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Issued on: 19/06/2026 - 03:34Modified: 19/06/2026 - 14:53
Smoke rises near Beaufort Castle following an Israeli military strike in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, June 19, 2026. ยฉ Leo Correa, AP Israelโs military launched air strikes across southern Lebanon overnight into Friday, killing 21, according to Lebanese health officials, and Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area. Israel said four soldiers had also been killed. The fighting threatened the US-Iran peace deal, which includes a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Iran's Supreme โNational Security Council said โin a statement that the โcountry's Persian โGulf Strait โ Authority will take measures โto issue fast authorisations to โ ships wanting to pass through the โStrait of Hormuz.
- US โPresident Donald โTrump said the US โexpects "a โcomplete ceasefire โ on all โfronts", including Lebanon, Hezbollah, โ and Israel.
- American forces lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports after more than two months of preventing ships from sailing from or to the Islamic republic, the US military said.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
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