Live
Live Updates
June 18, 2026
The head of Iran's largest petrochemical group said 89 percent of petrochemical units that were knocked offline during the war with the United States have returned to production, the Iranian Students' News Agency reported.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday welcomed the interim peace deal signed by Washington and Iran, saying it would now be involved in technical discussions to implement the agreement.
"It is good that the memorandum is there. Now the technical work starts," Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Geneva. "Now it is for us to sit down with our American and Iranian colleagues and start formulating concrete steps that will have to be taken."
Israel is holding negotiations with the U.S. as it seeks to continue its deployment of troops in southern Lebanon, two Israeli officials including a senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Reuters on Thursday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, made the comments a day after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim pact that calls for parties to ensure "the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon."
Israel expanded its invasion of southern Lebanon after the Lebanese militia Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2 in support of its ally Iran. It has since staged a devastating air and ground campaign that it says aims at rooting out Hezbollah.
Israel describes the territory it has seized in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria as "buffer zones" between it and its enemies, a core facet of Israel's recent security policy. Netanyahu has rejected calls for Israel to withdraw from those territories.
The senior Israeli official told Reuters that Israel was "conducting stubborn negotiations" with Washington over continuing its deployment of troops in southern Lebanon.
The official said Israel would not back down on its positions, including keeping troops deployed in the area south of Lebanon's Litani River.
A second Israeli official told Reuters that the outcome of the talks would ultimately depend on whether U.S. President Donald Trump "decides to force the issue" by threatening repercussions if Israel does not abide by the interim Iran pact's terms.
Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he intends to develop the Israeli settlement of Gevaot in the West Bank into a city.
According to the minister, a plan to build some 800 homes has already been approved for the development, and he intends to advance thousands of additional housing units to turn the community into a city.
Gevaot is located in the western Gush Etzion settlement bloc, near the Alon Shvut settlement.
Here are Thursday's latest updates:
■ Master Sergeant (Res.) Alexander Filin, 29, was killed in an explosion caused by an explosive device in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the IDF announced.
■ One person was killed and another person wounded in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the town of Kfar Tebnit, near the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, Lebanese reports said.
■ Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural land in the village of Beit Amrin near the West Bank's Nablus, Palestinian reports said.
■ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children.
■ U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war between the two countries.
■ Initial talks between the United States and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a cease-fire agreement between Tehran and Washington, the Swiss government said.
■ The most important issue in imminent nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is how Iran's nuclear program will be policed, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said.
One person was killed and another person wounded in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the town of Kfar Tebnit, near the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, Lebanese reports said.
Lebanon's National News Agency also reported that artillery fire had been directed at Kfar Tebnit.
According to reporting from Qatari channel Al Araby, Israel has significantly decreased its volume of strikes in the country ahead of the implementation of the U.S.-Iran deal, though it is continuing military operations, focused mainly in the Nabatieh Governorate and the Ali al-Tahar Ridge, where Israel seized Beaufort Castle.
Initial talks between the United States and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a cease-fire agreement between Tehran and Washington, the Swiss government said on Thursday.
"As things stand, the plan is still for the U.S. and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other involved countries, to meet tomorrow at Buergenstock for initial negotiations about implementing the agreement.
"No further information is currently available regarding the schedule and details of this meeting," the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli military says that Master Sergeant (Res.) Alexander Filin, 29, was killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
According to the IDF, Filin was from Haifa and was a combat soldier in the 36th Division command post.
In the same incident, seven additional soldiers were also wounded.
All the injured soldiers were evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified, the army said.
Read the full articleUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children.
The world body's annual report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded 38,558 "grave violations" globally in 2025, affecting 24,174 children, the latter figure a record since CAAC's mandate began in 1996.
The data showed 14,224 children killed or maimed, with a 34% rise over 2024 in the number killed to 6,266. It said the United Nations had verified the killing of 2,668 Palestinian children in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank.
Israel itself already features in the report's so-called list of shame annexes for alleged violations, but the latest version for the first time highlights settlers as a potential future listing.
"I am appalled by the magnitude of grave violations against children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, notably by the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas," Guterres said in the report.
"I am deeply alarmed at the staggering rise in attacks carried out by Israeli settlers resulting in grave violations against Palestinian children," Guterres added.
He said Israeli settler groups should be listed if the high number of violations is repeated in 2026.
The report said 9,465 grave violations were attributed to Israeli forces and 326 to Israeli settlers.
It defines grave violations as including the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Israel's UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war between the two countries.
The memo had been signed digitally on Sunday by Vice President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and witnessed by Trump, the official said.
The White House said Trump signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the war in Iran while at Versailles.
Le Président Trump a signé ce soir à Versailles l’accord entre l’Iran et les États-Unis. Trump himself told reporters that he has signed the memorandum. "It's signed," Trump said "I signed it in Versailles. Just signed it." Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said both leaders had signed the agreement and endorsed him as a mediator. Investments in new pipelines and energy products will be a key feature in the new regional order. While Iran has turned toward China for support and to deepen ties, Beijing views Iran as a chaotic regime that doesn’t offer a return on investment. OutFront Kalamazoo, which put on the festival, posted saying the organization had heard from "many community members who were hurt, distressed, or angered by the presence of Israeli flags." Histadrut HaMaof, a branch of Israel's national labor federation, demanded that the government halt the move and hold talks with workers’ representatives before any funding is cut.Cet accord ouvre la voie à une paix durable et permet la réouverture du détroit d’Ormuz.C’est un pas important dans la bonne direction pour nos compatriotesShow moreIn the News
High Court Hears Petitions on Election of Netanyahu's Lawyer to State Watchdog
Israeli Reservist Killed in Explosion in Southern Lebanon, IDF Says
Citing Clan Feud, IDF Besieges West Bank Town, Blocks PA From Entering
Trump Wants a New Contractor in the War on Hezbollah. Syria Doesn't Want the Job
Israel Holding 'Stubborn Talks' With U.S. on Lebanon Pullback, Top Official Says
Remembering and rebuilding two years later
ICYMI
Humiliated by Trump on the Iran Front, Netanyahu May Set the Middle East Ablaze
'Once-in-a-lifetime Discovery': 1,700-year-old Roman Busts Found in Israel
Trump and Netanyahu Hurtling Toward a Rupture That Could Shock U.S.-Israel Ties
Why Does the Jewish State Keep Deporting Diaspora Jews?
Fork Found in Kitchen: Israelis Have Discovered the Occupation
The Fake Gaza Charity Linked to the Anti-left Disinformation Campaign in France
Original Source
HaaretzRelated Articles
🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs PalestineThe Jerusalem PostMiddle East reroutes its energy networks as region navigates shifting sands - analysis
hace 40 minutos•3 min🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs PalestineThe Jerusalem PostThe US-Iran MoU is a product of Tehran's survival-first strategy - analysis
hace 44 minutos•6 min🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs PalestineThe Jerusalem PostIsraeli flag condemned as 'harmful' at Michigan pride event sparks fierce antisemitism debate
hace alrededor de 1 hora•4 min🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs PalestineThe Jerusalem PostLGBTQ defunding risks layoffs and service cuts, labor union warns MK Golan
hace alrededor de 2 horas•4 min