At least five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanese state media said, after Israeli warplanes and drones reportedly carried out a series of attacks despite a ceasefire agreed with Hezbollah only a day earlier. The strikes came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi headed to Switzerland for talks. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Lebanese army says Israeli attacks aims to ‘obstruct’ any solution allowing ‘restoration of stability’
The Lebanese army on Saturday said that Israel’s “brutal attacks” on Lebanon “aims to obstruct any solution that would allow the restoration of stability” in the country.
Lebanese army says soldier killed in Israeli strike on south
The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike killed one of its soldiers in the country’s south on Saturday, despite a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah reached a day earlier.
“An Israeli enemy strike targeted an army soldier on the Kfar Rumman-Nabatieh road, leading to his martyrdom,” an army statement said, charging that “the continuation of brutal Israeli attacks aims to obstruct any solution that would allow for restoring stability in Lebanon”.
Pakistan’s interior minister to meet Iran’s Araqchi during Tehran visit, ISNA says
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is due to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during a visit to Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to ISNA news agency.
Baghaei said Naqvi’s visit is part of Islamabad’s ongoing efforts related to negotiations between Iran and the United States.
Pakistan’s interior minister heads to Tehran for meetings on Iran-US talks, Iranian state media says
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi departed for Tehran on Saturday for meetings with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said Naqvi would discuss the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States during his visit, without providing further details.
Residents flee as Israeli strikes target southern Lebanon
In Nabatieh, the buzzing of drones echoes through columns of smoke. While US officials announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Friday, Lebanese authorities blamed the Israeli military of carrying out a series of strikes in the hour after it was supposed to come into force.
Before the latest violence, Lebanese civilians had begun fleeing north once again.
In ‘Trump Heights’, Israelis not abandoned US president despite Iran deal
Residents of Trump Heights, an Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights near the Lebanese border, voiced frustration and unease over the US-brokered deal with Iran that also includes a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Many fear the agreement undermines Israel’s security and do not expect it to hold.
The concerns were heightened by the continued sound of Israeli artillery fire across the border and fears that, even if Iranian missile attacks cease, communities in northern Israel could remain exposed to Hezbollah rockets. Several residents said they did not believe Israel would fully withdraw from Lebanon.
Despite their disappointment, most residents stopped short of turning against US President Donald Trump, after whom the settlement is named. They said they remained grateful for his past support of Israel and were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, arguing that American and Israeli interests do not always perfectly align.
Trump Heights was established in honour of Trump’s 2019 decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. While some residents condemned the Iran agreement in stark terms and accused Washington of failing to appreciate Israel’s security concerns, others said they trusted Trump to take a tougher stance if Iran did not honour the deal.
US envoy Witkoff headed to Switzerland for talks
US envoy Steve Witkoff was headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios and CNN reported Friday, after scheduled negotiations due to take place there between the United States and Iran were postponed.
Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner was also expected to be in Switzerland for talks, CNN said, citing a US official. Axios said he was already there.
It was not immediately clear whether Witkoff would hold meetings with any Iranian officials.
Vice President JD Vance had initially been expected to travel but postponed his trip, the White House announced late Thursday.
The US-Iran talks scheduled for Friday were intended to build on the deal to end the Middle East war and work towards a lasting settlement.
No new date for the negotiations has been announced.
Five killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon despite ceasefire
At least five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese town of Arabsalim on Saturday morning, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported, despite a ceasefire agreed on Friday between Israel and Hezbollah.
NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across the Nabatieh area overnight and into the morning, destroying residential buildings and houses, while Israeli artillery shelled Nabatieh and its outskirts before dawn.
• The next round of Lebanon-Israel talks will be held June 23–25 in Washington, the US State Department said on Friday, following a call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun.
• Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire following Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon.
• Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to its busiest in two months after a deal to halt the US-Iran war.
