Hezbollah: Naïm Qassem calls Israel-Lebanon agreement a 'grave mistake'
Updated 27 June 2026, 15:52 — War Iran-Israel-USA: For Hezbollah, the Israel-Lebanon agreement is a 'grave mistake'
Key facts
- Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to end the conflict triggered on February 28 by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
- The Israeli army announced it would continue its operations in southern Lebanon despite the signing of an agreement aimed at ending the war, including on the Lebanese front.
- The United States and Israel launched a surprise offensive against Iran on Saturday, February 28, while negotiations on Iran's nuclear program had been underway for several days.
- Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel and US bases in Gulf countries killed dozens and wounded hundreds across the region.
- Iranian state television announced on Sunday, February 29, the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Mojtaba Khamenei was elected Iran's new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father Ali on Sunday, March 8.
- The conflict spread to Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed nearly 4,000 people and displaced one million.
Updates
27 June 2026, 15:50
Hezbollah chief calls Israel-Lebanon agreement a 'grave mistake'
The pro-Iranian Hezbollah chief on Saturday described the agreement signed the day before by Lebanon and Israel under US auspices as a "grave mistake," deeming it "null and void." "The Washington framework agreement is humiliating, shameful, and represents an abandonment of sovereignty," said Naïm Qassem in a statement, accusing the Lebanese government of thereby "legitimizing" the occupation of its territory. "This agreement is null and void, and it is the provisions of the Iran-US memorandum that must be applied," added the leader of the Shiite movement, referring to the text signed on June 17 by Washington and Tehran that provides for an end to hostilities in Lebanon.
27 June 2026, 11:27
Bahrain says it was targeted by several Iranian drones
Bahrain announced on Saturday that it had been targeted by several Iranian drones, accusing Tehran of "sabotaging peace efforts" after the first exchanges of strikes between the United States and Iran since the mid-June memorandum. In a statement, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry condemned the "targeting of its territory at dawn this Saturday by several Iranian drones, in flagrant violation of its sovereignty," which "places full responsibility on Tehran for sabotaging peace efforts." The Revolutionary Guards, Tehran's ideological army, announced on Saturday that they had attacked US positions in the Gulf region after US strikes on Iranian territory.
26 June 2026, 21:36
Israel, Lebanon, and the United States sign a framework agreement
Israel, Lebanon, and the United States signed a framework agreement on Friday in Washington with the stated goal of paving the way for "lasting peace and security." "We are pleased to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and the government of Israel, with the mediation and support of the United States," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to him, the text, whose content was not disclosed at the signing in Washington, sets "a framework for lasting peace and security." Under the auspices of the United States, Lebanon and Israel had begun direct talks in Washington in mid-April, the first between the two countries in decades, which are still technically in a state of war. This was the fifth session of talks. Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad hailed "a first step toward restoring Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring a definitive and permanent cessation of hostilities, allowing our people to return to their lands, and enabling all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity." Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter stressed that in this framework agreement, "Iran is excluded, Hezbollah is excluded, and the path to peace between Israel and Lebanon is open." Hostilities on the Lebanese front resumed in early March after Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran, which was the target of an Israeli-US military offensive.
26 June 2026, 15:48
UAE alerts residents by message of 'potential missile threat'
Residents of the United Arab Emirates received an official alert on their phones on Friday, lifted shortly after, warning of a "potential missile threat" for the first time in over a month. Iran, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States in mid-June to durably end the war in the Middle East, had targeted its Gulf neighbors almost daily for three months in retaliation for the US-Israeli offensive on Tehran. Residents then received several alerts a day on their phones warning of missile launches, the vast majority of which were intercepted.
26 June 2026, 03:04
Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington will continue Friday
The fifth session of talks between Israel and Lebanon, under US mediation, which was supposed to end Thursday, will continue Friday in Washington, the US State Department announced. "Discussions between Israel and Lebanon are still ongoing as we continue to facilitate them. Both parties will resume tomorrow at 9 a.m. (15:00 Luxembourg time) to continue their work toward an agreement," the State Department told AFP on Thursday.
25 June 2026, 21:02
Strait of Hormuz evacuation plan suspended after attack in Gulf of Oman
The evacuation plan for the Strait of Hormuz was suspended Thursday after an attack in the Gulf of Oman targeting a ship that had crossed the strait, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced in a statement. "I have decided to temporarily suspend its implementation to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees remain in place for the vessels on our evacuation list and for all those in the region," said its Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, quoted in the statement.
25 June 2026, 20:49
Israel says it killed Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army said Thursday it killed members of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, despite a lull in hostilities between Israel and the pro-Iranian Islamist movement. The army, which occupies part of the south of the country, said in a statement that it "identified five fighters" in the Zawtar al-Sharqiya area and another in the Ali al-Taher ridge area, who it said posed a "threat" and were "eliminated" by air and ground forces.
25 June 2026, 19:30
Lebanon: France and Italy want to set up a multinational 'coalition' to succeed UNIFIL
France and Italy want to set up a multinational "coalition" at the end of the UNIFIL mandate in December to strengthen "sovereignty in Lebanon," Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni announced at a summit in Antibes. "We want to launch a coalition on the post-UNIFIL arrangement, obviously in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen the sovereignty of Lebanon and its armed forces and prevent its territory from becoming the fulcrum of a regional escalation," the French president said. "Italy and France can absolutely make a difference. ... It is necessary, from our point of view, to guarantee an international presence that avoids an extremely dangerous security vacuum," the Italian prime minister added.
25 June 2026, 19:05
Gulf states say 'lasting peace' talks must include Iran's missiles and its allies
The foreign ministers of Gulf states on Thursday called on Washington to include the issue of Iranian missiles and armed groups allied with Tehran in talks to definitively end the war in the Middle East. "Lasting regional peace and security require addressing all Iranian threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support for armed groups in the region," the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers said in a joint statement after a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, noting that these topics are not in the Iran-US memorandum. On the economic front, "any trade and investment with Iran must be conditional and reversible," they added, calling on Tehran to respect the terms of the agreement and "cease its destabilizing behavior."
25 June 2026, 18:18
Traffic in Strait of Hormuz up sharply but not back to normal
Ships massively resumed crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, but traffic remained half of what it was in peacetime, as evacuations are underway, according to data from maritime tracking platforms on Thursday. Seventy crossings were detected on Wednesday, according to Kpler on X. This is a record since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 1 in retaliation for US and Israeli bombings. The increase in traffic on Wednesday is partly explained by the UN evacuation plan for 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf, launched Tuesday night (GMT).
25 June 2026, 17:28
Cargo ship hit by 'projectile of unknown origin' in Strait of Hormuz
A projectile of unknown origin damaged a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported Thursday, as this strategic passage is a major point of contention in Iran-US negotiations. "A cargo ship was hit on the starboard side by a projectile of unknown origin, causing damage to the bridge. The captain reported no casualties or environmental impact," the agency said, adding that the incident occurred 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometers) southeast of Dahit, a town in the Sultanate of Oman.
25 June 2026, 16:27
Israel says it will withdraw from Lebanon only after Hezbollah disarmed
An Israeli official said Thursday that Israel would not withdraw its armed forces from southern Lebanon until the pro-Iranian Hezbollah is disarmed, as the two countries are engaged in US-mediated talks in Washington. "We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, is not disarmed and demilitarized," said David Mencer, spokesman for the Israeli government, at a press briefing.
25 June 2026, 15:19
Lebanon: Three killed in Israeli strike in the south
An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three people and wounded one on Thursday, according to the official ANI news agency, despite a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. It brings to seven the number of deaths since Tuesday in Israeli attacks, as direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are taking place in Washington, the first in decades.
25 June 2026, 14:50
US does not want deal with Iran 'at any price'
On a tour of Gulf countries, the US Secretary of State said Thursday that the agreement with Iran should not be made "at any price," notably fearing "total chaos" if Tehran were to charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. "Even if we want an agreement, we do not want an agreement at any price," Marco Rubio said from Bahrain before his Gulf counterparts. He was referring in particular to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a major point of contention. Iran is considering imposing "royalty fees," which did not exist before the war. Washington flatly rejects this possibility. This maritime passage, about thirty kilometers wide between Iran and Oman, is ultra-strategic: 20% of global hydrocarbon trade passed through it before the war.
25 June 2026, 01:29
Trump tells Rutte that NATO countries 'let down' the US
Donald Trump repeated Wednesday that NATO countries had "let down" the United States during the war against Iran, in the presence of alliance chief Mark Rutte, whom he received at the White House. "If there were anyone else in this position (editor's note: as NATO Secretary General), we wouldn't even have a meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down," the US president said during an exchange with journalists in the Oval Office. "We didn't need help" but "it would have been nice if they (editor's note: NATO countries) had told us: 'We would like to help,'" he said. "I just want their loyalty. We don't need their money, we don't need anything," he added, saying to other NATO member states: "Give us a little hand, give us a little kiss." Donald Trump then specifically attacked Spain, which he called "terrible," and said he was "disappointed" by Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
25 June 2026, 01:27
Bombed school in Iran: Trump questions US involvement
Donald Trump on Wednesday questioned US military involvement in the deadly bombing of an Iranian school in Minab, which killed more than a hundred children on the first day of the Middle East war in late February. "What happened is horrible, but there were missiles flying everywhere. Someone said it was our missile, well, maybe it wasn't our missile. I have seen nothing to lead me to believe it was. There were plenty of missiles fired by others," the US president told journalists during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. According to the New York Times, which relies on US officials and sources close to the investigation, the missile that struck the school was fired by the US military after a targeting error. In mid-May, the US military said the investigation into this strike, which it entrusted to an "outside organization," was "complex" but "was nearing its end." A senior official had pledged to make the findings public in due course. "I have to wait for it to be finished," Donald Trump replied when asked about the results of this investigation. But the US president expressed doubts that it would assign responsibility once concluded. "I don't know if they will ever solve this problem, in terms of responsibility. I don't know if they will say it was one of our missiles ... because there were missiles flying everywhere," he continued.
25 June 2026, 01:25
White House requests $88 billion, 'mostly' for Iran war
The White House on Wednesday asked the US Congress for an additional nearly $88 billion in spending, "most" of which would address "urgent needs" related to the Iran war. More than $67 billion would go to the Pentagon, particularly for "operational costs" of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, and to "replenish ammunition stocks," according to a letter from White House Budget Director Russ Vought to Congress.
25 June 2026, 01:24
Hezbollah accuses Israel of new cease-fire violation
Hezbollah accused Israel of a new cease-fire violation on Wednesday, after an Israeli drone killed two in southern Lebanon, a day after two others were killed by Israeli fire. "For the second time in less than 48 hours, the Israeli enemy army deliberately targeted Lebanese citizens inspecting their homes" near the town of Kfar Roummane, the Iran-backed group said in a statement. Hezbollah "reiterates that the enemy's actions constitute a flagrant violation of the cease-fire to which it has adhered so far, and it monitors and documents these violations."
25 June 2026, 01:23
Iraq: Gradual resumption of foreign oil operations in Kurdistan
Foreign oil companies are gradually resuming their activities in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, after suspending them due to the Middle East war, a regional government spokesman said Wednesday. During hostilities that began in late February, the Kurdistan region, where many foreign oil companies operate and where US troops are stationed, was targeted by numerous drone attacks, mainly carried out by Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups. Several oil fields were hit. The subsidiary of British company Gulf Keystone (Gulf Keystone Petroleum) "started production today at the Shaikan field," one of the largest in Kurdistan, said regional government spokesman Peshawa Hawramani in a statement. Norwegian group DNO is expected to restart operations at the Tawke and Pechkabir fields on Friday, and US company HKN is expected to resume production at the Atrush field on Sunday, according to the spokesman. US company Hunt Oil will resume operations on July 8, he added.
25 June 2026, 01:22
New meeting between Iran and US scheduled in Switzerland
A technical meeting is scheduled for June 29 or 30 in Switzerland with the Iranians, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday on a visit to Kuwait. The United States will be "completely aligned" with its Gulf allies in the discussions, he added. Before a meeting with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Marco Rubio said the US wanted to "discuss with them every decision taken" regarding the ongoing negotiations with Tehran. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, a point of contention in these talks, he stressed that no country other than Iran supported imposing fees for its passage.
24 June 2026, 18:19
Hormuz: 'A few weeks' needed to evacuate sailors
The evacuation of 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf region due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz should take "a few weeks," said the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, in an interview with AFP on Wednesday. Long prepared by this UN agency responsible for maritime safety, the operation will allow the 600 ships immobilized since the beginning of the war to finally leave the region. The launch of this evacuation was announced Tuesday by the IMO. "A few ships transited yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon" through the Strait of Hormuz, just after this announcement, said Arsenio Dominguez. "This is a gradual process," he stressed. "Hopefully, the next step will be to reach about 50 ships per day, but we will still need a few weeks before we can actually complete the evacuation" of all the sailors, he said. The IMO plan involves contacting each ship individually to give departure instructions, in coordination with coastal authorities.
24 June 2026, 10:12
For Iran, agreement with US is 'America's declaration of defeat'
The memorandum of understanding concluded between Iran and the United States to end the war is "America's declaration of defeat," said the head of the Iranian negotiating team, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Wednesday. "The Islamabad memorandum is not the result of pressure or coercion, but rather of the resistance and determination of the brave Iranian nation," Mr. Ghalibaf said at a conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, broadcast on Iranian television. "That is why the Islamabad memorandum has taken on the value of a declaration of defeat for America," said the man who is also the speaker of parliament, adding that security in the Middle East must now be ensured by the region's countries.
24 June 2026, 01:06
US Congress adopts symbolic resolution to demand withdrawal of US forces against Iran
The US Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution ordering the withdrawal of US forces in the conflict with Iran, a largely symbolic setback for Donald Trump since the text will not have the force of law. The resolution, already adopted by the House, was approved with 50 votes for and 48 against. Due to Congress rules, Donald Trump won't even need to veto it. But this vote represents a slap in the face for the Republican president, amid negotiations with Iran, and while his party holds the majority in both chambers of Congress.
