{"id":1473,"date":"2026-06-19T12:40:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xrpfaucet.site\/?p=1473"},"modified":"2026-06-19T12:40:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:40:52","slug":"israel-hezbollah-fighting-escalates-in-lebanon-as-talks-on-next-phase-stall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xrpfaucet.site\/?p=1473","title":{"rendered":"Israel-Hezbollah fighting escalates in Lebanon as talks on next phase stall"},"content":{"rendered":"

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57 minutes ago
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France calls on the US to put pressure on Israel to end hostilities in Lebanon<\/h2>\n
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France’s foreign minister on Friday urged the US to pressure Israel to end hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon to “respect” the US-Iran deal.<\/p>\n

“This agreement calls for a cessation of hostilities, the Israeli government must respect it, and the United States, in particular, must exert all necessary pressure on the Israeli government to make it so.” – said Jean-Noel Barot<\/a> during an interview with the French television company Franceinfo.<\/p>\n

Baro also called on Iran-backed Hezbollah to stop attacks on Israel and begin the disarmament process.<\/p>\n

Israel says it struck at least 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight in response to “repeated, ongoing and flagrant violations of the ceasefire”. <\/p>\n

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire — and accusations of ceasefire violations — almost daily for weeks, even before the U.S.-Iran deal was signed on Wednesday. While the fighting subsided earlier this week, it flared up again on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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7:24 am
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Netanyahu says Hezbollah will pay ‘high price’ for killing of four Israeli soldiers<\/h2>\n
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel would pay a very heavy price to Hezbollah for the deaths of four Israeli soldiers.<\/p>\n

“My instructions are clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

The Israeli leader also repeated previous statements about the continued presence of Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

“As I have made unequivocally clear, including yesterday: Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the northern communities,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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7:14 am
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The Iranian regime says it does not trust the US to abide by the terms of the deal<\/h2>\n
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Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council said on Friday that the regime had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US, but had “total distrust” of the United States to abide by the agreement, and warned that “any deviation or violation” would lead to retaliatory action.<\/p>\n

The 12-member council said in a statement that Iran’s theocratic rulers were monitoring the deal’s progress “with complete distrust of a treacherous, treaty-breaking enemy and close supervision of the negotiation process and program implementation.”<\/p>\n

“In case of deviations or violations on the part of the American side, responsible measures will be taken according to the predetermined plan,” the message said.<\/p>\n

The US-Iran deal has already faced a major test as direct talks due to take place on Friday have been postponed amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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6:50 am
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25 Five ships monitored transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday as Iran and the US lifted restrictions<\/h2>\n
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A total of 25 commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the highest number for any day since mid-April, according to marine tracking firm AXSMarine.<\/p>\n

The increase comes after President Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed an initial agreement that would see the vital shipping route reopened amid a lingering ceasefire between the US and Iran – and an end to hostilities in Lebanon. <\/p>\n

The memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday also provides for 60 days of direct bilateral talks aimed at beginning a much broader peace agreement, but that next step, which was due to begin on Friday in Switzerland, has been delayed amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. <\/p>\n

On June 18, “we saw 25 confirmed commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz, the highest number in a single day since April 18 and more than five times the daily average recorded during the first ten days of June,” AXSMarine said in a press release.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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6:35 am
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The Israeli military says it has attacked 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon<\/h2>\n
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Israel’s military said on Friday it had struck at least 80 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as fighting between the two sides resumed in the first major test of the fragile US-Iran deal aimed at ending the war.<\/p>\n

“Overnight, the IDF struck more than 80 command centers, terrorists, launch positions and additional terrorist infrastructure,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The statement said “dozens” of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the strikes, which the IDF said were in response to “repeated, ongoing and flagrant ceasefire violations” by the Lebanon-based US-Israel terror group.<\/p>\n

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that at least 18 people were killed in the attacks on the country.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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6:14 am
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Iran’s top negotiator says Tehran won’t budge from its ‘red lines’ in new talks with US<\/h2>\n
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Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Friday that direct talks with the United States under a memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday but now postponed would be subject to Tehran’s “red lines”.<\/p>\n

“As we have shown in the past path of negotiations, we are unwavering in fulfilling conditions and red lines, and in pursuing the interests of the Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said in comments carried by Iran’s official state news agency IRNA. “When the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we do not hesitate to deliver a crushing response to the enemy.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5:51 am
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei says Trump signed deal ‘out of desperation’<\/h2>\n
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A statement attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, released by the country’s state media Thursday night, said President Trump “desperately used all kinds of influence” to reach a deal with Tehran.<\/p>\n

“In reaching this stage, the responsible officials made great efforts out of sincere concern and good will \u2014 and of course, it was the American president who desperately used all kinds of influence to achieve this,” Khamenei said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Khamenei – who has not been seen or heard from directly since he inherited his post from his father, who was killed on the first day of the joint US-Israeli strikes – said Iran had accepted the terms of the deal and that there would be “in-person talks” in the future, but that Tehran would not necessarily accept the Trump administration’s demands for a broader peace deal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5:29 am
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Iran pulls out of talks with US over Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, AP official says<\/h2>\n
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Two regional officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said mediators on Friday were focused on calming the recent escalation of fighting in Lebanon. <\/p>\n

One of the officials said Iran suspended plans to start direct talks with US officials in Switzerland on Friday over the hostilities and comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which they called a violation of the Iran-US interim agreement.<\/p>\n

Vice President J. D. Vance on Thursday postponed his trip to Switzerland, where he was supposed to lead the next phase of negotiations with Iran, provided for in a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries on Wednesday. The White House blamed logistical problems for delaying the start of the talks, which are expected to last 60 days.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5:29 am
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Trump calls on Hezbollah and Israel to end hostilities<\/h2>\n
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President Trump said Thursday night that he expects Hezbollah and Israel to cease hostilities as part of the US-Iran deal.<\/p>\n

“The United States is committed to PEACE, and we urge everyone in the Middle East region to remain committed to ensuring that our negotiations can unfold beautifully.” Mr. Trump said<\/a> in a Truth Social post. “We expect a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel.” <\/p>\n

Israel said it attacked Hezbollah early Friday morning in response to “repeated ceasefire violations.” <\/p>\n

In a brief statement, the Israel Defense Forces said they had “struck all night and continue to strike Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure targets in several areas of southern Lebanon.”<\/p>\n

Lebanese officials said at least 18 civilians were killed, making it the deadliest attack since the United States and Iran reached an agreement earlier this week on a memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday by Mr. Trump and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5:29 am
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Israeli strikes kill 18 in Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah flares, health ministry says<\/h2>\n
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The Israeli military said on Friday that its forces had struck targets in southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported heavy fighting in the area.<\/p>\n

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were continuing. Meanwhile, Israel said four of its soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. Five more people were injured in the drone attack.<\/p>\n

Continued fighting in Lebanon could undermine a recently signed agreement that calls for an immediate end to hostilities “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, and to ensure Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5:29 am
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Vance is no longer traveling to Switzerland for talks with Iran tonight, the White House said<\/h2>\n
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Vice President J. D. Vance no longer plans to fly to Switzerland late Thursday to help open talks with Iran, a White House spokesman told reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Vice President stated at his press conference, plans for the upcoming technical talks had not been finalized and the US delegation was ready to leave at the first available opportunity. But the logistical basis of these negotiations has never been simple and predictable,” the press secretary said in a statement to the White House press pool. \u201cAt the moment, the vice president is not flying out tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have concrete information on the next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spokesman added: “We look forward to starting technical negotiations as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n

According to a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States this week, the two sides plan to hold 60 days of technical talks on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program. <\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, Vance told reporters that those talks were scheduled to begin this weekend and that he intended to travel to Switzerland to begin the talks, but “that could change” because Iran is “not an easy country … to get out of.”<\/p>\n

“It depends only on when exactly the Iranians will be able to get there,” he said. “We’re trying to figure that out as we speak, but again, I suspect it will happen this weekend.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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