A day after a renewed ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah, at least five were killed in Israeli strikes in south Lebanon. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes on more than a dozen south Lebanon locations after midnight and into Saturday morning, many in and around the Nabatieh area, AFP reported.
A truce had been mediated between Israel and Hezbollah by US and Qatari officials as talks between US and Iran were delayed owing to the clashes. While Iran has maintained that any deal with the US on peace must include Lebanon and stop fighting “on all fronts,” Israel has rejected this term and refused to withdraw from occupied areas in Lebanon.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is headed to Switzerland, where the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal is expected to take place. This comes even as the 60-day clock of negotiations to finalise the agreement between United States and Iran has begun, after both sides signed a deal to end the conflict in West Asia and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
While Witkoff has left for the negotiations, United States President Donald Trump’s son in law and envoy, Jared Kushner, is already in Switzerland, Axios reported citing a US official.
Araghchi to leave soon, Qatari PM already in Switzerland
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will leave for Switzerland for talks with US representatives on Friday, Axios reported citing a source with knowledge of the matter. However, the source added that this could still change.
Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani had arrived in Switzerland on Friday itself, ahead of the talks. Qatar has emerged as one of the key mediators between Washington and Tehran.
A day after a renewed ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah, at least five were killed in Israeli strikes in south Lebanon. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes on more than a dozen south Lebanon locations after midnight and into Saturday morning, many in and around the Nabatieh area, AFP reported.
A truce had been mediated between Israel and Hezbollah by US and Qatari officials as talks between US and Iran were delayed owing to the clashes. While Iran has maintained that any deal with the US on peace must include Lebanon and stop fighting “on all fronts,” Israel has rejected this term and refused to withdraw from occupied areas in Lebanon.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is headed to Switzerland, where the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal is expected to take place. This comes even as the 60-day clock of negotiations to finalise the agreement between United States and Iran has begun, after both sides signed a deal to end the conflict in West Asia and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
While Witkoff has left for the negotiations, United States President Donald Trump’s son in law and envoy, Jared Kushner, is already in Switzerland, Axios reported citing a US official.
Araghchi to leave soon, Qatari PM already in Switzerland
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will leave for Switzerland for talks with US representatives on Friday, Axios reported citing a source with knowledge of the matter. However, the source added that this could still change.
Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani had arrived in Switzerland on Friday itself, ahead of the talks. Qatar has emerged as one of the key mediators between Washington and Tehran.
US-Iran war LIVE: Here are the key points so far:
US-Iran war LIVE: Three Indian-flagged tankers carrying more than 860,000 metric tons of oil and 94 Indian crew members have safely transited the Strait of Hormuz and are en route to India, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Saturday.
Sonowal posted on X that the Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor and Sanmar Herald had all completed the transit.
US-Iran war LIVE: Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf invoked the memory of victims of the Minab school incident ahead of technical talks with the United States in Switzerland, saying their sacrifice would guide the actions of the Islamic Republic during the negotiations with Washington as part of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between the two sides to end the hostilities in West Asia.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said he, along with the Iranian delegation, carried the memory of the children of Minab and other Iranian martyrs with them as they prepared for the talks.
Key Insights & Highlights
“I consider the innocent children of Minab and all the martyrs of dear Iran to be watching over my every action and behaviour at every moment. They see us and expect things of us. God forbid that I should ever bring shame to the innocent martyrs and the people of Iran,” Ghalibaf wrote, adding the hashtag “Minab168” and dedicating the message to the memory of the children of Minab School.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “no military takes more measures to minimize” civilian casualties than the Israeli military and that and no nation is attacked by more propaganda than Israel”.
He added, “Truth and Israel will prevail.”
The post comes amid growing criticism of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, including from US President Trump, over their high civilian toll.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121 others. Many of the victims were women and children.
High-level delegations from the United States and Iran are gathering in Switzerland for closely watched negotiations aimed at advancing a multi-point memorandum of understanding.
The talks, held under tight security at the Bürgenstock Resort, bring together US officials, Iranian representatives, and regional mediators including Qatar and Pakistan. Key sticking points include implementation of ceasefire arrangements in Lebanon, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, and broader commitments outlined in the agreement.
With tensions still high on the ground, the summit is seen as a critical test of whether diplomacy can hold or whether regional instability will once again escalate.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, has called on the Gulf states to build a joint defence network to repel any attack on their members.
In an op-ed published on Saturday in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the veteran royal and former ambassador said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had endured too many assaults and must close ranks, writing that its members should “stand together like a solid, fortified structure”.
He set out conditions for wider peace, demanding Iran abandon its drive for regional dominance and disband proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis, while calling on Israel to end its “bloody brutality” and seizure of Arab lands.
The West, he added, must stop “coddling” Israel with weapons and diplomatic cover.
The US team’s expectations of these negotiations, according to JD Vance, are that there is a lot of work to be done at these meetings.
Vance told reporters before leaving late on Saturday afternoon that the US is interested in curtailing Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions and is trying to do more to shore up the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.
The ceasefire in Lebanon is, of course, of great concern because of numerous reports indicating that there could be a way for the Israeli government to sabotage the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Of course there are other issues that are going to be talked about, such as sanctions, which have been imposed on Iran for decades, and this proposal by the US government to help rebuild Iran’s economy.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called on Israel to stop its missile strikes on Lebanon and urged world leaders to protect a new US-Iran peace deal.
Writing on X, Petro said the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran “must be respected by all nations”, as Colombia takes its turn this month to chair the UN Security Council.
Petro framed the plea around what he called a “Pact for Life and Peace”, and said Trump deserved “humanity’s full backing” to end the conflict.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, has invoked the victims of Minab in a post on X, marking his arrival in Switzerland.
In a post that also had his image outside the aircraft carrying the Iranian delegation, Ghalibaf said “the innocent children of Minab and all the martyrs of our beloved Iran” were watching his actions and conduct during the negotiations.
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“They see us and have expectations of us,” he wrote, adding that he hoped not to “bring shame upon the innocent martyrs and the people of Iran”.
Lebanon’s health ministry said late Saturday that fresh Israeli strikes in the south and east of the country had killed seven people.
Five people, including a woman and child, were killed in the east of the country and two Palestinians were killed in the southern Tyr region, said the ministry.
These latest strikes came before a pause noted by news agency AFP, when the Israeli army said it had received orders from the country’s political leadership to halt fighting in southern Lebanon.
Richard Schmierer, former US ambassador to Oman, has told Al Jazeera that Trump’s latest statement on the Strait of Hormuz is perhaps an effort to distract from the current situation by talking about what might happen after 60 days.
Key Insights & Highlights
“I think there is uncertainty… CENTCOM [US Central Command] claims that it has the capability to ensure that shipping can continue through the strait securely and safely, while Iran has said ships should not transit or they will be in jeopardy. So we don’t really know who’s able to implement their version of events,” he said.
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“But I do expect shippers and insurance companies are taking note of the threat from Iran,” he added.
He noted that so far, a number of ships have transited using Omani waters, close to the Omani coast, where there is apparently some US naval support to help ensure their safety.
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“So perhaps shipping using that route will continue… There will be a reduction in commercial shipping but not a stoppage,” he said.
Iranian delegation has arrived in Switzerland for US talks. The delegation is led by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
US Vice President JD Vance was traveling to Switzerland on Saturday for talks on implementing a deal to end the Middle East war, saying negotiators would discuss Iran’s nuclear program and the Lebanon ceasefire.
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“I can only be there for a day or two. I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re to be focused on,” Vance told reporters before departing from Joint Base Andrews.
JD Vance is wheels up from Washington en route to Switzerland, US Vice President’s spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying.
An Israeli army official said Saturday that the military had received orders from the country’s political leadership to halt fighting in southern Lebanon, where its forces have continued clashing with Hezbollah fighters despite a ceasefire.
The announcement came amid intense clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, with both sides accusing the other of breaching the US renewed ceasefire.
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“The IDF has received updated directives from the political echelon to cease fire,” the official said in a statement.
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“The IDF is not conducting proactive strikes, rather the IDF is only operating in a defensive manner within the security zone” in southern Lebanon, the official said.
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“These defensive activities include the right to respond if Hezbollah does not abide by the ceasefire and continues to target our troops or our civilians.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will participate in the technical-level talks being held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on June 21, the PM’s office said on Saturday.
Earlier, the country’s foreign ministry said US and Iranian representatives would participate in the meeting, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose U.S. tolls in the Strait of Hormuz if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached in 60 days.
Trump, spending the weekend at Camp David, underscored that the initial agreement to end the war with Iran calls for toll-free travel through the vital waterway for 60 days.
Then he said: “there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed.”
Trump said the money would be for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs.”
The U.S. president has faced a lot of blowback domestically for how the memorandum of understanding with Iran addresses the issue of tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. The deal only secures toll-free passage for 60 days and doesn’t preclude future fees.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 20 people on Saturday, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said, one day after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, aimed at halting months of escalating violence.
Israel said the strikes were a response to projectiles fired overnight by the Iran-backed group. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, prompting attacks on what the official described as “Hezbollah targets”.
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Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes and drones had struck multiple locations in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Hezbollah accused Israel of committing hundreds of ceasefire violations, and warned that continued attacks “will not pass without a response”. It urged Washington to pressure Israel to halt its attacks.
Najat Aoun Saliba, Lebanese member of parliament, has told Al Jazeera that people in Lebanon are tired and have had enough of the killing and the destruction that is happening to their land, their families and also to their livelihoods.
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“It’s also costing us [the government] a lot of money and a lot of pain,” she said.
She added that both Israel and Hezbollah have used Lebanese territory to gain leverage over the war in Iran and emphasised that the hostility between them has not led to any real gain on the ground.
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“I don’t think this should continue, and this tit for tat and this hostility between the two is not going to lead anywhere,” she said.
Qatar-based Al Jazeera said on Saturday that one of its journalists was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip.
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“Ahmed Wishah, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza,” the broadcaster said on its website.
Israel army has confirmed the killing of journalist in Gaza, and has claimed that he was ‘Hamas terrorist’
The Israeli military said that one of its soldiers was killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Saturday, marking the fifth such fatality since a US-Iran deal was reached to end the Middle East war.
Staff Sergeant Nir Ben Ari “fell in combat” in southern Lebanon, the military said, a day after four other Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
A Pakistani government official has told Al Jazeera Arabic that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief Asim Munir will travel to Switzerland on Sunday to mediate the US-Iran talks.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator in the US-Iran conflict, urging both sides to uphold ceasefires and utilising high-level diplomatic visits to Tehran to push for a resolution.
Top Iranian officials have already left for Switzerland for the talks.
US-Iran war LIVE: The US military on Saturday denied Iran’s claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the key shipping route remained open and that American forces were monitoring the situation to ensure the continued flow of maritime traffic.
Key Insights & Highlights
“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said.
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“Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”
US-Iran war LIVE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, state news agency ISNA reported on Saturday.
US-Iran war LIVE: An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader said Middle East energy flows would remain halted if the recently reached agreement was not implemented in practice and remained merely on paper, according to Mehr News Agency.
US-Iran war LIVE: The US military said on Saturday that it remained “present and vigilant” in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after Iran announced it was closing the strategically vital shipping route.
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“US forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
CENTCOM, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said 55 commercial vessels had transited the strait on Saturday and added that “safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today.”
US-Iran war LIVE: Hezbollah said Israel bears “full responsibility” for violations of the ceasefire agreement.
US-Iran war LIVE: The death toll from the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah has surpassed 4,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, the Associated Press reported.
US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that, following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), technical-level talks on implementing the agreement will be held in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on June 21.
Separately, US Vice President JD Vance said he expects to travel to Switzerland in the coming days for talks on Iran.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday that an Iranian negotiating team had departed for Switzerland for discussions on implementing the agreement reached with the United States to end the Middle East conflict.
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“Iranian negotiators have left for Switzerland,” IRNA reported, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, who cautioned that the agreement was “in trouble.”
US-Iran war LIVE: Iran said it has closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping transit, citing what it called Israeli violations of a ceasefire, even as it dispatched a negotiating team to Switzerland for prospective peace talks with the United States.
Iran’s joint military command said the closure marked Tehran’s first response to Israel’s continued attacks in southern Lebanon, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday.
US-Iran war LIVE: Iran’s top joint military command said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as a US “clear breach of trust” and a violation of the first clause of the memorandum of understanding.
Tehran also blamed Israel’s continued attacks in southern Lebanon, saying they amounted to violations of the ceasefire.
US-Iran war LIVE: JD Vance expects Iran talks in Switzerland on Sunday, says negotiations are ‘going well’, according to Fox News.
US-Iran war LIVE: Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, on Saturday, just hours after reports of a ceasefire agreement emerged. The continued hostilities threatened an interim US-Iran understanding aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, seven people remained trapped under the rubble after strikes hit the town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages.
Mediators were racing to restore calm after a heavy exchange of fire on Friday left at least 47 people dead in Lebanon and killed four Israeli soldiers.
US-Iran war LIVE: Iraq has asked operators at five major oil fields to gradually raise production to prewar levels, targeting output of more than 3 million barrels a day following the US-Iran agreement aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a June 19 document seen by Bloomberg, Basra Oil Co. directed operators at the Rumaila, West Qurna-1, West Qurna-2, Zubair and Artawi fields to ramp up output to their maximum available capacity.
Oil Ministry spokesman Salim Al-Rikabi said the increase would be phased in and would depend on operational conditions and the availability of tankers arranged by buyers for loading.
US-Iran war LIVE: The Swiss Foreign Ministry said Switzerland continues to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” to facilitate talks at Bürgenstock on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.
US-Iran war LIVE: Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Saturday, hours after a truce took effect, with Israel saying it was responding to attacks by Hezbollah and the Iran-backed group vowing not to allow Israel “freedom of movement” inside Lebanon.
The renewed violence cast fresh uncertainty over plans for 60 days of U.S.-Iranian talks aimed at resolving disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme and other contentious issues seen as crucial to securing a more durable agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stabilise global oil supplies. It remained unclear when the negotiations would begin.
US-Iran war LIVE: A Hezbollah MP said the group has the “full right” to respond to attacks by Israel.
US-Iran war LIVE: Israeli strikes kill 16 in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh region.
US-Iran war LIVE: Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued unabated in southern Lebanon, raising fresh doubts over planned negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at securing a permanent end to the Middle East conflict and addressing Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Iran postponed talks that were scheduled to begin in Switzerland on Friday.
US-Iran war LIVE: The Israeli military said it is striking “Hezbollah targets” in southern Lebanon, Reuters news agency reported. Israel has claimed that Hezbollah fired over 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight.
US-Iran war LIVE: Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Saturday said that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran, ISNA reported.
This came after IRNA reported that Naqvi had left for Tehran on Saturday and would discuss the progress of negotiations between Washington and Tehran with senior Iranian officials.
US-Iran war LIVE: A Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, Reuters news agency reported citing the state news agency.
This comes after the state media reported that at least five people had been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, a day after a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
US-Iran war LIVE: Former US President Barack Obama, in an interview with NBC, critised the Trump administration’s deal with Iran.
Key Insights & Highlights
“We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off,” Obama said.
However, Obama said he was “happy” that a ceasefire had been announced, while adding that he was “hopeful” that it would hold.
US-Iran war LIVE: Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi left for Tehran on Saturday for meetings with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported, according to Reuters news agency.
Naqvi is expected to discuss the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States during his visit, IRNA reported, without elaborating further.
US-Iran war LIVE: European Union leaders have been locked in intense discussions over foreign policy, with divisions also emerging on the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
According to senior EU officials, there is conditional openness to easing sanctions on Iran if a future memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington is fully implemented.
US-Iran war LIVE: Iraq’s oil ministry is working to restore production to the level within two months, following its sharp decline owing to the US-Iran war, Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported citing spokesman Salim Farhoud.
Iraqi oil production fell by approximately 60 percent due to the war, dropping to 1.3 million barrels per day from 3.3 million barrels before the war began.
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“It is possible that we will return within one to two months to the previous production levels, which exceed three million barrels per day from the southern fields,” Farhoud said.
US-Iran war LIVE: Despite a ceasefire back in place, at least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Reuters news agency reported.
State news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across the Nabatieh area overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings and homes.
US-Iran war LIVE: In the first written statement on the agreement, Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had authorised direct talks with the US and the deal, Axios reported.
Khamenei’s comments came in a written statement on his Telegram channel.
US-Iran war LIVE: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards till now built commercial empire stretching from oil and construction to shipping, telecommunications and ports in the shadow of sanctions.
However, with the US and Iran preparing for talks on a deal which would release billions of dollars for Iran and lift US sanctions, the Guards are set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries, Reuters news agency reported.
Four senior Iranian sources described how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was uniquely placed to capture a big chunk of any financial rewards that would accrue from sanctions relief, renewed oil exports and foreign investment.