Latest Israeli strikes killed 47 in Lebanon, health ministry says

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

• Switzerland says US-Iran talks planned for Friday are off
• Vance not flying Thursday night to Switzerland for Iran talks, says White House
• Israeli military says four soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon
• Senior Israeli offical confirms Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
• Latest Israeli strikes killed 47 in Lebanon, health ministry says

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.

Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire, officials say

🎥 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.

Netherlands redirects frigate to Strait of Hormuz for possible mission

The ⁠Netherlands said ​it had redirected a ​frigate towards the Strait of Hormuz, in order to be able to join a ​possible ‌international mission there.

The air defence ⁠frigate is currently in the Indo-Pacific region, and ‌would take several weeks to arrive ⁠in the region of the Strait of Hormuz, defence minister Dilan Yesilgoz ​said in a letter to ‌parliament.

Death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon rises to 21 with 39 injured

A new report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health said the Israeli airstrikes carried out overnight left 21 people dead and 39 wounded.

Iran FM says Israel wants ‘permanent war’ after Israeli minister says Lebanon ‘must burn’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of wanting “permanent war” following remarks from its far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying “all Lebanon must burn” after four Israeli soldiers were killed there. 

“This is not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic. It’s a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime. The genocidal death cult headquartered in Tel Aviv is a threat to all of humanity. It threatens all humans. Its only interest is permanent war,” Araghchi said on X. 

🎥 Israel steps up attacks in Lebanon amid fallout with US over Iran deal

Israel’s military said its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the US to end their war.

Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the agreement, but Iran insists Israel must withdraw from south Lebanon.

FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky has more from Jerusalem.

Iran says US bears direct responsibility for Israeli attacks on Lebanon

Iran condemned ​Israeli attacks ​on Lebanon and warned of their consequences for ​regional ‌peace ⁠and security, saying the US bore direct responsibility for ⁠the situation.

Referring to the US-Iran ​memorandum of understanding reached ‌this week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry ‌spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said a ​halt to the war in Lebanon was ​an integral part of ​the agreement ​to end hostilities on ​all fronts and added that Iran would take all necessary ⁠measures to protect ⁠its ​interests, security and allies.

Lebanese president says Israeli escalation undermines ceasefire

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest Israeli strikes on his country, saying the “killing and destruction constitutes a dangerous escalation”.

“It effectively targets all ongoing efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and end the war,” a statement from the presidency said, after Israeli attacks in the south and east killed at least 18 people. 

‘None of them are returning’: Israel demolishes villages in occupied southern Lebanon

Israel’s leadership has promised to continue the military occupation of Lebanon in defiance of the US-Iran agreement, ‌which calls for Lebanon’s sovereignty to be respected.

In a statement on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon “from the Mediterranean coast ⁠to the heights of Beaufort”.

In an interview on Israeli television, Katz added that the most important military goal was to hold territory.

He said the Israeli military was destroying villages in the areas it occupied and would never allow people to return to their homes.

“The 200,000 residents who lived in the security zone are not returning. None of them are returning,” ​Katz said.

Netanyahu says Israeli army will stay in Lebanon ‘as long as necessary’

Israeli troops will stay in Lebanon “as long as necessary”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement after the military announced the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. “Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary for the protection of the communities of the north.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz had also said the military would stay in Lebanon, adding it would respond “with considerable force” to any attack.

Beyond ending the hostilities in Lebanon, the agreement signed this week between Tehran and Washington calls for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

Hezbollah lawmaker says Tehran told group talks with US hinge on comprehensive ceasefire

Lebanese Hezbollah ​lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah ​told Reuters that Iran had informed ​the ‌group that ⁠talks with the ‌United States could not ⁠continue without the implementation of a ​comprehensive ceasefire.

He called ‌on the Lebanese government to ‌reject any direct negotiations ​with Israel while Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue, ​and said Washington ​bore responsibility ​for ensuring Israel halted ​its attacks and implemented the terms of the agreement.