Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported

Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reportedImage source, ReutersImage caption, Israeli air strikes overnight into Friday killed 47 people, Lebanon saidByHenry Moore and Tom Bateman, State department correspondentPublished19 June 2026Israel and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official says, following intense Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that killed 47 people.The latest agreement followed concerns that continued clashes, which also saw Hezbollah kill four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, would undermine the deal to end the war between the US and Iran.The Israeli military confirmed that a ceasefire was in effect, but later a spokesman said its forces would "continue to remove immediate threats". Hezbollah is yet to confirm the ceasefire but its secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed."Rescue officials in the city of Nabatieh told the BBC there had been at least 12 air strikes since the ceasefire began at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT).The deadly escalation is another sign that Donald Trump is not necessarily in control of the fate of his deal with Iran.The memorandum of understanding declared a ceasefire in Lebanon as well as between the US and Iran. But that has not been the reality on the ground, which has led Tehran to accuse Trump of failing to rein in Israel. Trump himself has given fuel to this argument in an unprecedented set of accusations against his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting he has been senselessly killing civilians in his fight against Hezbollah. The overnight flare-up in southern Lebanon poses more problems. While the White House insists a ceasefire is in place, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the deaths of Israeli soldiers by saying "Lebanon must burn... For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, 1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep". In response, Iran...