- US Vice President JD Vance heads to Switzerland for high-level talks with Iran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
- Iran’s delegation has arrived in Switzerland and says its main goal is to ensure all parties fully implement the interim deal to end the war.
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17 Updates
- 28m ago (03:15 GMT)Israeli attacks continue across occupied West BankHere are the latest developments, according to the Wafa news agency:
- Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in a Bedouin community south of Hebron and attempted to steal their livestock while protected by Israeli soldiers, who detained three Palestinian locals.
- Israeli settlers threw stones at a home in the village of Jalud, near Nablus, without injuring anyone.
- Also near Nablus, settlers stormed the village of Burin and fired live rounds towards Palestinians, without any reported injuries.
- 43m ago (03:00 GMT)Israel orders halt to strikes on Lebanon, except at strategic hill near NabatiehBy Nour OdehReporting from Ramallah, occupied West BankIsraeli media is reporting that the Israeli prime minister and his minister of defence have instructed the army to stay put in occupied Lebanese territory, but to hold fire, excluding the battles that continue to rage in that hill [Ali al-Taher] near Nabatieh, where Israeli soldiers were killed and injured over the past 48 hours.The battles in that strategic location are reportedly scheduled to continue on track, but Israel considers this an implementation of the ceasefire and says that unless Hezbollah fires at its occupying forces, it will not be attacking Lebanon.Now, the situation in Lebanon has threatened to derail upcoming talks in Switzerland, and we are seeing a divergence of positions between the US that wants to see this ceasefire with Iran hold, to see negotiations succeed and move on to a final deal, and Israel that views that memorandum of understanding as a political disaster, and doesn’t want to leave the occupied territory in Lebanon.In the middle of all of that are upcoming elections in Israel. The Israeli prime minister has to balance between trying to stay alive politically and keeping that strategic alliance that Israel cannot gamble away with the US. That is what will judge and what will control the measures that Israel takes in the coming hours and days.Click here to share on social media
- 58m ago (02:45 GMT)WATCH: Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz as Israel tests MoU with Lebanon strikesTehran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz once again in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon that have killed dozens since last week.Iran says the attacks are a violation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed this week, aimed at pausing the three-month conflict.Watch below:
Play Video1:34Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz as Israel tests MOU with Lebanon strikesClick here to share on social mediaAdvertisement - 1h ago (02:30 GMT)Israeli forces step up attacks on Lebanon after ceasefire with Hezbollah
By Heidi PettReporting from Tyre, LebanonLet’s go back to 4pm local time on Friday, which is when US officials announced that a ceasefire was going to come into effect between Israel and Hezbollah.Immediately after that ceasefire was supposed to take effect, there were more than a dozen Israeli air strikes, which continued for several hours.They did slow into Friday night, but just after midnight, Israeli troops launched another assault on the Ali al-Taher Hill. That is a ridge line on a mountain near the city of Nabatieh, and the Israeli military has been seeking to take that ridge and other parts of high ground around Nabatieh for some time now. This was at least their sixth or seventh assault on that hill.Hezbollah said the Israelis had broken the ceasefire and responded by launching rockets and an ambush, killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding several others.The Israeli military then responded, accusing Hezbollah of breaking the ceasefire and saying they launched air strikes on more than 100 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Saturday.But we know that several residential buildings were among the sites that were hit. And so civilians have been killed once again here in southern Lebanon, including a family in the village of Barish – a man, his wife and their two children. Women and children were also among the dead in an air strike on a building in the district of Sidon earlier on Saturday.We’ve also had Lebanese army soldiers killed in these targeted strikes, one of whom was on his motorbike travelling between Nabatieh and Kfar Reman.Click here to share on social media - 1h ago (02:15 GMT)US-Iran MoU ‘already falling apart’, Democratic lawmaker saysMembers of the Democratic Party are continuing to criticise Trump over his handling of the war with Iran.Johnny Olszewski, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, said Trump’s “war of choice” was a “disaster” and argued that the agreement with Iran was already breaking down.“The dressed up ceasefire masquerading as a ‘deal’ is already falling apart,” he wrote in a post on X. “Americans deserve better.”Pramila Jayapal, another Democratic member of Congress, said Republicans had cut Medicare, a US health programme, to fund the war on Iran.“They are not confused about what we want. They just work for someone else,” Jayapal said. Click here to share on social media
- 1h ago (02:00 GMT)‘Nine martyrs and not a single one of them has been found yet’Residents of southern Lebanon are still searching for their loved ones after Israel’s deadly strikes on Saturday.In Qannarit village, near the port city of Sidon, where Israeli strikes killed at least seven people, Qassam Ghaddar said he had lost nine members of his family.“This is my in-laws’ house,” he said, standing beside a building reduced to rubble. “My brother-in-law, my wife’s two brothers, my mother-in-law, and my son have not been found. There are also two babies, one was just one month old, and the other is two months old. Nine martyrs, and not a single one of them has been found yet. Nine martyrs.”The strikes have killed more than 4,000 people since they began in March, according to Lebanese authorities.In the village of Barish, near the city of Tyre, a family of four was killed when Israeli strikes hit a three-story residential building.“People were sleeping inside. Children, a woman and her husband,” said Abbas Ezzedine, a witness. “It was supposed to be a ceasefire yesterday with the Israeli enemy,” he said.Click here to share on social media
- 1h ago (01:45 GMT)
Iran likely ‘to stand down’ on Hormuz when truce in Lebanon holdsWe have more from Richard Schmierer, the former US ambassador to Oman.He said the lack of a US reaction to Iran’s announcement over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was a positive sign, because it could mean “there are discussions behind the scenes”.Schmierer added that while the US military has sought to reassure shipping companies that it can provide security, they will be “concerned about the Iranian threats and probably are reducing or delaying their shipments to the strait”.The former envoy said he expected to see progress on the issue soon.“I do hope tomorrow when the sun comes up in Switzerland that we’ll begin to see some evidence that Iran is standing down from that statement, as I believe that we’ll be seeing a more successful ceasefire in Lebanon,” Schmierer said.“Then neither side needs to issue threats or condemn the other side. We will simply be able to move on,” he added. Click here to share on social media - 2h ago (01:32 GMT)
Pakistan’s prime minister, army chief depart for SwitzerlandPakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have departed for Burgenstock to take part in the high-level talks between Iran and the US.In a statement posted on X, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Qatar is also expected to take part in the talks.“Pakistan will continue to support and advance the implementation of the understandings reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States,” it added.
