Israeli strikes kill 16 in Lebanon after ceasefire

FE Team | Published: June 20, 2026 21:44:46

GENEVA, June 20 (Agencies): Diplomats from several countries were meeting Saturday at a Swiss retreat in a bid to maintain dialogue on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war, said Bern.
The Swiss foreign ministry said diplomats were in discussions at the luxury Burgenstock resort near Lucerne in central Switzerland, without giving further details.
A diplomatic source told AFP the discussions under way on Saturday were preparatory in nature.
Senior-level talks at the hotel complex were initially planned for Friday, but were called off, with the process shrouded in layers of uncertainty, as Israel carried out deadly strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS said technical delegations from the United States and Iran, plus from mediators Qatar and Pakistan, were present at the discussions.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 16 people on Saturday, Lebanese Civil Defence said, hours after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, with Israel saying it was responding to projectiles fired by the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon's National News Agency said Israeli warplanes and drones had hit multiple locations in the south and the Bekaa Valley.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting strikes on what the official said were "Hezbollah targets".
The Israeli military, which has occupied swathes of southern Lebanon, said in a statement that Hezbollah's attacks constituted repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement.
It said it remained committed to the truce in accordance with political directives, and would respond decisively to any attacks on Israeli civilians or troops. Hezbollah also said it remained committed to the ceasefire but would respond to any attempt by Israel to "seize territory or expand its occupation".