DIRECT. War in the Middle East: five dead in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon

New Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon left five dead on Saturday June 20, reported the official Lebanese news agency ANI, despite the announcement the day before of a ceasefire between Israel and pro-Iranian Hezbollah. The strikes targeted more than a dozen localities after midnight and Saturday morning, killing three people in Arab Salim, one in Deir Zahrani and another at the entrance to Dweir, according to the ANI agency. Follow our live stream.

• A ceasefire yet announced. On Friday, an American official told AFP that an immediate truce between Israel and the Shiite organization Hezbollah, supported by Iran, had been concluded by American and Qatari mediators after discussions with Israel and Iran. The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, clarified that his country would respect the ceasefire if Hezbollah did the same, while previous truce announcements had had little effect.
• Steve Witkoff on his way to Switzerland. American envoy Steve Witkoff is on his way to Switzerland to hold discussions with Iran, American media reported, after the postponement of negotiations between the United States and Iran. Steve Witkoff is on his way to Switzerland, the Axios media announced on Friday, citing an American official on condition of anonymity. His move comes at a time when “the United States and Iran are working to get technical discussions back on track” following the memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday between the two countries, CNN reported.
• Iran raises its voice. The head of the Iranian negotiating team, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, insisted Friday on the need to respect the “red lines” of Iran in future talks with the United States. “As we have demonstrated throughout previous negotiations, we remain firm in respecting the conditions and red lines set, and in defending the interests of the Iranian nation.”declared the influential Bagher Ghalibaf, quoted by the Irna agency.