U.S.-Iran Latest: Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensifies in Lebanon as next-phase talks delayed

A diplomat briefed on the agreement told CBS News on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, as first reported by the Reuters news agency.

The agreement was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday, according to Reuters.

The truce was agreed following the deadliest flare-up in fighting between the two sides since the U.S. and Iran reached an agreement Sunday on their memorandum of understanding. 

That agreement, signed by President Trump and Iran's president Wednesday, calls for hostilities to end on all fronts, including in Lebanon, though neither Israel nor Hezbollah were parties to the memorandum.

Hezbollah accused Israel on Friday of not complying with any ceasefire agreement pertaining to Lebanon for nearly two years. The Iranian-backed group said it would continue attacking Israeli troops in response, as their war threatened to derail the U.S.-Iran deal signed by President Trump only two days ago.

"The Israeli enemy has intensified its continuous violations of the ceasefire, committing massacres and destroying residential buildings and civilian infrastructure," Hezbollah, which has long been designated a terrorist organization by Israel and the U.S., said in a statement. "It has continued land assaults through attempts to infiltrate and control villages and areas it was unable to reach before the agreement."

Hezbollah accused Israel of never complying with any ceasefire agreement reached since Nov. 2024, including the most recent deal between Iran and the U.S. - a memorandum of understanding that demands an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Hezbollah said its fighters in Lebanon would "defend their land and people with courage" and continue "inflicting losses on the enemy army among its officers and soldiers."

Israel has, in turn, accused Hezbollah of violating all ceasefires, virtually from the moment they are agreed. The Israeli military said Friday that its operations in Lebanon would continue until the threat posed by Hezbollah is eliminated.

France's foreign minister called Friday on the U.S. to pressure Israel to halt its fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon to "respect" the U.S.-Iran agreement.

"This agreement involves the cessation of hostilities, the Israeli government must respect it, and the United States in particular must exert all the necessary pressure on the Israeli government so that this is the case," Jean-Noël Barrot said during an interview with French broadcaster Franceinfo.

Barrot also called on Iran-backed Hezbollah to stop attacking Israel and to begin a disarmament process.

Israel says it hit at least 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight in response to "repeated, ongoing, and blatant violations of the ceasefire." 

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 eased earlier this week, it flared again on Thursday evening.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel will "exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah" for the death of four Israeli soldiers.

"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.

The Israeli leader also echoed previous statements on Israeli forces' continued presence in southern Lebanon.

"As I have made clear unequivocally, including yesterday: Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon as long as necessary to protect the northern communities," he said in the statement.

Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council said Friday that the regime signed the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. but has "complete distrust" in the United States to uphold the agreement, and it warned that "any deviation or violation" would bring a reciprocal action.

In a statement, the 12-member council said Iran's theocratic rulers were monitoring developments under the agreement "with complete distrust of the faithless and treaty-breaking enemy, and with precise supervision over the negotiation process and the implementation of the programs."

"Should any deviation or violation occur on the part of the American side, a reciprocal action will be taken according to the plan determined in advance," it said.

The U.S.-Iran deal is already facing a major test, as direct talks scheduled to take place on Friday were postponed amid intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A total of 25 commercial vessels transited through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the highest number seen on any day since mid-April, according to data from maritime tracking firm AXSMarine.

The increase came after President Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed an initial agreement that calls for the crucial shipping route to reopen amid an extended ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran - and an end to hostilities in Lebanon. 

The memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday also calls for 60 days of direct bilateral negotiations aimed at a much wider peace deal to begin, but that next step - which had been expected to start Friday in Switzerland - has been delayed amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

On June 18 "we observed 25 verified commercial vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz -- the highest single-day count since 18 April and more than five times the average daily level recorded during the first ten days of June," AXSMarine said in a news release.

 
Israeli military said Friday that it had struck at least 80 Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon as fighting between the two sides reignited in the first major test of the fragile U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending the war.

"Overnight, the IDF struck more than 80 command centers, terrorists, launch positions, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement

The statement said "dozens" of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the strikes, which the IDF called a response to "repeated, ongoing, and blatant violations of the ceasefire" by the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group based in Lebanon.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in the attacks on the country.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Friday that direct talks with the United States, provisioned by the memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday but currently delayed, would be bound by Tehran's "red lines."

"As we have shown in the past path of negotiations, we are steadfast in fulfilling the conditions and red lines set, and in achieving the interests of the Iranian nation," Ghalibaf said in remarks published by Iran's official IRNA state news agency. "If the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we have no hesitation in giving a crushing response to the enemy."

A statement attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, conveyed by the nation's state media on Thursday evening, claims President Trump, "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage" to reach a deal with Tehran.

"In the course of reaching this stage, the officials in charge, out of sincere concern and goodwill, made extensive efforts — and of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about," Khamenei said in the statement.

Khamenei - who has not been seen or heard from directly since he inherited his position from his father, who was killed on the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, said Iran had accepted the terms of the agreement and that there would be "in-person negotiations in the future," but that Tehran would not necessarily accept the Trump administration's demands for a broader peace deal.

Two regional officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said mediators were focused Friday on calming newly intensified fighting in Lebanon. 

One of the officials said Iran had suspended plans to begin direct talks with U.S. officials in Switzerland on Friday specifically over the fighting and comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which they described as violating the interim deal between Iran and the U.S.

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday put off his trip to Switzerland, where he had been set to lead the next-phase talks with Iran provisioned by the memorandum of understanding signed by both countries on Wednesday. The White House blamed logistical issues for the delay in beginning the talks, which are expected to last 60 days.

President Trump said Thursday night he expected Hezbollah and Israel to stop fighting under the agreement struck between the U.S. and Iran.

"The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold," Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. "We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel."  

Israel said it attacked Hezbollah in the early hours of Friday morning in response to "repeated violations of the ceasefire."  

In a brief statement the Israel Defense Forces said it had "struck throughout the night and continues to strike Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure sites in several areas across southern Lebanon."

Lebanese officials said at least 18 civilians were killed, making it the deadliest attack since the U.S. and Iran reached an agreement early this week on the memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday by Mr. Trump and Iranian President Masound Pezeshkian.

Israel's military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were ongoing. Israel, meantime, said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.

Continued fighting in Lebanon could unravel the newly signed deal, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations "on all fronts, including in Lebanon," where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and for ensuring Lebanon's "territorial integrity and sovereignty."

Vice President JD Vance is no longer planning to fly to Switzerland late Thursday to help kickstart talks with Iran, a White House spokesperson told reporters.

"As the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," the spokesperson said in a statement to the White House press pool. "As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps."

The spokesperson added: "We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible."

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the U.S. this week, the two sides are planning to hold 60 days of technical talks on the fate of Iran's nuclear program. 

Earlier in the day, Vance told reporters the plan was for those talks to begin this weekend, and he intended to travel to Switzerland for the start of negotiations, but "that could change" because Iran is "not an easy country … to get out of."

"It just depends on exactly when the Iranians can get there," he said. "We're trying to figure that out as we speak, but again, I suspect it will happen this weekend."