Middle East crisis live: Israel to continue ground operation in southern Lebanon despite agreed ceasefire
From 3h ago 13.38 BST Hezbollah leader rejects latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon Qassem said that Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire
From 3h ago 13.38 BST Hezbollah leader rejects latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon Qassem said that Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on Thursday, the Iran-backed group’s leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.” “What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” he said. “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation,” he added. Share 6m ago 16.50 BST Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the strait of Hormuz on Monday, a first since 15 April and the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler. In data published on Thursday, the firm detected the passage of the Hilda I, the Amber, the Silvia 1, and the Happiness I, which were carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil. They all loaded their cargo in mid-April on Kharg Island, the country’s main oil terminal, through which 90% of the Islamic republic’s crude oil normally transits. The ships crossed the strait on Monday with their AIS transponders turned off. Share Updated at 16.51 BST 29m ago 16.26 BST Israel’s Supreme Court has said Israel must allow visits to Palestinian prisoners by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), ruling in favour of a petition against a ban that was brought in at the start of the Gaza war. The bar on Red Cross visits to Palestinian detainees has restricted independent verification of their treatment, following reports of systemic abuse, starvation, and denial of medical care towards Palestinian prisoners. “We take note of the decision of the court and stand ready to resume our work in visiting detainees in Israeli places of detention,” said Patrick Griffiths, a spokesperson for the ICRC. The ruling, which was issued late on Wednesday and covers those held in Israeli prisons and military detention, followed a joint petition by several Israeli rights organisations including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) to end the ban. Share 53m ago 16.02 BST Sanam Vakil The US-Iran ceasefire is entering yet another round of escalation since it came into effect on 8 April. This week, there have been further strikes on Iran by the US, and Iranian retaliation on Kuwait and Bahrain, alongside Israeli escalation in Lebanon.
Earlier flare-ups over the past two months were quickly contained. Both sides have tried to keep the balance between no war and no peace. But as this ceasefire drags on it risks becoming yet another Middle East stalemate, albeit one with international economic and political consequences. Four obstacles are preventing progress. The first is trust. Iran does not believe Donald Trump can deliver a deal, much less stick to one. The fear is not only that Washington will walk away again but that the goalposts will keep moving, where first nuclear limits are imposed, followed by missiles, then regional policy and finally further political concessions dressed up as security guarantees. The second obstacle is the absence of meaningful contact. Since the Islamabad meeting in April between the US vice-president, JD Vance, and Iran’s speaker of the parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, there has been no direct channel capable of turning political signals into compromise. Instead, negotiations are moving through regional mediators and a serial exchange of proposals. The third obstacle is the gap between what each side needs. Iran wants details and commitments, such as which sanctions will be lifted, when revenues will be unfrozen, how enforcement will work, and what protection will exist against another US reversal. Trump wants a faster and looser memorandum of understanding that can be announced and sold as a breakthrough. One side is searching for guarantees and the other for a headline and victory. The fourth obstacle is domestic politics. Any agreement between Iran and the US is toxic for both sides. In Washington, it will be attacked as appeasement by Republican hawks and Democrat opponents before the ink is dry. In Tehran, for a younger generation of up-and-coming leaders, compromise without serious guarantees and sanctions relief after weeks of bombardment risks looking like surrender. Iran and the US both think they are winning the war. The truth is they are both losing | Sanam Vakil Read more Share 1h ago 15.41 BST Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said that the army would begin deploying in ‘pilot zones’ in the country’s south, a day after Israel and Lebanon agreed in Washington to implement a ceasefire. “The next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones as a first phase,” Salam said, according to remarks read out by information minister Paul Morcos after a cabinet meeting, adding that “this does not prejudice our right to a full [Israeli] withdrawal, but brings us closer to it”. According to a joint statement released after the Washington talks that Hezbollah has rejected, Israel and Lebanon agreed to create ‘pilot zones’ in south Lebanon where the Lebanese army forces “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors.” Share 2h ago 15.21 BST Patrick Wintour Iran’s supreme leader Motjaba Khamenei said in a written statement read out by a cleric that “the enemy is experiencing a meaningful and profound humiliation in the field and the streets, and it is now focused on trickery.” “After Iran was able to repel the enemy, who was defeated on the battlefield, it now seeks to undermine the resilience of the Iranian people and sow discord.
The US created a military base called Israel, and Iran will not back down from its stance toward Israel,” Khamenei wrote. Share 2h ago 15.08 BST The UN nuclear watchdog has sent a report to member states repeating its calls on Iran to urgently inform the agency of the fate of its enriched uranium since its atomic sites were bombed a year ago and let inspections resume fully. “The [International Atomic Energy Agency] director-general has emphasised to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement effectively the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Safeguards Agreement... and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances,” the confidential report, seen by Reuters, said. Share 2h ago 14.36 BST Earlier today, the president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, spoke to reporters about the Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington. Here are the key updates (as per the Lebanese presidency): The fourth round of negotiations yesterday included terms that were strongly in Lebanon’s favour, and constituted “the last opportunity” to enter into a final and comprehensive ceasefire. Once all parties, including Hezbollah, provide their response, Lebanon will inform the US in order for the ceasefire to progress. The US will determine the date and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which may begin 24 hours after Washington has been notified of the agreement and the necessary guarantees provided. US president Donald Trump will act as the direct guarantor. The Lebanese negotiating team, led by Simon Karam, “showed firmness”. The negotiations were “extremely difficult”, to the extent that Karam was forced to suspend the round of talks and insisted on not discussing any other issue until a comprehensive ceasefire was reached. The talks resumed after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, intervened, and concluded with Lebanon’s demand being met. Throughout yesterday and into this morning, Lebanon remained in contact with international and domestic parties to consolidate the ceasefire. Friendly nations also played a role in applying pressure in Lebanon’s favour. Regarding the “pilot” zones, Lebanon proposed starting with east and west Zawtar, along with Yohmor and Beaufort Castle, due to the symbolism of this area and its proximity to the city of Nabatieh. Share 3h ago 13.38 BST Hezbollah leader rejects latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon Qassem said that Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal. In a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV on Thursday, the Iran-backed group’s leader said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.” “What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” he said.
“We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation,” he added. Share 3h ago 13.29 BST Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Thursday that as long as Lebanese villages were being bombed and people were being killed, northern Israel will not be safe. It comes as Israeli strikes killed at least four people in Lebanon, according to local authorities, and a UN peacekeeper was killed in the crossfire on Thursday. The latest violence came after another ceasefire agreement was announced in the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Share 4h ago 13.11 BST Here are some live images reaching us from Lebanon, showing the aftermath of the Israeli strikes on the country’s south: View image in fullscreen A Lebanese army bulldozer advances along the main road in the southern border village of Debbine on June 4, 2026, as the Israeli military reportedly begins a gradual withdrawal from the village. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 4, 2026. Photograph: Reuters Share 4h ago 12.58 BST Here is a video showing the moment Kuwait international airport was targeted in an attack yesterday. 0:45 Surveillance footage shows moment of drone attack on Kuwait airport – video One person was killed and more than 60 others were injured, Kuwaiti authorities and state media said, blaming the attack on Iran. Iran denied it was responsible, blaming the destruction on US interceptor missiles that failed to hit their targets. The US said that was not accurate, and that Iranian drones targeted the airport deliberately. Share
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