Lebanon's civil defence says at least 8 killed in Israeli attack The Lebanese Civil Defense told Al Jazeera that at least eight people were killed in an Israeli air strike early this morning on the southern Lebanese town of Harouf in Nabatieh.
Israel launches deadly strikes, shelling across southern Lebanon Israeli shelling was reported across southern Lebanon early on Friday, including in Tyre and Nabatieh, state-media reported. In one strike, an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle on the Abbasiyyeh road in Tyre. It is unclear if there are any reported casualties.
Trump's Iran pact seen as a strategic defeat in Washington US President Donald Trump jumbled his justification to launch the war on Iran, whose nuclear programme he claimed was already obliterated in a June 2025 attack. At first he toyed with the idea of overthrowing the Islamic Republic by backing Kurdish fighters and Iranian protesters. He also said the US would destroy Iran’s military and end its ballistic missile programme, which he framed as a threat to the US.
Switzerland says US-Iran talks set for Friday cancelled Expected US-Iran talks on Friday at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland will not take place, the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.
Macron criticises Israeli policy in Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "show a sense of responsibility" amid increased military action in the region. The French president told broadcaster France 2 that Tel Aviv's military strategy in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank "runs contrary to Israel's own interests" in the long-run. ❝I think that today Prime Minister Netanyahu does not have a policy❞ French President Macron voices support for Israel's security while criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying 'security cannot be ensured through the conquest of a neighboring territory' pic.
Israeli envoy says Israel committed to truce with Lebanon if Hezbollah does not breach it Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, reaffirmed on Thursday that Tel Aviv remains committed to a truce deal reached with Lebanon under the condition that Hezbollah does not breach it. "If Hezbollah does not violate the agreement, it will be kept," Leiter said in a post on X. "Under all circumstances, Israel retains its right to respond to attacks against it and to thwart threats to its territory, citizens and soldiers.
Vance says Israel has to 'respect' peace process like everybody else US Vice President JD Vance criticised Israeli cabinet members in a press briefing on Thursday, in a departure from his usual stance on Israel. "The Israelis, like everybody else, have to respect this peace process," Vance said. "That is fundamentally good for them and good for the entire region.
US defense ministry looking for $80bn to cover war on Iran costs: Report The US defence ministry needs $80bn to cover costs from the war on Iran alongside non-war-related bills, the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the paper, lawmakers have been urging the Trump administration to provide a comprehensive cost to the war, with one of the concerns being that the army depleted valuable arms that could be used elsewhere.
Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli troops advancing into Lebanon Hezbollah said its fighters launched attacks on Israeli forces attempting to advance into Lebanese territory. The group said an Israeli military unit was lured into a "kill zone", where three Merkava tanks were destroyed nearby the Ali al-Tahir area south of the country. A second Israeli unit attempting to retrieve the first group were then targeted with a rocket barrage and mortar shells.
Vance postpones trip for US-Iran talks on Friday in Switzerland The White House indicated that US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a trip scheduled on Friday to Switzerland, where US and Iran were set to discuss the next steps for ending the war. "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.
US-Iran agreement: What does the MoU actually include? The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week, agreeing to a ceasefire after two months of negotiations and over three months of conflict - but no binding treaty exists yet, and the critical details around nuclear dismantlement timelines and sanctions relief still need to be worked out. What did they actually agree on?
Trump says war on Iran showed 'no limits' to his power US President Donald Trump in an interview with Axios said that the war on Iran showed "there are no limits" to his ability to exert power. "We have the most powerful military in the world, by far. Who else could have done a blockade like that?
Iranian official says US will 'receive an even harder slap' if deal is breached Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that if there are breaches of the peace deal with the US, Iran will not hesitate to respond. "In the event of bad faith, breach of contract, and excessive demands by the opposing side, we have no hesitation in delivering a crushing response to the enemy," he said in a post on X. "They were once slapped during the war; if they wish to tread that path again, they will receive an even harder slap.
US says it lifted blockade on Iranian ports US Vice President JD Vance has announced that Washington has lifted its blockade on Iranian ports as the Strait of Hormuz reopens to commercial shipping. "Centcom has allowed north of a dozen ships to go through our naval blockade. And so we're also honouring our end of the early part of the agreement," he said.
Iranian negotiators delay Switzerland talks trip after Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon The Iranian negotiation delegation has delayed its departure for talks in Switzerland due to Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to a report by Al Mayadeen network. The team was scheduled to hold initial talks with US officials on Friday to discuss implementing a newly signed ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar are also slated to take part in the meeting.
Israeli artillery shelling kill Palestinian in central Gaza Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian near the Wadi Gaza bridge in central Gaza, Wafa news agency reported. The agency said that two Palestinians were wounded after Israeli artillery shelling struck al-Bi’a Street north of Khan Younis.
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza since ceasefire passes 1,000 The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza has reached more than 1,000 since a US-brokered ceasefire last October, the enclave's health ministry said on Thursday, with at least four people reported killed in the latest strikes. Medics said an Israeli strike hit a vehicle on the main Omar al-Mokhtar road in Gaza City, killing three, as violence continues despite a new truce push by mediators. The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas fighters.
'We have lost': Trump's Iran pact seen as a strategic defeat in Washington Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 20:56 Iran is reaping strategic and financial gains as a result of the agreement to end the war, pro- and anti-war voices agree US President Donald Trump, centre left, and French President Emmanuel Macron, centre right, during the signing of a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, inside Château de Versailles, in Versailles, southwest of Paris, on 17 June 2026 (X account of President Emmanuel Macron/AFP) Off Imperial Germany famously signed a treaty under humiliating terms to end WWI at Versailles, codifying a surrender despite the fact that the war was overwhelmingly fought beyond its borders. Likewise, Iran never got close to US shores during the war, and did not need to. Its missile and drone attacks depleted the US’s stockpile of air defence interceptors to dangerous levels, while its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz drained Washington’s strategic oil reserve to a forty-year low and starved the global economy of fossil fuels.
Israeli army reservist 'flees' India after war crimes allegation filed An Israeli army reservist on holiday in India, who was accused of war crimes by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), appears to have fled the country, a lawyer associated with the case told Middle East Eye on Thursday. According to the lawyer who filed the case and asked for anonymity over security concerns, Eitan Gilboa, a member of Israel's 271st Combat Engineering Battalion, is likely to have left India, where he was vacationing, a few days after the complaint was filed. The latest development comes just two weeks after the Brussels-based HRF filed a complaint with Indian authorities seeking the arrest of Gilboa for alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israeli army reservist 'flees' India after war crimes allegation filed Submitted by Azad Essa on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 14:23 Eitan Gilboa likely left India days after Hind Rajab Foundation filed a complaint calling for his arrest Eitan Gilboa, left, with a fellow Israeli soldier (Hind Rajab Foundation) Off An Israeli army reservist on holiday in India, who was accused of war crimes by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), appears to have fled the country, a lawyer associated with the case told Middle East Eye on Thursday. According to the lawyer who filed the case and asked for anonymity over security concerns, Eitan Gilboa, a member of Israel's 271st Combat Engineering Battalion, is likely to have left India, where he was vacationing, a few days after the complaint was filed. The latest development comes just two weeks after the Brussels-based HRF filed a complaint with Indian authorities seeking the arrest of Gilboa for alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza.
