Israel-Hezbollah truce bid stalls as Lebanon clashes delay US-Iran talks

Jerusalem,UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 23:58 IST

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group agreed on Friday to halt heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to derail an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed that a truce had taken effect.

The move came after intense exchanges of fire in which 47 people were killed in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers died. The violence had already delayed talks due to begin on Friday in Switzerland under the wider US-Iran agreement, which has reopened the Strait of Hormuz and is meant to relaunch negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

Hezbollah and Israel went to war soon after the wider conflict began, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large parts of southern Lebanon. The interim agreement calls for military operations in Lebanon to stop and for Lebanon's sovereignty to be respected, but neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a party to that deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will stay in southern Lebanon until the threat is removed, while Hezbollah has said it will not stop attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran has also described as a condition of the deal.

Hours after officials told news organisations about the truce effort, Israeli artillery fire could still be heard from northern Israel along the Lebanese border, and a large explosion was seen inside Lebanon, according to an AP journalist in northern Israel. Two regional officials and one US official said the attempt to stop the fighting was mediated by Qatar, the US and Iran. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly. A second US official said the fighting had been due to stop at 4 pm local time.

A Hezbollah official said an agreement to stop the fighting could be announced soon, but did not confirm that it was already in place. Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment. However, Netanyahu said on X that, on his orders, the Israeli military had "struck powerfully" 150 Hezbollah targets and killed dozens of militants. Military spokesman Brig Gen Effie Defrin said the army had not received different instructions from the government and that Israeli forces were operating in a "forward defence zone" and would continue to do so. Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said on X that Israel "remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" if Hezbollah honours the agreement and stops hostilities.

Iranian officials did not travel to Switzerland as planned, saying the fighting in Lebanon had to stop before talks could begin, according to the two regional officials, an Iranian official and a fourth person familiar with the matter. US Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip. The talks are meant to work towards a permanent end to the conflict. On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said consultations through mediators were continuing on the next phase of negotiations for a final agreement. He said the Switzerland talks were not urgent because the initial deal had been signed digitally earlier this week, and plans were being made for a meeting in the coming days.

The Israeli military said four soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. Another five were wounded in an explosive drone attack, officials said. Israel then carried out multiple strikes on what it called Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Nabatiyeh and other areas, accusing the group of "blatant ceasefire violations". Later, the military said it also struck targets in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, while Lebanese media reported that the village of Douris was hit.

"Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or on our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks," Netanyahu said in a statement. Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli tanks in response to what it called Israel's own ceasefire violation. It said the attacks came after Israeli forces tried to reach the northern side of Ali al-Taher hilltop, a strategic point overlooking Nabatiyeh that Israeli troops have been trying to capture.

In southern Lebanon, many residents fled their villages. "The situation is lawless, we couldn't stay," said Mustafa Zain, who was travelling in a pickup truck with his six daughters. Israel's actions have also deepened a rift with the US, with Trump becoming increasingly critical of Netanyahu, who is facing growing criticism at home.

The Switzerland discussions were expected to centre on Iran's nuclear programme. Tehran says it is peaceful, although the Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has highly enriched uranium that could be used to build multiple atomic bombs if it chose to do so. The talks are expected to be difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump scrapped in his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate. The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, with the option of an extension, and offers incentives including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a USD 300 billion fund for post-war reconstruction. After the deal was signed, the US lifted its blockade of Iran's ports and allowed it to sell oil freely, while Iranian assets are also to be unfrozen, though it is unclear how quickly.

In short, the effort to stop fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is tied closely to the wider US-Iran deal, but continued firing on the border, delayed talks in Switzerland and unresolved disputes over Lebanon and Iran's nuclear programme show that major issues remain unsettled.

With PTI Inputs

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