Israeli strikes kill 10 in Lebanon after truce, with prospect of U.S.-Iran talks unclear

Source: Reuters

June 19, 2026 10:32 PM EDT Updated 24 mins ago


ZURICH/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Saturday, hours after a ​truce took effect, Israel saying it was reacting to attacks from Hezbollah and the Iran-backed group saying it would not allow Israel "freedom of movement" in Lebanon.

A halt ‌to the fighting in Lebanon is a condition for starting 60 days of U.S.-Iranian talks to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and other thorny issues key to forging a more durable deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stabilise global oil supplies. It was not clear when those talks might get under way.

Wednesday's interim U.S.-Iran deal requires both countries and their allies to stop military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. But Israel, left out ​of the talks, says it is not party to the deal, and will keep its forces in the 5% or so of Lebanese territory that it currently occupies. A ​U.S. official had said the truce took effect at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday, and Israeli and Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement to Reuters.

ISRAEL ⁠SAYS IT IS RESPONDING TO HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS

Lebanon's state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones had on Saturday struck locations across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, both strongholds of Hezbollah. An ​Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response. Hezbollah did not ​immediately claim responsibility. But a senior Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not allow Israeli forces freedom of movement in Lebanese territory, nor accept a return to the situation that existed before March 2.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trump-envoy-iranian-minister-head-switzerland-talks-2026-06-20/