Israel’s military struck targets across southern Lebanon on Friday, killing at least 15 people, according to Lebanon’s state news agency. The strikes threaten the nascent US-Iran interim agreement, which includes the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. US-Iran talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland have been postponed. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon kill at least 15 people, state news agency says
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 15 people, state news agency NNA said, while Israel said the attacks launched overnight were aimed at what it described as Hezbollah targets in several areas.
Residents and domestic media said Israeli air strikes and shelling hit several towns in the Nabatieh district overnight and into early Friday, in a bombardment that NNA said was among the heaviest in recent weeks.
The Israeli military said it had struck what it alleged were Hezbollah militants and infrastructure at several southern sites.
The escalation comes a day after Israel published a map showing an expanded military control zone in southern Lebanon beyond which it said it would not rule out attacks, throwing Wednesday’s US interim peace deal – which explicitly included an end to fighting in Lebanon – with Iran into doubt.
Israeli military says it struck ‘Hezbollah targets’ across southern Lebanon overnight and is continuing attacks
Switzerland says US-Iran talks planned for Friday are off
Talks that had been planned for Friday between the United States and Iran at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland will not take place, according to a Swiss foreign ministry statement.
The announcement came after a White House spokesperson said overnight that US Vice President JD Vance had pulled out of a planned trip to meet Iranian negotiators in Switzerland on Friday to begin talks on implementing an agreement struck between Tehran and Washington to end the war.
Pentagon tells US lawmakers it needs $80 billion for Iran war and other bills, WSJ reports
The US Department of Defense needs $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war as well as other non-war-related bills, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers in phone calls this week, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Hezbollah says destroyed Israeli tanks as Lebanon reports 3 killed
Hezbollah said on Friday its fighters destroyed three Israeli tanks and that clashes were ongoing, hours after Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes in the south killed three people.
The fighting came a day after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, said on Friday that its fighters targeted “three Merkava tanks with guided missiles, which led to their destruction and setting them on fire”.
Trump envoy Witkoff says Iran will invite IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear sites
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told members of Congress that Iran will invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin work on identifying and uncovering the locations of Tehran’s enriched material, which is believed to be buried under rubble.
Witkoff’s private briefing was described by two people familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to share the closed-door details.
Witkoff told congressional leadership and members of national security-related committees that the agreement that the US struck with Iran did not include any side deals, but a side letter was drafted between Tehran and the IAEA extending the invitation.
Witkoff said the letter to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi would enable him to bring US nuclear inspectors to Tehran.
Vance not flying Thursday night to Switzerland for Iran talks, says White House
US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a trip to Switzerland for talks that were originally slated for Friday to discuss next steps on the US-Iran agreement on ending the war in the Middle East, according to the White House.
“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight,” a White House spokesperson said late Thursday. “We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
Senators seek to block Hegseth travel funds until Pentagon releases report on Iran school strike
Senators are seeking to block Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel funds until the Pentagon submits several overdue reports to lawmakers, including its investigation into a deadly strike on an elementary school in Iran at the start of the US-Israeli war.
According to an annual defense authorization bill, filed this week, much of the travel funds for the defense secretary’s office may not be spent until Hegseth submits “unredacted civilian harm investigations,” including for the Feb. 28, 2026, strike on the Minab school. Officials have preliminarily said the US was responsible for the strike, which was blamed on outdated intelligence.
Iran‘s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority will take measures to issue fast authorisations to ships wanting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said that the United States expects “a complete ceasefire on all fronts”, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.
American forces lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports after more than two months of preventing ships from sailing from or to the Islamic republic, the US military said.
