Hopes of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah are being tested as fresh Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed at least 16 people, according to Lebanese authorities, less than a day after a truce was announced. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah positions in response to overnight projectile launches, while Pakistan’s interior minister has arrived in Iran as diplomatic efforts continue following the postponement of US-Iran talks that were due to take place in Switzerland. Follow our live blog for the latest developments, key diplomatic moves and updates from across the region as events unfold:06:44 AM, 21 June 2026We are closing this coverage now. For the latest updates, click here.11:50 PM, 20 June 2026Trump threatens US tolls on Hormuz strait if Iran talks failPresident Donald Trump warned Saturday that the United States could impose tolls on the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway if negotiators are unable to complete a deal to end the war in Iran.There will be no tolls "unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs," Trump posted on Truth Social.10:57 PM, 20 June 2026Israel army says soldier killed in south Lebanon fightingThe Israeli military said that one of its soldiers was killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Saturday, marking the fifth such fatality since a US-Iran deal was reached to end the Middle East war.Staff Sergeant Nir Ben Ari "fell in combat" in southern Lebanon, the military said, a day after four other Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.The latest fatality brings the military's death toll to 36 soldiers and one civilian contractor since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel began on March 2.09:24 PM, 20 June 2026US says Hormuz open as 55 ships transitUS Central Command (CENTCOM) said commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased on June 20, as US forces continued operating in the area to support freedom of navigation.In a post on X, CENTCOM said safe passage through the international waterway remained intact, with 55 merchant ships transiting and moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.09:18 PM, 20 June 2026Iran singer, artists sentenced to 74 lashes each over concertAn Iranian court has sentenced prominent singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven fellow artists to 74 lashes each after they livestreamed a performance on YouTube, according to her videographer and local media.The concert featured Ahmadi singing powerful, mournful songs to an empty room, on a dimly lit stage adorned only with a large Persian carpet, set within the grounds of a traditional caravanserai. She was backed by a pianist, drummer, guitarist and bassist, all dressed in black, while Ahmadi wore a long, strappy gown and deep red lipstick.The performance was an act of defiance: in Iran, women are banned from singing in public.Such acts have grown more common since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating the dress code. Her death triggered nationwide protests, and increasing numbers of Iranian women have since appeared in public without the hijab.Iran erupted in nationwide protests once again, peaking in January, before the United States and Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic.08:16 PM, 20 June 2026Iran negotiators leave for Switzerland to discuss US deal: state mediaAn Iranian negotiating team left Iran for Switzerland on Saturday for discussions on the implementation of its agreement with the United States to halt the Mideast war, state media said.The official news agency IRNA reported the delegation's departure, quoting foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei as saying they would "follow up and demand implementation of the other party's commitments" under the deal."The other side must take the necessary measures as soon as possible. Otherwise, the entire understanding will be in trouble," he said.08:02 PM, 20 June 2026Hezbollah says Israel bears 'full responsibility' for truce violationsThe Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Saturday that Israel bore "full responsibility" for violating a ceasefire announced a day earlier, as Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon's south and east. Ongoing Israeli attacks "are no longer just ceasefire agreement violations but represent clear aggression and a continuation of the war in every sense. Accordingly, full responsibility lies with the Israeli occupation", it said in a statement, adding that Israel "has never adhered to ceasefire provisions" including the recent US-Iran deal and Friday's announcement.07:45 PM, 20 June 2026US military 'vigilant' after Iran announces Hormuz closureThe US military said Saturday it remained "present and vigilant" in the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after Iran announced it was closing the critical shipping lane."US forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.CENTCOM, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said 55 commercial vessels had transited the strait on Saturday and that "safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today."Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.07:35 PM, 20 June 2026Israel says Hezbollah 'constantly' violating ceasefireIsrael's foreign ministry accused the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday of violating the ceasefire that Washington had announced a day earlier."Hezbollah continues to constantly violate the ceasefire," ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X, as Israel's forces clashed with Hezbollah fighters and Israeli jets carried out deadly strikes across southern Lebanon.06:40 PM, 20 June 2026Lebanon says Israel-Hezbollah war toll tops 4,000 after 83 killed FridayLebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli attacks since March 2 when the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began had reached 4,057 dead, including 135 health and emergency workers, and 12,121 people wounded.The ministry also raised the toll in Israeli attacks on Friday from 47 to "a final toll of 83 martyrs and 141 wounded", most of them in south Lebanon but also in the country's east. 06:30 PM, 20 June 2026Pakistan says US-Iran technical talks to be held Sunday Pakistan said technical talks to implement the US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war would be held in Switzerland on Sunday."As a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, technical-level talks will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on 21 June," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, adding Pakistani and Qatari mediators would participate in the discussions with US and Iranian representatives. 06:06 PM, 20 June 2026Iran negotiators to go to Switzerland to discuss US deal: foreign ministryAn Iranian negotiating team left Iran for Switzerland on Saturday for discussions on the implementation of the agreement signed between it and the United States to halt the Mideast war, state media reported."Iranian negotiators have left for Switzerland," state news agency IRNA reported, after quoting foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei as warning that the deal was "in trouble".05:59 PM, 20 June 2026Diplomats hold US-Iran preparatory discussions at Swiss retreatDiplomats 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.05:22 PM, 20 June 2026 Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will be closedIran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced it would immediately close the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, citing Washington's failure to comply with the terms of a memorandum of understanding and the continuation of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon."The Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic," the headquarters said in a statement carried by state TV. "This first step is a response to the enemy's breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations."The announcement, reported by Iran's Tasnim news agency, came as Israeli strikes continued in parts of southern Lebanon.03:49 PM, 20 June 2026Iraq expects pre-war oil output within two monthsIraqi authorities predict oil production will return to peacetime levels "within one to two months", state media reported, after the Middle East war caused exports to plummet.The war and Iran's ensuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz choked off shipments and prompted production cuts in key oil-producing countries including Iraq, shaking world energy markets.But a deal agreed this week between Washington and Tehran to end the fighting has offered some relief, despite follow-up negotiations having stalled.The spokesman for Iraq's oil ministry, Salim Farhoud, told the state-run Iraq News Agency (INA) late Friday that "we can return within one to two months to the previous production levels".03:35 PM, 20 June 2026Hezbollah says confronted Israeli forces' 'infiltration attempt' in southHezbollah on Saturday said its fighters confronted overnight Israeli forces as they tried to infiltrate towards strategic hills that overlook the southern city of Nabatieh."Again, under the cover of the ceasefire, the enemy last night carried out an infiltration attempt towards the Ali Taher hills," the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding that fighters ambushed the Israeli troops and "confronted them with appropriate weapons".Hezbollah "declares that while it is committed to the ceasefire, it will not be lenient in confronting any enemy attempt.... to expand its occupation," the statement added.03:29 PM, 20 June 2026Elite Iran university expels students over alleged protest rolesIran's top engineering university has expelled six students over their alleged involvement in anti-government protests earlier this year, local media reported.What began in December as cost-of-living protests escalated into anti-establishment demonstrations across the country that peaked in January, though smaller rallies continued on campuses in the weeks that followed."The Disciplinary Committee of Sharif University of Technology, in separate preliminary rulings, expelled six students for their alleged roles in the unrest of February," Fars news agency reported.According to Fars, the students were accused of leading illegal gatherings, using insulting language, engaging in activities against the Islamic republic and committing other disciplinary violations.03:26 PM, 20 June 2026French police detain 20 at banned Iran opposition rallyFrench police arrested around 20 people in Paris on Saturday as demonstrators gathered for a protest against repression and executions in Iran, defying an official ban.Several buses arrived at Place Vauban in central Paris despite police having banned the rally over what they said was concerns about potential clashes "in the current particularly tense national and international context"."They arrested about 20 people for no reason," Afchine Alavi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told AFP.The group has organised numerous protests in Paris without incident, including in recent months during nationwide anti-government demonstrations in Iran and the US-Israeli conflict with the Islamic Republic.02:39 PM, 20 June 2026Lebanese civil defence says Israeli strikes kill 16 in southern Nabatieh regionLebanon's civil defence agency said ongoing Israeli strikes on the Nabatieh district in the country's south on Saturday had killed 16 people, a day after the latest Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire announcement.Civil defence personnel have transported "16 dead and 12 wounded" to hospital, a statement said, adding that the personnel were working "since the early morning hours" in the Nabatieh district in response to "ongoing attacks targeting the area".01:29 PM, 20 June 2026Pakistan minister arrives in Iran after Switzerland talks postponedPakistan's interior minister arrived in Iran on Saturday after planned talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland were postponed, Iranian media reported.Tehran and Washington were due to hold talks in Switzerland on Friday, after signing a memorandum of understanding ending the war in the Middle East, but the latest negotiations have been postponed with no new date announced.Iranian media including Tasnim news agency said Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi landed on Saturday in the northeastern city of Mashhad.Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei had earlier told ISNA news agency that "Pakistan's interior minister will arrive in Iran at noon today, Saturday, as part of Pakistan's efforts regarding the Iran-US negotiations."Naqvi is expected meet his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, as well as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for talks during the visit, according to Baqaei.Pakistan has been a key mediator between Tehran and Washington, with Qatar also joining the efforts in the run-up to the deal announced this week.The war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders.Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes that drew in countries across in the region, before an April truce halted the worst of the fighting.Iran on Thursday announced it signed a deal with the United States to end the hostilities, with the aim of holding further negotiations on a broader deal that would include Iran's long contested nuclear programme.Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.01:00 PM, 20 June 2026Israel military says striking Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon