Steve Witkoff

Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in southern Lebanon overnight, hours after a US-Qatar brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah was renewed. The strikes targeted multiple locations including Nabatieh and Arab Salim, drawing condemnation from Iran, which warned the US that continued Israeli operations could collapse broader diplomatic efforts. US envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Switzerland for nuclear talks with Iran, while Prime Minister Netanyahu faces reported tensions with President Trump over the Iran deal.

Israel has publicly rejected the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, with Defense Minister Israel Katz declaring the IDF will remain indefinitely in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. The deal, set for formal signing on Friday in Switzerland, includes a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. International reactions have been largely positive, but Israel faces isolation as tensions with Washington escalate.

Two IDF soldiers were killed in separate incidents in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel for the first time since Wednesday. The Pentagon raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to the highest level. In the West Bank, a Palestinian car-ramming lightly injured a settler after settlers blocked a road and threw stones. France and allies are coordinating sanctions over settler violence.

The IRGC threatened to strike US bases in the region if Iranian tankers are attacked, a day after US strikes on two tankers. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 36 people in the past day, while Hezbollah launched multiple drone attacks on Israeli forces. Qatar is mediating between the US and Iran, and reports reveal Israel built a secret base in Iraq to support its Iran campaign.