Live: US strikes Iran again as tensions threaten fragile truce
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Israeli military activity continued across parts of southern Lebanon on Tuesday despite the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.
According to reports from the ground, several deaths were recorded in the Nabatieh district, where Israeli drone strikes and military operations have intensified in recent weeks.
Al Jazeera reported that the town of Mayfadoun was among the areas reportedly targeted, with several people killed in drone attacks.
The report said that Israeli forces have continued to hold positions and expand operations around Nabatieh, including efforts to secure elevated terrain near the city.
The activity has persisted despite Hezbollah's assertion that it received assurances from Iran that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon would form part of a final US-Iran agreement.
Israeli rights group Peace Now has criticised the government's decision to assume planning and construction powers from the Palestinian Municipality of Hebron in areas linked to Israeli settlements and religious sites in the city.
In a statement, the group said the move was "dangerous and irresponsible" and accused finance minister Bezalel Smotrich of attempting to "win a few far-right votes" from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"After promising victory [in the war on Iran] and failing on every front, Smotrich the arsonist is trying to set the West Bank ablaze," the organisation said.
Peace Now argued that the measure was "based on an apartheid principle" and would deepen Israeli control in occupied territory, weaken the Palestinian Authority and further undermine prospects for "a political agreement based on two states".
Under the 1997 Hebron Agreement, Palestinians retained civil powers, including planning and construction, in the H2 area of Hebron, while Israeli forces maintained security control.
The area includes the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and several Israeli settlements.
A former Israeli negotiator has said Israel is "existentially dependent on US aid" as debate continues over the implications of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement.
One area of apparent agreement in statements from both Washington and Tehran is that the ceasefire will extend to Lebanon, although significant differences remain over how that provision will be interpreted and implemented.
Israeli officials have indicated that they do not intend to withdraw from what they describe as security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
The agreement has also drawn criticism from some Israeli commentators.
One common denominator from both US and Iranian statements is that the ceasefire will include Lebanon, although divergence remains over what exactly that means.
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 17, 2026
Israel has made it clear what it means to them: it will not withdraw from its so-called “security zones” in Lebanon or… pic.twitter.com/Y2AvmK6BRI
A 15-year-old Palestinian girl was wounded during an Israeli military raid in the town of al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The agency reported that the girl was shot in the shoulder and taken to hospital, where she was said to be in stable condition.
Wafa said Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters during the operation, which also involved road closures.
Wafa reported additional raids and attacks across the West Bank, including an alleged settler attack on two vehicles near al-Lubban Asharqiya in the Salfit area.
In el-Bireh, Israeli forces reportedly fired sound bombs, tear gas and live ammunition during a raid, while operations were also reported in Deir Abu Mishal and As-Sawahira al-Sharqiya, where homes were searched, residents assaulted and mobile phones confiscated.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has condemned the Israeli government's reported seizure of authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, describing the move as an attack on Palestinian rights, religious freedoms and international law.
In a statement, the Washington-based organisation said the action was "yet another attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, undermine Palestinian self-governance, and alter the historic status of one of Islam's holiest sites".
Cair said the decision follows "a long pattern of efforts to restrict Muslim access to sacred places, expand illegal settlements, and entrench a system of permanent occupation and dispossession".
The group called on the international community to reject what it described as the latest escalation and said "holy sites [to] be protected from political manipulation, annexation, and unilateral actions that inflame tensions and threaten religious freedom".
It also urged governments to hold the Israeli government accountable for actions it said violate international law and harm prospects for a lasting peace.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country would not accept humiliation and had learned from the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, to preserve its dignity in the face of external pressure.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said Iran had prepared itself for all possible scenarios as diplomatic efforts continued following the latest confrontation with the United States and Israel.
Commenting on the memorandum of understanding due to be signed with Washington in Switzerland on Friday, Pezeshkian said: "The understanding is an important step towards stopping the war and beginning negotiations."
He added that a final agreement had not yet been reached.
Earlier, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations aimed at securing a broader agreement would begin after the memorandum is formally signed.
آنچه تفاهم شده، گامی مهم برای توقف جنگ و شروع مذاکره است و هنوز توافق نهایی شکل نگرفته است.
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) June 15, 2026
جمهوری اسلامی ایران خود را برای همه گزینهها آماده کرده است و تمرکز دولت با یا بدون توافق خدمت صادقانه به مردم است. ملت ایران از امام شهیدش آموخته که زیر بار ذلت نرود.
The United States has reportedly rejected an official Israeli request to review the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, according to Israeli media reports.
Channel 12 reported that Israeli officials sought access to the agreement but were refused, leaving them without full knowledge of its contents.
The reports come amid growing criticism of the memorandum from Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference on Monday that he was "not sure about the details" of the agreement.
Israeli media also reported "deep disappointment" among Israeli officials, particularly over provisions related to a withdrawal from Lebanon and an end to attacks on the country.
News website i24 described the agreement as an "embarrassment", while Netanyahu said: "The agreement with Iran was made by Trump, and this is his decision; we have our own interests."
Reports earlier had said Israeli officials had informed Washington that Israel does not consider itself bound by the understanding.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, warned that any breach of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington would trigger a "crushing response" from Iran.
The agreement is due to be formally signed on Friday as the two sides prepare for further negotiations on a broader settlement.
In a social media post, Azizi said: "Iranian resilience forced a strategic pivot: the U.S. came to the table on Iran's terms."
He added: "Now, Washington must prove its commitment by ending the war against Lebanon and upholding every clause of the MOU. The era of unilateral imposition against Iranians is over."
Iranian resilience forced a strategic pivot: the U.S. came to the table on Iran's terms.
— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) June 16, 2026
Now, Washington must prove its commitment by ending the war against Lebanon and upholding every clause of the MOU.
Any breach will be met with a decisive, crushing response.
The era of…
Iran has intensified diplomatic consultations ahead of the signing of its agreement with Washington and the start of negotiations in Geneva.
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held a series of discussions with regional counterparts and diplomatic representatives in Tehran, while also briefing members of parliament's National Security Committee on recent developments in the diplomatic process.
According to the Iranian foreign ministry, Araghchi and his Omani counterpart discussed the memorandum of understanding during a telephone call and "affirmed their continued coordination to support regional stability".
The ministry said Araghchi also reviewed negotiations with the United States and outlined the terms of the agreement aimed at ending the war.
Members of the National Security Committee expressed parliament's support for the diplomatic effort "in a way that serves the interests of the nation".
US Vice President JD Vance said Washington views negotiations with Iran as a means of achieving results rather than rewarding Tehran, adding that he would attend upcoming talks in Geneva to assess Iran's commitment to the process.
"President Trump and I do not see direct negotiations with Iran as a reward for them, but rather as a serious step towards achieving results," Vance said.
"I will attend the Geneva negotiations, just as I attended the Pakistan talks, to ascertain the Iranians' intentions and the extent of their seriousness."
Vance said the United States would remain engaged in diplomacy while maintaining pressure on Tehran.
"We have fundamentally changed the Middle East, whether Iran complies or not," he said, adding that if Iran failed to implement the agreement, its "nuclear, military and missile programs will remain destructive and disrupted".
Bloomberg has published what it says are leaked details of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran that would formally end hostilities and establish a framework for a broader agreement.
According to the reported text, the United States, Iran and their allies would announce an immediate end to the war, pledge to refrain from hostile actions and seek to negotiate a final agreement within 60 days, with the possibility of an extension.
The reported memorandum also calls for the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran, the phased withdrawal of US forces within 30 days of a final agreement and a timetable for ending sanctions.
Under the reported terms, Washington would exempt Iranian oil and related banking services from sanctions and release frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would reaffirm that it will never produce nuclear weapons.
The two sides would maintain the status quo during negotiations and later address the future of enriched nuclear material and other outstanding issues in a final agreement.
US officials have confirmed that Iran's national team will be required to leave the United States within hours of the final whistle of its World Cup group-stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
The policy drew criticism after questions were raised about the handling of visas and travel arrangements for the Iranian squad following its opening match.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Fifa Task Force, defended the arrangement, telling The Associated Press: "We were clear this was the process."
The United States, one of the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, has faced scrutiny over the travel restrictions imposed on the Iranian team amid wider tensions between Washington and Tehran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the agreement between the United States and Iran offers an opportunity for regional stability and economic security, stressing that "the agreed-upon peace must now hold".
Writing on X, Merz said the leaders of the Group of Seven nations were united in supporting the accord. "We are united on this as G7," he wrote.
Merz said the agreement presents "an opportunity for the stability of the region and for the global economy" as efforts continue to restore normal shipping through the strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz.
The German leader had earlier said Berlin had already dispatched mine-clearing vessels to the region ahead of an anticipated full reopening of the strategic waterway.
Pope Leo welcomed the interim agreement between the United States and Iran, saying "thanks be to God" that the two countries are preparing to formalise their accord on Friday.
Speaking to reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the pontiff said he hoped the agreement would bring a lasting end to the conflict.
"There will still be several points to settle, but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiations, and not by returning to war," Leo said.
"I hope that it truly is a solution to the war, that the war really is over, and that we can move forward." The pope's remarks came after he had previously criticised the US-Israel war on Iran and called for a negotiated resolution.
Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers says two Iranian supertankers have successfully exited a US Navy blockade area, marking "Iran's first crude oil exports in two months".
According to the group's statement on X, automatic identification system data and satellite imagery from 15 June confirmed that the National Iranian Tanker Company's vessels Diona and Hero 2 left the blockade perimeter "carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between them".
TankerTrackers said the development marked a significant step for Iran's oil exports after weeks of disruption.
The group also reported that a third NITC tanker, Stream, "is approaching the blockade line from the EEZ [exclusive economic zone] of Pakistan; where it spent the past 7 weeks waiting to enter Iran".
BREAKING: CRUDE OIL DEPARTS IRAN FOLLOWING A TWO MONTH LONG NAVY BLOCKADE
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) June 16, 2026
According to AIS data which we corroborated yesterday (2026-06-15) by satellite imagery, at least two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertankers named DIONA (9569695) and HERO2 (9362073) have… pic.twitter.com/tSesQTcC6K
