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The groundwork for starting negotiations for a final agreement was discussed. It was decided that technical teams will continue working on the issues necessary for the effective implementation of this agreement.

At this stage, the work of the negotiation delegation has ended, but technical teams will resume their work tomorrow. A text will be provided by the two mediators, Qatar and Pakistan, and will include the key points I mentioned. It will be presented as a document of the understandings reached over 18 hours of negotiations.

In addition to this document, the three points I mentioned earlier are important, including permission for Iran’s oil sales and the release of Iran’s frozen assets. These must take place so that, under item 13, we can begin negotiations for a final agreement.

⚪️ @Alsaa_plus_EN

The poll, conducted between 17 and 20 June among 3,644 respondents, found that 93.1% of voters aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc shared the same view.

Additionally, 82.9% said the six-week campaign against Iran weakened Israel's long-term security, while 86% expressed a negative view of both the war's outcome and the US-Iran deal.

The survey pointed to a broader crisis of confidence in Israel's leadership.

According to the findings, 87.8% of respondents said Israel either failed to achieve its stated objectives or achieved them only partially, while 72.5% said they do not believe Netanyahu's claim that Israel secured significant gains and eliminated an existential threat.

Netanyahu's handling of the war was rated as "failed" or "poor" by 56.4% of respondents, compared with 26.5% who rated it "good" or "excellent" and 17.1% who described it as "fair." Support for Netanyahu as prime minister dropped from 40.5% in March to 29.4% in June.

The poll also found growing dissatisfaction with US President Donald Trump's handling of the war and its aftermath, with 69.1% rating his performance as "failed" or "poor" and only 10.8% viewing it positively.

Despite this, 48.2% of respondents said Israel should renew major military action against Hezbollah, including strikes on Beirut, even at the risk of a confrontation with Trump, while 20.9% opposed such action and 30.9% remained undecided.

Just 12.2% of respondents said Israel had achieved most of the goals associated with Netanyahu's "total victory" doctrine, including defeating Hamas, freeing captives, and removing the Hezbollah threat, while 61.3% said those goals had not been achieved at all and 26.5% said they had been achieved only in part.

An Iranian negotiating source said the first round of four-way talks in Switzerland, involving Iran, the United States, Qatar, and Pakistan, concluded after about 80 minutes and was temporarily suspended for internal consultations.

The talks, held at the Bürgenstock Hotel under the “Lake Lucerne Meeting,” brought together the participating delegations, with Qatar and Pakistan acting as mediators.

No further details were disclosed regarding the discussions.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to strike Iran if it did not stop Hezbollah from "causing trouble," as peace talks between senior US and Iranian officials began in Switzerland.

The negotiations opened against a backdrop of clashes in recent days between the Israeli army and Hezbollah -- a Tehran ally -- in southern Lebanon, threatening to derail the preliminary peace deal between Tehran and Washington.

"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!"

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 people on Saturday in eastern and southern Lebanon, before a lull in the fighting that evening, when the Israeli army was ordered to halt clashes with Hezbollah.

The memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday between the United States and Iran stipulates a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

At the outset of the talks in Switzerland on Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance said he had seen "great progress in the last just couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire holds in Lebanon."

"We're all working towards regional peace," he said. "I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There's still some additional wood to chop but we're going to keep on working at it."

Vance asserted that Trump and the United States had done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any other country in recent months.

Hezbollah flags (image from archive).

Hezbollah issued on Sunday a statement to highlight the fruitlessness of the direct negotiations between the Lebanese authorities and the Israeli enemy in Washington, condemning all the approach and its outcomes.

The statement stressed that the continued participation in direct negotiation sessions to be the implementation of the daily directives issued by the U.S. administration to the Lebanese authorities.

What follows is the text of the statement:

It has become clear and certain that the rounds of direct negotiations to which the Lebanese authority’s delegation was led in Washington amounted to nothing more than nodding in approval and endorsing the dictates drafted by the U.S. administration—dictates that undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and shift its political position toward the camp of those reconciled with the Zionist occupation and its illegitimate entity.

No good whatsoever can be expected from these conciliatory negotiations, because their premise is flawed and suspicious, and their objective is submission and surrender.

We in Hezbollah once again condemn the approach of direct negotiations with the Zionist enemy, its successive rounds, and the outcomes resulting from them. We also condemn their obstructive role, which constitutes an obstacle to confronting the enemy’s project, the efforts of the resistance field, and the great sacrifices of our noble people—sacrifices that the authorities could instead utilize and leverage as sources of strength in order to achieve a complete and unconditional withdrawal from our Lebanese territory.

We consider the continued participation in direct negotiation sessions to be the implementation of the daily directives issued by the U.S. administration to the Lebanese authorities. Acting unilaterally and independently in their decision-making, in violation of the National Pact, the Constitution, and the laws, these authorities are responding to the agenda pursued by the United States and “Israel”, thereby increasing the dangers facing Lebanon, its stability, independence, and sovereignty.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

Citing military sources, Walla said Hezbollah is using drones, observation posts, cameras, and advanced technological tools to detect radio activity and other indicators of high-ranking officers' presence before launching attacks. The assessment follows a string of recent incidents involving senior Israeli officers, including the severe wounding of the former commander of the 401st Brigade in a drone strike, the injury of the deputy commander of the 36th Division in a roadside bomb attack, and the killing of the commander of the 52nd Battalion.

An Israeli military probe into the incident that killed the 52nd Battalion commander and three other soldiers suggests Hezbollah may have combined an explosive drone strike with an anti-tank missile or mortar attack, igniting a tank that reportedly burned for hours due to the ammunition stored inside.

The tank has yet to be recovered, and Israeli forces are still investigating the exact sequence of events.

According to Walla, Israeli officials believe Iran continues to supply Hezbollah with drones and advanced intelligence and surveillance technology despite the ongoing war.

The Israeli army will not withdraw from territory occupied in southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday, Anadolu reports.

“The ceasefire announced yesterday leaves the IDF (army) in all positions within the security zone that protects the northern communities,” Katz said in a statement carried by The Times of Israel news portal.

The army “will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” he added.

The statement was made as negotiations between the US and Iran started in Switzerland on Sunday to reach a lasting peace agreement between the two sides.

An interim agreement between Washington and Tehran called for halting all hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Katz claimed that Israeli forces have “no restriction” in Lebanon.

READ: Israeli strikes kill at least 28 in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

“There was and is no restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon from operating to remove threats,” he said.

“As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear, Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” Katz said.

His comments came after a major Israeli escalation in Lebanon on Friday and Saturday, during which the Israeli military launched more than 200 strikes across southern and eastern parts of the country, claiming to target Hezbollah sites. Anadolu correspondents reported that many of the attacks hit homes and civilian infrastructure.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the strikes killed 105 people and injured over 150 others on Friday and Saturday.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed nearly 4,000 people, and injured over 12,000 others since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 war.

READ: Netanyahu: Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon

The report comes despite days of fierce fighting that prevented Israeli occupation forces from fully advancing into the area and left five Israeli soldiers dead. While officials now say the operation's objectives have been achieved, Israel insists it has no intention of withdrawing from southern Lebanon at this stage and says any future pullback would only take place within the framework of US-sponsored talks with Lebanon in Washington.

According to the report, occupation forces have surrounded a fortified underground complex at Ali al-Taher that officials say served as a command center for Hezbollah operations. Israeli troops are positioned at all access points to the site, where dozens of Hezbollah fighters are believed to remain besieged underground. Israel says it will not leave the area until the fighters either surrender or are killed and the infrastructure is destroyed. Hezbollah's Media Relations Office told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Israeli claims of besieging the group's resistance fighters in the Ali al-Taher Heights are "baseless," adding that the reports are intended to boost the morale of Israeli forces after their failure to advance in the area.

Israel Hayom reported that Israel has set three minimum conditions for any withdrawal from southern Lebanon: the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters north of the Litani River, the dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure south of the river, and full Israeli freedom of action to respond to perceived threats. Israeli officials also said they want to maintain a forward security zone inside Lebanese territory and are considering transferring certain areas to the Lebanese Armed Forces as "pilot zones" to test whether the army can prevent Hezbollah's return.

The report comes amid growing concern in Israel that Washington may soon demand a withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Sources close to both the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Hayom that such a request is increasingly likely as tensions deepen between the Trump administration and the Israeli government over Lebanon policy. Netanyahu has reportedly described leaving the security zone as a "red line," while senior Israeli officials acknowledged that relations with Washington have become "definitely challenging" amid mounting US pressure.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat ahead of the fifth round of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington, Berri said he welcomed efforts that led to the recent ceasefire and expressed hope that it would hold, adding that this depends on Israel's commitment to the agreement in return for Hezbollah's adherence to it.

He said Israel requested the ceasefire through the international mechanism overseeing the cessation of hostilities and agreed to it only after coming under intense US pressure following two days of deadly attacks on southern Lebanon.

Berri said Hezbollah remains committed to the ceasefire while Israel continues to violate it. He rejected proposals to divide southern Lebanon into "pilot zones," arguing that negotiations over their geographic boundaries could take years and allow Israel to prolong its presence.

Instead, he called for a phased Israeli withdrawal based on Lebanon's existing administrative districts, with each withdrawal taking place simultaneously with the deployment of Lebanese Army units and the return of residents to their homes.

He added that any Israeli withdrawal from a district must coincide with it becoming free of weapons, stating that he had committed on Hezbollah's behalf to ensuring the area south of the Litani River is cleared of arms, provided Israel adheres to a corresponding withdrawal timetable.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), has published exclusive footage aired for the first time from the heart of the battles in the city of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip. This is part of their visual series titled "Moons of the Flood," which documents the journey of field commanders who were martyred during the "Al-Aqsa Flood" battle.

According to the Palestinian Shehab News Agency on Saturday, the new release focused on documenting the biography of the martyred field commander Imran Nahed Abu Ouda, one of the most prominent commanders of the "Martyr Nidal Nasser Battalion" (Beit Hanoun) of the Northern Brigade.

Abu Ouda is considered one of the commanders who left a clear field mark in managing combat operations in the city, before he was martyred on September 8, 2025, in Beit Hanoun.

The footage published by "Moons of the Flood" showed behind-the-scenes of resistance operations inside Beit Hanoun's tunnels, starting from planning and preparation stages to the execution of well-laid ambushes.

The footage included documentation of the martyred Abu Ouda's sniper skills, showing him in a double sniping operation targeting a group of enemy soldiers positioned behind dirt berms inside the buffer zone east of the city.

The clip also showcased other sniping operations carried out by the martyr, which resulted in the injury of a number of soldiers.

The release revealed a high level of field coordination between commanders and fighters, with the footage showing the martyr Ahmed Suwailam alongside Abu Ouda. This fighter is on the enemy's wanted list for his role in attacks that led to the death and injury of 14 soldiers during ground battles.

The camera documented the fighters moving with high proficiency among the rubble of destroyed buildings, using a network of secret tunnels that the enemy army failed to discover throughout the war, to carry out precise and swift strikes against invading forces, despite intensive sweeping operations that covered most of the city.

These scenes are of particular importance given the strategic location of Beit Hanoun city, north of the Gaza Strip, as it serves as a key junction and an advanced front line adjacent to the 1948 armistice line, close to the "Sderot" settlement and the "Erez" crossing.

Despite the widespread destruction left by the Israeli war, and the city's transformation into what is described as a "yellow zone" under military control, the documented footage confirms the resistance's continued ability to take initiative and engage in close-range clashes.

This release is part of the Al-Qassam Brigades' efforts to document the details of ground battles and convey the experience of field commanders who managed battles that lasted for months in the hottest and most militarily challenging areas of the Strip.

The US administration hopes that Iran will agree to allow UN inspectors' access to its nuclear facilities. In exchange, Washington is prepared to give Tehran access to part of its previously frozen assets, Axios reported.

According to the portal's sources, the US would like Iran to invite UN inspectors to its nuclear sites, which were bombed by the United States and Israel, as part of the outcome of the first round of talks. In return, the US is willing to give Iran access to some of its frozen funds, starting with the $6 bln account in Qatar, the report said. According to Axios, Iran could use these funds to purchase essential goods.

Technical consultations between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Buergenstock, Switzerland, on June 21. Representatives of Pakistan and Qatar will also participate.

US Vice President JD Vance previously said that issues related to Iran's nuclear program and a ceasefire in Lebanon would be among the main topics at the upcoming talks.