Here's the latest
• US negotiators head to talks: Envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Switzerland, a US official said, as Washington and Tehran work to get technical talks back on track after a postponement. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is also expected to join. Negotiators face a 60-day deadline to reach a final deal.
• Fresh Israeli strikes: At least five people were killed by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon this morning, in another test of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that was renewed just yesterday after the conflict jeopardized US-Iran negotiations.
• US-Israel ties: Trump affirmed his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday before the latest strikes, even as Israel’s offensive in Lebanon stokes tensions and impacts US-Iran negotiations. “I’ve always been good with Bibi,” he told NBC. “You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head.”
Lebanon's army condemns fresh Israeli strikes as renewed fighting strains truce
Renewed Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon are aimed at obstructing efforts to restore stability in the country, Lebanon’s army said Saturday.
The strikes, as well as what an Israeli official said were multiple efforts by Hezbollah to target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon overnight, have quickly undermined a ceasefire that only came into effect late Friday.
The Israeli strikes killed five people around the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, according to the official news agency NNA, and the army said a soldier was along the victims.
“It has become clear that the continuation of Israel’s brutal aggression is aimed at derailing any solution that allows for the restoration of stability in Lebanon,” the army said.
An Israeli military official said Saturday that the strikes came after Hezbollah “launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Following the attacks, the IDF has been striking Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon.”
A shaky truce: Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire yesterday after fighting jeopardized the truce between the US and Iran.
Under their memorandum of understanding, fighting is supposed to cease on all fronts - including Lebanon. While it does not explicitly mention Israel or Hezbollah, in practice this means their respective US and Iranian allies are supposed to rein them in.
Pakistan's interior minister arrives in Iran for talks with senior officials
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in the Iranian city of Mashhad, where he is due to hold meetings with senior officials from the Iranian regime, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Naqvi is set to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The visit is part of Islamabad’s ongoing efforts regarding Iranian-US negotiations, Tasnim reported.
For context: Pakistan has played a key mediating role in the talks, which resulted in the warring sides signing an initial peace framework.
Strait of Hormuz traffic remains below pre-war levels
With the Strait of Hormuz officially open to commercial shipping traffic following the US-Iran agreement signed on June 17, the complex question of how long it will take de-mine the crucial waterway remains.
Thursday saw the highest number of vessels traversing the strait since April, according to marine intelligence firm AXSMarine. At least 12 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, including 5 tankers and 7 cargo ships, data from Marine Traffic showed.
While traffic in the strait appears to be rebounding, it is still far below pre-war levels which saw an average of 110 vessels crossing the strait daily.
Iran will be tasked with neutralizing mines and clearing obstacles, as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding with the US, but experts warn the task requires painstaking precision and it could take weeks for sailing to normalize.
Iran has warned the owners and captains of all ships intending to transit the strait that they must receive a permit and insurance before being allowed to enter the vital waterway in order to ensure the “safe passage of commercial vessels.”
Tehran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said ships must “strictly adhere” to a fixed route near Larak Island in the waterway. The vessel’s owner and master will assume full responsibility for any resultant damage, the PGSA said.
Iran alerted several ships stating that they do not have permission to transit overnight, according to a situational update from the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO).
It is expected that a “mine danger area” will be issued as a navigational warning available upon request from the US, INTERTANKO said.
The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz was downgraded to ‘moderate’ by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Thursday.
CNN’s Avery Schmidtz, Rupert Neate and Adam Pourahmadi contributed reporting.
Why China is counting its wins from the war
When US and Israeli bombs first began falling on Iran at the end of February, China’s leaders were staring at the very real possibility of another friendly regime being decapitated, much like had happened with Venezuela only weeks before.
The view is quite different nearly four months later: the United States and Iran have reached an interim agreement after weeks of peace talks, but the regime in Tehran remains in place and the war is widely seen to have exposed the limits of American power.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s own diplomatic clout has appeared to rise – as it’s hosted a parade of foreign leaders and cast itself as a proponent of peace, even earning repeated praise from US President Donald Trump for its response to the war.
The world’s second-largest economy has also weathered the historic energy crunch triggered by the conflict better than many of its neighbors – in particular due to its copious strategic oil reserves and embrace of green tech and electric vehicles.
Deadly Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon despite renewed ceasefire, state media reports
Israeli strikes hit several towns in southern Lebanon on Saturday morning local time, killing at least five people, Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported, despite Israel and Hezbollah renewing their truce Friday.
Strikes and artillery fire were reported across Nabatieh district, destroying homes and residential buildings, according to NNA.
Three people were killed after Israeli jets struck the town of Arab Salim at around 6:30 a.m. local time, NNA reported. One person was killed in a strike on the town of Deir al-Zahrani and another killed when a drone struck a motorcycle in the town of al-Dweir at around 7:30 a.m., the news agency reported.
A source told CNN that Israel and Hezbollah’s new ceasefire was expected to begin at 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) on Friday.
The latest truce agreement was reached after the two sides traded deadly fire on Friday, imperiling negotiations to reach a final peace deal between the United States and Iran. The Israeli military killed at least 47 people in Lebanon on Friday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, making it the second deadliest day since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah flared in early March.
Israel and Lebanon are expected to participate in another round of diplomatic meetings in Washington next week.
Where do US-Iran talks stand?
Washington and Tehran are working to get technical talks back on track after a postponement that saw US Vice President JD Vance scrap his trip to Switzerland for negotiations.
Those talks were set to begin Friday, but were abruptly postponed after a flare up in deadly attacks between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The combatants have now renewed their fragile truce, which has repeatedly threatened US-Iran negotiations.
Israel has come under increasing criticism from its strongest ally, with Vance and President Donald Trump slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offensive in Lebanon during peace talks.
Most recently, however, Trump said his relationship with Netanyahu was steadfast. “I’ve always been good with Bibi,” he told NBC Friday. “You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head.”
Special envoy Steve Witkoff is now traveling to Switzerland, a US official said, with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also expected to join. Witkoff and Kushner previously led negotiations with Iran to reach the initial memorandum of understanding.
When exactly talks will resume remains unclear, but they will likely be held at the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock. On Friday, the Swiss foreign ministry said “the relevant preparatory work at Bürgenstock is continuing.”
Negotiators face a 60-day deadline to reach a final deal.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Aditi Sangal, Alejandra Jaramillo, Mustafa Qadri, Adam Pourahmadi and Ross Adkin contributed reporting.
Israeli front pages spotlight Vance comments
Vice President JD Vance made front pages across Israel after saying “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.” CNN’s Oren Liebermann reports.
Vice President JD Vance made front pages across Israel after saying "Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time." The comments provoked reaction from politicians in both the U.S. and Israel about the relationship between the two nations and how leaders around the world have viewed Israel.
What key parties are saying about the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire renewal
A renewed truce was reached between Israel and Hezbollah after the two sides traded deadly fire, potentially imperiling negotiations to reach a final peace deal between the United States and Iran.
The Israeli military killed at least 47 people in strikes across southern Lebanon on Friday, in the second deadliest day since hostilities flared in early March. The strikes came after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack.
Israel and Lebanon are expected to participate in another round of diplomatic meetings in Washington next week.
Here’s a look at what each party is saying so far:
- Israel: Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said Israel will continue operating in southern Lebanon, and accused Hezbollah of launching hundreds of explosive drones and rockets at Israeli civilians and soldiers. But ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said Israel remains “firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if “Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases its hostilities.”
- Hezbollah: Officials from the Iran-backed militant group cast doubt on the utility of a renewed ceasefire, but tentatively agreed to avoid further conflict. “We will abide by the ceasefire if Israel abides by it, and we have the right to respond,” Hezbollah parliamentary member Ibrahim al-Moussawi said in a statement to Qatar-based Al-Araby TV.
- Lebanon: President Joseph Aoun underscored the need for a “comprehensive ceasefire” to end all Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s territory in a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his office said.
- US President Donald Trump: Trump told NBC News he spoke with Israel and encouraged them to agree to a ceasefire, but declined to say whether he had talked directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has voiced confidence in his ability to prevent further Israeli attacks, saying in an interview with Axios before the ceasefire announcement that Israel will “do as I say.”
- Iran: Tehran pulled out of planned negotiations with Washington after Israel’s deadly attacks in Lebanon, but talks with mediators sought to reorganize them after the ceasefire.
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi, Mitchell McCluskey, Charbel Mallo, Jennifer Hansler, Mustafa Qadri, Adam Pourahmadi, Oren Liebermann and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed reporting to this post.
