Israel’s military has struck at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, days after a ceasefire deal with reached with Iran.
The Israeli air force said it was targeting the militant group’s underground defence assets in an intense barrage of strikes on Friday morning.
Meanwhile experts are still assessing the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities after Donald Trump claimed they were “obliterated” and his defence secretary said they were “destroyed” in US attacks on the weekend.
It comes after Iran’s increasingly isolated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned in his first televised appearance since the US bombed Tehran’s nuclear facilities that Iran would not hesitate to bomb more US air bases in the Middle East if provoked.
Earlier, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Iran’s nuclear facilities have been decimated in a complex operation, while railing against the media for reporting on a leaked Defence Intelligence Agency assessment that found that Donald Trump's airstrikes had only set back the country's nuclear program by a matter of a few months.
Key points
- Israel's air force strike at Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
- Experts working to find answers to two key questions about Iran's nuclear programme
- How Israel pulled off audacious ‘Red Wedding’ and ‘Operation Narnia’ attacks on Iran
- Iran's ayatollah says US 'gained no achievement'
- Iran denies any meeting with US next week, foreign minister says
One killed, 11 wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon
14:09 , Rachel Clun, APThe Israeli military carried out intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Friday, with two waves of strikes hitting mountains overlooking a city.
Israel’s military said the operation was targeting underground assets of militant Hezbollah group.
Shortly afterward, another strike hit an apartment building in the nearby city of Nabatieh, killing one woman, wounding 11 and knocking out the building's top floor, according to Lebanon's state news agency.
It was not immediately clear if that strike targeted anyone in the building.
Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on southern Lebanon. Friday's strikes were more intense than usual.
There was no comment from Hezbollah.
Netanyahu says opportunity to expand peace agreements 'should not be wasted'
13:41 , Rachel ClunBenjamin Netanyahu has celebrated Israel’s operation against Iran, saying there was now an opportunity to expand peace agreements.
“We fought fiercely against Iran - and achieved a great victory. This victory opens an opportunity for a dramatic expansion of peace agreements. We are working on this vigorously,” he said on X.
“Alongside the release of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity here that must not be missed. Not a single day should be wasted.”
אנחנו נלחמנו בעוז נגד איראן - והשגנו ניצחון גדול. הניצחון הזה פותח הזדמנות להרחבה דרמטית של הסכמי השלום. אנחנו עובדים על כך במרץ.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 26, 2025
לצד שחרור חטופינו והכרעת החמאס, יש פה חלון הזדמנויות שאסור להחמיץ אותו. אסור לבזבז אפילו יום אחד. pic.twitter.com/3GBYA2twJI
Watch: Rare looks at how the Bunker Buster bombs dropped on Iran work
13:11 , Rachel ClunAnalysis: Donald Trump sends U.S. military to war against the media over Iran strike doubts
12:40 , Rachel ClunThe US military’s latest operation — convincing the American media that its mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability was a success — is proving to be a challenging one, writes Richard Hall.
Donald Trump sends the U.S. military to war against the media over Iran strike doubts
In pictures: cleanup continues in Tehran after Israeli strikes
12:09 , Rachel Clun
UN nuclear watchdog says damage to Iranian nuclear site ‘very considerable’
12:09 , Rachel ClunThe head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility was ‘very considerable’, and the key centrifuges required to enrich uranium would have been seriously damaged.
IAEA director Rafael Grossi has previously said Iran had informed the orgaisation that it planned to move its enriched uranium from its nuclear sites ahead of an expected attack.
Even if Iran did move its uranium, Mr Grossi told Radio France International that the damage done to the Fordow site "is very, very, very considerable".
Among other things, he said, centrifuges are "quite precise machines" and it's "not possible" that the concussion from multiple 30,000-pound bombs would not have caused "important physical damage".
"These centrifuges are no longer operational," he said.
Mr Araghchi himself acknowledged that "the level of damage is high, and it's serious damage".
He added that Iran had not yet decided upon whether to allow IAEA inspectors in to assess the damage, but that they would be kept out "for the time being".
Nearly one in two Americans believe Iran will ‘likely’ attack inside US
11:52 , Rachel ClunAlmost half of American voters believe a potential Iranian attack on US soil is now likely, following the US bombing of the Islamic regime’s nuclear facilities.
New polling conducted for Axios of 1,227 US adults found that two-thirds worried the conflict could escalate into a broader war, despite the ceasefire, while 46 per cent thought “some sort” of Iranian attack on US soil was likely.
Despite those concerns, more than one in two (56 per cent) agreed with the sentiment that the use of military force against Iran was justified to stop it developing nuclear weapons, and nearly two in three people (62 per cent) said the strikes would have been worth it if Iran decides to stop enriching uranium.
Watch: White House goes scorched earth on CNN over Iran strikes report
11:37 , Rachel ClunHow Israel pulled off audacious ‘Red Wedding’ and ‘Operation Narnia’ attacks on Iran
11:23 , Rachel ClunIsrael’s attacks on Iran to kill key military leaders and hobble the country’s nuclear programme were decades in the making, according to a new report.
On 13 June, Israel launched a direct assault on Iran claiming the Islamic state was “approaching the point of no return” in developing a nuclear weapon.
The attacks required elaborate tricks, according to 18 current and former Israeli and US security forces who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, and some of the plans dated back to the mid-1990s.
One operation, dubbed “Red Wedding” after the infamous Game of Thrones massacre that killed several of the show’s heroes in brutal fashion, left Iran’s top military commanders dead in the hours after Israel’s attack on Iran began.
Another plot, called “Operation Narnia” because it was seen to be so fantastical, involved killing nine top Iranian nuclear scientists at their homes in Tehran almost simultaneously - a plan that was successfully carried out.
Read the full report here:
How Israel pulled off audacious ‘Red Wedding’ and ‘Operation Narnia’ attacks on Iran
Your Middle East questions answered – from Trump’s fragile ceasefire to what Israelis think of Netanyahu
11:08 , Rachel ClunWorld affairs editor Sam Kiley answers your questions about Israel, Iran, Trump and Netanyahu:
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Trump, Netanyahu, and the Middle East: Sam Kiley answers your questions
Israel's air force strike mountains neat city in southern Lebanon
10:48 , Rachel Clun, APThe Israeli air force hit mountains overlooking a southern Lebanese city with a barrage of airstrikes on Friday morning.
Israel’s military said the attack targeted underground assets of the militant Hezbollah group.
The airstrikes came in two waves on the mountains overlooking Nabatiyeh and bunker buster bombs were used, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported. There was no immediate information about casualties.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its fighter jets struck a site used by Hezbollah to manage its fire and defense array in the area and is part of a significant underground project that was completely taken out of use.
There was no comment from Hezbollah.
In pictures: Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Friday
10:36 , Rachel Clun
White House discussing helping Iran get funds for civilian nuclear program - reports
10:06 , Rachel ClunThe Trump administration has discussed helping Iran get access to up to $30 billion (£21.8 billion) in investments in a civilian nuclear programme, according to new reports.
The money would not come from the US but the administration would lead the talks, one of four sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
“The US is willing to lead these talks” with Iran, the official told CNN. “And someone is going to need to pay for the nuclear program to be built, but we will not make that commitment.”
The White House is also looking at potentially lifting some sanctions on Iran, allowing the regime to access $6 billion of its funds that has been sitting in foreign bank accounts.
Following the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Donald Trump said he would resume talks with Tehran next week. However, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state television that there was no current plan to meet.
Watch: Iran will strike back if US hits again says Supreme Leader in first remarks since ceasefire
09:38 , Rachel Clun‘You cheer against Trump so hard’: Hegseth scolds Iran nuclear strike reporting
09:10 , Andrew FeinbergWhite House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed into the Pentagon press corps Thursday morning, accusing reporters of deliberately trying to cast doubt on the success of last weekend’s U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites in aid of what he painted as an underlying vendetta against President Donald Trump.
“You cheer against Trump so hard, it's like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump,” he scolded in an early morning briefing scheduled after Trump himself raged for the better part of 24 hours — including publicly at a NATO summit in the Netherlands — about a CNN report on leaked early assessments of the damage caused by Saturday’s B-2 bomber strikes against Iran.
He also accused the press of missing “historic moments” while trying to “find wedges and spin stories” before claiming the airstrikes aimed at Iran’s Esfahan, Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites on Saturday had been “the most complex and secretive military operation in history” and “a resounding success.”
Read the full report here:
Hegseth scolds Iran nuclear strike reporting with no proof of ‘devastation’
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatens more attacks on US after week-long disappearance
08:42 , Rachel ClunIran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed victory over Israel and the United States in his first public comments since a ceasefire was announced between the warring countries.
For the ayatollah, the pre-recorded message put out on Thursday may have done little to alleviate concerns about his future. He has been notably absent in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s attack, observers have noted.
Mr Khamenei, 86, has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war 13 June, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and killed several top military commanders and nuclear scientists, including members of their families.
Foreign support Tehran may have expected from China and Russia never materialised. And Iran’s network of militant proxy groups – the “Axis of Resistance” – once wielded significant power across the Middle East. But now, those groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, are in disarray, having been badly damaged since the Hamas October 7 2023 attack on Israel.
Read the full report here:
Iran’s supreme leader threatens more attacks on US after week-long absence
Experts working to find answers to two key questions about Iran's nuclear programme
08:16 , Rachel ClunExperts are still assessing the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities after Donald Trump claimed they were “obliterated” and his defence secretary said they were “destroyed” in US attacks on the weekend.
A preliminary report issued by the US Defence Intelligence Agency said the strikes did significant damage to the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites, but did not totally destroy the facilities.
On Thursday, defence secretary Pete Hegseth railed against media reporting of that leaked analysis, saying numerous officials and expert bodies said the sites had been wiped out.
But officials and experts are still working to find answers to two major questions: where Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is and what is the state of the centrifuges that enrich the fuel.
The answer to the first is not clear, but the UN’s nuclear watchgod believes significant damage was done to centrifuges at the two enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordo.
The International Atomic Energy Agency - and the world - want to know the state of both the uranium and centrifuges because if Iran chooses to make a nuclear weapon, then making the fuel required would be just a short, technical step away.
Macron says Trump pushing for Gaza ceasefire
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarFrench president Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump is pushing hard for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“On Gaza, I felt that President Trump was very determined, very resolute, aware of the importance of a ceasefire, and I think his commitment is essential on this issue,” he told reporters in Brussels following a summit of European Union leaders.
“I know that his team is engaged in ongoing discussions.”
He added that the US strikes had a real impact on Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo nuclear facilities in Iran.
“But the worst thing would be if this led to Iran withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty, which would ultimately result in a collective drift and weakening.”
In pics: Protesters rally outside the JFK Federal Building
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli strike kills 18 Palestinians in central Gaza
06:54 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAn Israeli strike hit a street in central Gaza where witnesses said a crowd of people was getting bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. Hospital officials said 18 people were killed.
The strike was the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food to Gaza's population, which has been thrown into turmoil over the past month. After blocking all food for almost three months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May.
Efforts by the UN to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys.
The strike in the central town of Deir al-Balah yesterday appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices.
The unit is part of Gaza's Hamas-led interior ministry, but includes members of other factions.
1,190 killed in Iran
06:16 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAt least 1,190 Iranians have been killed in Israel's 12-day-long offensive on Iran, according to a Washington-based human rights group.
The war between Israel and Iran left about 4,475 others wounded, HRANA said, according to Iranian media.
Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be scrapped
05:26 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarDonald Trump vowed to “save” Benjamin Netanyahu as he hit out at the Israeli prime minister’s “witch-hunt” corruption trial.
Trump claimed Israel’s prime minister was a “great hero” and “warrior” who faced politically motivated charges and called for the trial to be cancelled.
The president’s intervention comes as Netanyahu’s cross-examination, which began on 4 June, is set to resume on Monday. He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and denies all of them.
More here.
Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be scrapped branding it a ‘witch-hunt’
US ropes in Pakistan to promote peace between Israel and Iran
05:01 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS secretary of state Marco Rubio and Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed promoting "a durable peace between Israel and Iran" during a call yesterday.
"The two leaders acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran," the US state department said in a statement. "Secretary Rubio emphasised Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon."
President Donald Trump, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire between US ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on 13 June when Israel attacked Iran.
Mr Trump met Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last week where they discussed Iran, which Mr Trump said Pakistan knew about better than most other countries.
A section of Pakistan's embassy in Washington represents Iran's interests in the US, as Tehran does not have diplomatic relations with the US.
Iran's ayatollah says US 'gained no achievement'
04:38 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has claimed that the US "gained no achievement" after it attacked three Iranian nuclear sites.
Instead, the US entered the war to "save" Israel after Tehran's missiles broke through Israel's multi-layered defence system, the supreme leader said as he claimed victory in the 12-day war.
"The US directly entered the war as it felt that if it did not get involved, the Zionist regime (Israel) would be fully destroyed. It entered the war to save it," he said.
"The US attacked our nuclear facilities, but couldn't do any important deed... The US president did abnormal showmanship and needed to do so," he added.
Donald Trump said over the weekend that the US deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme.
However, this appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment from one of his administration's intelligence agencies.
Iranian asylum-seekers arrested in Los Angeles
04:12 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPastor Ara Torosian received a distressed phone call from two Iranian members of his Farsi-speaking church on Tuesday – US federal immigration officers were at their Los Angeles home to arrest them.
It was the second such call he received this week.On Monday, an Iranian couple with a three-year-old was detained at a routine immigration appointment, Torosian said.
Both families were recently arrived asylum seekers who had entered the United States at the US-Mexico border after making an appointment, he said.
The appointment system, known as CBP One, was launched by former US president Joe Biden to promote orderly border crossings. President Donald Trump ended the program when he took office, as part of his aggressive crackdown on immigration.
Torosian said when he arrived at the couple's home on Tuesday he saw an army of federal law enforcement officers and began filming on his cell phone as officers stopped him from getting close to his church members.
As officers restrained the woman being detained she started to have a panic attack and began convulsing on the floor, he said.
Damaged unit of Iran's South Pars refinery back operating - report
04:11 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA damaged unit of the South Pars refinery's Phase 14, which was hit by Israel in its first strike on Iran's oil and gas sector, has returned to operation, the Iranian state-run agency Nour News reported.
South Pars, the world's biggest gas field, is located offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province and is responsible for the lion's share of the country's gas production.
Iran is the world's third-largest gas producer after the United States and Russia.
Gas production was not halted and the damaged unit was repaired in about 10 days, the agency added.
Recap: Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes after classified briefing
03:00 , Alex RossEarlier on Thursday, US senators emerged with sharply different assessments of the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism.
CIA director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefings, originally scheduled for Tuesday.
Many Republicans left satisfied, though their assessments of how much Iran's nuclear program was set back by the bombing varied.
Sen Tom Cotton said a "major blow" and "catastrophic damage" had been dealt.
"Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There's no reason to hit those sites anytime soon," Sen Lindsey Graham said.
The 3 lingering questions Trump and Hegseth must answer
02:00 , Richard HallHere, we take a look at the questions both US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump must answer over the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The 3 lingering questions Trump and Hegseth must answer about Iran nuke strikes
Watch: White House explains how the Bunker Buster bombs dropped on Iran work
Thursday 26 June 2025 23:59 , Alexander ButlerWhat do the markets know about the Israel-Iran conflict that we don’t?
Thursday 26 June 2025 23:00 , Alexander Butler
What do the markets know about the Israel-Iran conflict that we don’t?
Trump may have just compromised Israeli secrets – again
Thursday 26 June 2025 22:00 , Alexander Butler
Bombs ‘went exactly where they were intended to go’, General says
Thursday 26 June 2025 21:00 , Alexander ButlerUS chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine said the bunker-buster bombs “went exactly where they were intended to go”.
“Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater, because they're designed to deeply bury and then function. I know there's been a lot of questions about that all six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go,” he said.
Iran denies any meeting with US next week, foreign minister says
Thursday 26 June 2025 20:49 , Alex RossIran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump's statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the U.S. attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear programme is solely geared toward civilian use.
Mr Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites were “not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear programme, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
Analysis: What Trump’s f-bomb rage really says about his relationship with Netanyahu
Thursday 26 June 2025 20:00 , Alexander Butler
What Trump’s f-bomb rage really says about his relationship with Netanyahu
