by 10 percent

Netanyahu's war in Lebanon, by dragging Hezbollah in the his war on Iran – and the wider US–Israel confrontation with Iran – are hitting Lebanon again, as it struggles to recover from the 2024 war and the 2019 financial collapse.

Officials warn that the current escalation could shrink the Lebanese economy by up to 10 percent and cost up to $20bn in total damages.

Vance hopes for progress on Lebanon

Speaking to reporters before his departure, Vance said he can only be in Switzerland for the Iran talks “for a day or two”.

The top US diplomat also said he hoped Washington and Tehran would be be able to make progress on the nuclear issues and the Lebanon ceasefire issue.

“Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there [in Lebanon], and things are slowing down a little bit,” Vance said.

“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that you know Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure,” he added.