Live: Vance says US wants to turn over 'a new leaf' in ties with Iran
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A report by Channel 4 foreign correspondent Secunder Kermani documents life under Israeli occupation in the southern Lebanese village of Halta.
Israel has established a "yellow line", similar to the one in Gaza, as it has expanded its invasion of Lebanon and brought large swathes of territory in the south under its control.
Kermani spoke to residents of the village, including Ali Abdel Aal, whose son Mohammed was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers while observing an arrest from the street.
A report by Channel 4's foreign correspondent Secunder Kermani shows the reality of life in the southern Lebanese village of Halta under Israeli occupation. pic.twitter.com/AxB41b3ftM
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 20, 2026
At least seven people were killed in separate Israeli attacks in Lebanon's Western Beqaa and Tyre, according to reports carried by Lebanon's National News Agency.
The agency, citing the Lebanese health ministry, said five people were killed in a raid on the town of Sohmor in Western Bekaa, including a child, a woman and two elderly people.
In a separate incident, two Palestinian nationals were killed in the Rashidieh area of Tyre, a coastal city in southern Lebanon known as Sour in Arabic, according to the agency.
The attacks come amid continuing violence in southern Lebanon despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to preserve the ceasefire and reduce tensions along the border.
Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei has criticised what he described as increasingly difficult preparations ahead of his team's Fifa World Cup match against Belgium, saying conditions had become "even harder" than they were before Iran's opening game against New Zealand.
The Iranian team have been based in Tijuana, Mexico, throughout the tournament and travelled to the United States for their Group G matches due to restrictions on their stay.
Ghalenoei said the latest travel arrangements left his squad with fewer than 16 hours to prepare and cut their training time in half.
"We only managed to train half the time we usually spend on training. We wanted to have optimal physical and technical preparation," he told reporters.
Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman Ahmed Wishah was killed in an Israeli air strike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to health officials.
The strike reportedly killed three people. Other attacks across Gaza on the same day were also reported to have killed additional Palestinians, including women and children.
Wishah's death adds to the growing number of journalists killed during the war in Gaza. Press freedom organisations have repeatedly described the territory as the deadliest place in the world for journalists.
He was killed two months after his brother, Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah, was killed in an Israeli attack.
Media and rights groups say the mounting toll on journalists has severely limited independent reporting from Gaza and increased concerns over press freedom and the safety of reporters working in the territory.
US Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Switzerland for technical-level talks with Iran, Reuters reported, marking the next phase of negotiations to implement the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
Before departing, Vance said he hoped the discussions would produce progress on Iran's nuclear programme and efforts to strengthen the ceasefire in Lebanon, adding that "Israel and Lebanon want security".
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir are also travelling to Switzerland, while Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and a delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have already arrived.
The talks are expected to focus on implementing the agreement and addressing outstanding issues, including nuclear matters, sanctions and regional security.
Palestinians gathered in the Jabal Tarusa area of the occupied West Bank on Friday to protest Israeli plans to expand settlements near the city of Dura.
Demonstrators held congregational Friday prayers at the site and voiced opposition to the project, which they say threatens to further isolate Palestinian communities from one another.
"We came... To protest these racist practices," said Aeyed Al-Atabi, a resident of Dura, who expressed concern that the development would cut the area off from nearby Palestinian villages.
Israeli forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protest, according to reports. Israeli authorities announced plans for the settlement project in January, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich laid its foundation stone on Tuesday.
In protest of illegal Israeli settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians gathered to pray Friday prayers in congregation in the Jabal Tarusa area. pic.twitter.com/z0sqd56Usy
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 20, 2026
David Sacks, a technology adviser to President Donald Trump, has defended the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, describing it as "a tremendous achievement" and arguing that diplomacy offers a better path than an expanded military conflict.
Speaking on the All-In Podcast on Saturday, Sacks dismissed calls for escalation, saying that a ground invasion of Iran would be impractical given the country's size and could require as many as a million troops.
Sacks warned that such an operation would be a "suicide mission" and urged policymakers to give the agreement an opportunity to succeed.
Referring to exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, he questioned whether supporters of regime change would be willing to take up arms, saying: "If Reza Pahlavi wants to go to Beverly Hills and muster an army from his legion of supporters, let him try and do that."
Sacks called for diplomacy, stating: "Let's give peace a chance here," and cautioning against repeating what he described as the "forever wars of Iraq and Afghanistan".
Tributes have been paid to Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil, who died on Friday from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike on her home in the southern village of al-Mansouri.
Khalil was widely known for leading efforts to protect one of Lebanon's most important nesting sites for endangered sea turtles and for her environmental work along the country's coastline.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon described Khalil as "one of Lebanon's most dedicated environmental defenders and a tireless champion of sea turtle conservation".
Environmental group Green Southerners said her conservation programme at the Orange House "inspired generations of Lebanese to value and protect their natural heritage and coastal ecosystems".
Speaking to AFP, Julien Jreissati of Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa said her death was a loss felt not only by her family but also "for the environmental movement in Lebanon and the region".
It is with profound sadness that Green Southerners mourns the passing of Mona Khalil, a pioneering environmental defender who died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike on her home on the Mansouri coast. pic.twitter.com/X7rnmreLEt
— Green Southerners الجنوبيون الخضر (@GreenSoutherns) June 19, 2026
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz have instructed the military to remain in occupied Lebanese territory while largely refraining from further attacks, except in the area around Ali al-Taher near Nabatieh, where fighting has continued and Israeli troops have suffered casualties in recent days.
According to the reports, Israel considers its current posture compatible with the ceasefire, maintaining that it will not expand operations unless Hezbollah targets its forces.
Reports indicate a divergence between Washington, which is seeking to preserve the ceasefire and advance talks towards a broader agreement, and Israeli officials who remain critical of the memorandum of understanding and oppose withdrawing from occupied areas in Lebanon.
Iran has proposed the creation of an energy consortium among members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) aimed at improving coordination of energy supply and demand across the bloc.
Iranian deputy energy minister Mostafa Rajabi said the proposal, including a draft statute for the consortium, was submitted to member states during a meeting of SCO energy ministers in Moscow and could be considered at the organisation's next leaders' summit.
Rajabi also called for the synchronisation of electricity grids among SCO members as a way to address power shortages and strengthen regional energy cooperation.
He said Iran had previously raised the idea in 2024 and that member states had responded positively to a draft framework.
The official added that Tehran is seeking to expand cooperation through regional electricity markets, smart-grid projects and cross-border energy links, while continuing to diversify its own energy mix through a major solar expansion programme and increased nuclear power generation.
The New York Times has reported that while the interim agreement between the United States and Iran has been broadly welcomed internationally, governments remain cautious about its long-term prospects.
In an analysis by Jim Tankersley, the newspaper said many world leaders view the accord as an important step towards reducing tensions rather than a definitive resolution of the crisis.
According to the analysis, international reactions reflect a mixture of hope and concern.
While there is optimism that the agreement could help restore stability to energy markets and global trade, observers remain worried that fundamental disputes have been deferred to future negotiations.
The report said the agreement has succeeded in halting direct military escalation and creating an opportunity for dialogue, but has yet to resolve key issues, including Iran's nuclear programme and the future security balance in the Middle East.
US Vice President JD Vance said he hopes upcoming talks with Iran in Switzerland will produce progress on both Tehran's nuclear programme and efforts to strengthen the ceasefire in Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Switzerland, Vance said: "We hope to make progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon," adding that "Israel and Lebanon want security".
Vance said the negotiations would last two days and described them as an opportunity to move the diplomatic process forward.
"We'll have a couple of days to talk. We got to get this thing kicked off in the right way. There is a lot to discuss, but we're going to get through it all," he said.
Referring to the situation in Lebanon, Vance added: "Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit."
He added that the United States would continue working to ensure that "Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure".
Democratic lawmakers have continued to criticise President Donald Trump's handling of the war with Iran, arguing that the recently announced agreement with Tehran is already showing signs of strain.
Congressman Johnny Olszewski of Maryland described the conflict as a "war of choice" and said the administration's approach had been a "disaster".
In a post on X, Olszewski wrote: "The dressed up ceasefire masquerading as a 'deal' is already falling apart. Americans deserve better."
Representative Pramila Jayapal also criticised the administration and congressional Republicans, alleging that cuts to Medicare had helped fund the war effort.
"They are not confused about what we want. They just work for someone else," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the conduct of Israel's military, saying "no military takes more measures to minimise" civilian casualties than the Israeli armed forces and arguing that no country is "attacked by more propaganda than Israel".
In a social media post, Netanyahu added: "Truth and Israel will prevail."
The remarks come amid growing international criticism of Israel's military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, including concerns raised by US President Donald Trump over the civilian toll.
According to Lebanon's health ministry, Israeli attacks since 2 March have killed at least 4,057 people and wounded 12,121 others.
Israel also continues to face allegations of genocide over its war in Gaza, where health authorities say at least 73,018 Palestinians have been killed and 173,273 wounded.
An Israeli soldier was killed and 13 others were wounded in an attack in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to reports cited by The Times of Israel.
The outlet said a barrage of rockets and a drone struck an Israeli military position in the Kfar Tebnit area, causing multiple casualties among troops involved in operations there.
According to the report, the soldiers were taking part in an operation aimed at capturing what was described as a major underground Hezbollah facility beneath the Ali Taher Ridge.
The attack came a day after four other Israeli soldiers were reported killed during operations linked to the same objective.
