Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire on June 19, a U.S. official said, after deadly exchanges between the two sides in Lebanon once again put a deal to end the Middle East war under strain, less than two days after it was signed.
Lebanese official media said fresh Israeli strikes on the country's south on June 20 killed five people, despite the ceasefire.
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes on more than a dozen south Lebanon locations after midnight and into Saturday morning, saying three people were killed in strikes on the town of Arab Salim, while one person was killed in Deir Zahrani, and another after "an enemy drone launched a strike on a motorbike" at the entrance of the town of Dweir.
Lebanese authorities reported 47 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes and Israel announced the deaths of four of its soldiers, the highest combined casualty count since the U.S. and Iran struck their deal.
Talks that were scheduled to take place between the U.S. and Iran in Switzerland to build on the deal and work towards a lasting settlement were postponed, with no new date announced, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun held a call.
The Lebanese presidency said Aoun thanked Rubio for U.S. support but stressed "the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire".
Rubio, according to the U.S. State Department, insisted on the importance of Lebanon carrying through on its efforts to disarm the Hezbollah armed group, which is fighting Israel in the south of the country.
"They discussed the next round of negotiations, scheduled for June 23 to 25 in Washington, where the two sovereign governments will make progress toward a lasting peace," a spokesman said. "Secretary Rubio reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah and to re-establish control over all Lebanese territory."
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, insisted in a social media post that Israel was committed to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, but only "if Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases its hostilities".
The deal signed this week by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian aims to end a war that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The agreement was also meant to halt the fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has always insisted should be covered under any accord, turning Israel's ongoing campaign there into a source of frustration for Washington.
Israel's military said Friday that it had struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and killed dozens of members of the Iran-backed group.
US envoy Witkoff headed to Switzerland for talks
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was headed to Switzerland for talks, American media outlets reported, after scheduled negotiations due to take place there between the United States and Iran were postponed.
Witkoff was on his way to the alpine nation on Friday, Axios said, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
His trip comes as Washington and Iran work to get technical talks following up on an initial peace deal "back on track," CNN said.
Trump's envoy Jared Kushner was also expected to be in Switzerland for talks, CNN said, citing a U.S. 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 U.S.-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.
The war began on Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
