Israel strikes southern Lebanon, Vance delays Switzerland trip

June 19, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

Israeli strikes and Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon delayed planned U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland.

Why this matters

The fighting in Lebanon is testing a new U.S.-Iran agreement meant to halt regional fighting and restart nuclear talks. Any breakdown could affect diplomacy, regional security, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel’s military said Friday that its forces struck targets across southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting, raising pressure on a new U.S.-Iran agreement that calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”

Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between the United States and Iran were postponed as mediators worked to calm the fighting, regional officials said. Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israel’s military said the strikes were ongoing. Israel also said four soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, and that five others were wounded in an explosive drone attack.

The Israeli military said it also struck targets in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday. Lebanese media said the village of Douris was hit.

Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the U.S.-Iran agreement. Iran has said Israel must withdraw from the area of southern Lebanon it occupies, but the interim deal does not explicitly require that. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”

President Donald Trump criticized Netanyahu’s recent moves before the agreement was signed, saying: “Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did — I have had a great relationship with Bibi. Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.”

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee defended Israel on Friday in a post on X, writing: “Israel strikes when struck … Ceasefire happens when Hezbollah stops shooting & killing.”

Two regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomacy, said mediators were focused on Lebanon. One said Iran withdrew from the Switzerland meeting over the fighting and Netanyahu’s comments, which Iran viewed as violating the interim deal.

The agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and returned Washington and Tehran to talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first public reaction, said direct negotiations would not mean “accepting the enemy’s opinion.”

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Jesse Bussey, who had been on the run since 1996, was arrested Nov. 10, 2025, in Malaga, Spain. Authorities said he had been living under an alias and teaching English.

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Israel’s military said Friday that its forces struck targets across southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting, raising pressure on a new U.S.-Iran agreement that calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”

Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between the United States and Iran were postponed as mediators worked to calm the fighting, regional officials said. Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israel’s military said the strikes were ongoing. Israel also said four soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, and that five others were wounded in an explosive drone attack.

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