LiveLive Updates June 26, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeJune 26, 2026UpdatesIsrael drops evacuation order flyers on Lebanese town in first since cease-fireIsraeli forces dropped leaflets over the southern Lebanese ‌town of Mansouri on Friday ordering residents to leave, Lebanese state ⁠media reported, the first such order issued since the latest cease-fire ⁠between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.Israel and Lebanon have been holding talks in Washington that include discussions on a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to hand some of the territory they occupied in ‌their war with Hezbollah to Lebanon's military.Before the talks resumed this week, ‌Israel and Hezbollah agreed to halt fire even as Israel kept troops in what it describes as a "buffer zone" aimed at thwarting attacks by the Iran-backed group on northern Israel.Violence has persisted since the cease-fire, with Israel saying on Friday its troops had struck and killed what the military described as seven Hezbollah members who were operating near the territory it is occupying. Reuters could not confirm this.A senior Lebanese ⁠military official said Israel had recently added the town of Mansouri, where the Israeli military dropped evacuation leaflets on Friday, to ‌its occupation zone. The official ⁠said Lebanese farmers had continued to enter and ‌leave Mansouri, but had not been living there.An Israeli military spokesperson said the military issued what it described as a "reminder" to the civilian ⁠population that "the area is within the security zone in which IDF soldiers operate. It's a reminder not to be in the area so they won't be harmed."Lebanese officials say Israeli troops are ‌enforcing the zone's northern boundary by firing at anyone approaching it, including civilians and Lebanese soldiers.Suspected Iranian hacker arrested on FBI warrant in NATO-member MontenegroA suspected internet hacker wanted by the United States, who is alleged to have worked for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been arrested in Montenegro, a NATO-member country in Europe's Balkans.Officers from a special task force took the 39-year-old man, who holds both Iranian and Turkish citizenship, into custody in the coastal town of Kotor after the FBI issued an arrest warrant, the Montenegrin Interior Ministry said.The man is alleged to have carried out large-scale cyberattacks on the infrastructure of over 150 universities in the United States since 2013 on behalf of an Iranian company and is said to have caused damage estimated at $3.4 billion.The stolen data allegedly benefited the IRGC, Iranian universities and other organizations in the country. The authorities said they began the process of extraditing the man to the United States.10 hours agoIsrael-Lebanon talks held up as sides disagree on 'pilot zones,' source saysThe direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington in April. Credit: AFP/OLIVER CONTRERASThe direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington in April. Credit: AFP/OLIVER CONTRERASThe delay in talks between Israel and Lebanon stems from disagreements over the proposed pilot zones from which Israel is expected to withdraw, a regional source told Haaretz. According to the source, the sides were presented with a map, but neither side has validated it.The source's comments come after an Israeli official said before the start of the talks that the sides would sit down "with maps" and delineate the pilot zones, some of which are in the Israeli-occupied buffer zone.According to reports in Lebanon, Beirut objects Israel's demand that the pilot zones begin outside the Lebanese territory it occupies, with Beirut first taking over Hezbollah strongholds.Read the full articleIran calls U.S.-Gulf statement 'interventionist', says Hormuz to be managed based on deal⁠Iran ‌said on Friday ‌that a joint statement ⁠by the U.S. ⁠and the Gulf Cooperation Council contained "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative positions", ‌and said the U.S. ‌military presence in the Gulf was a source of insecurity and division in the region.In the statement ⁠by Iran's foreign ministry, Iran also reiterated ‌its position ⁠that ‌the Strait of Hormuz should be governed with ⁠Oman in line with terms of MOU with ‌the United States. Washington, Israel and their regional allies that took part in attacks on Iran are responsible for insecurity in the Strait of hormuz, Tehran said.In the joint statement, the United States and Gulf staits urged to "maintain momentum and unity," reaching a "permanent end to hostilities and the shared objective of preventing Iran from ever developing or otherwise acquiring a nuclear weapon." Regional peace requires "requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran's threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region," the statement read.Israeli airstrikes kill two in southern Lebanon, Arab media reportsIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday morning.Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday morning.Israeli airstrikes killed two people and wounded at least one in southern Lebanon in the past hours, according to reports in Arab media.The casualties were reported in an airstrike on a vehicle in Maifadoun, southern Lebanon, according to pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar. Another Israeli airstrike was reported in Nabatieh al-Fouqa (Upper Nabatieh), a suburb of the Lebanese city of Nabatieh, according to Al Jazeera.Four IDF soldiers wounded in Hezbollah attack overnight, military saysBeit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, where the clash took place Thursday night.Beit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, where the clash took place Thursday night.Four IDF soldiers were wounded in a clash with a Hezbollah militant in southern Lebanon Thursday night, one of them moderately, the Israeli military said.The militant threw a grenade at IDF combat soldiers who entered the village of Beit Yahoun, southern Lebanon, wounding an officer and three soldiers, who were evacuated for treatment.The soldiers fatally shot the militant and the Israeli military said it launched air and artillery strikes on the area.Shots fired at the home of Arara council head for third time in last 18 monthsShots were fired overnight Thursday at the home of the head of the Arara local council, Dr. Nizar Abu Akel.There were no casualties in the incident but property damage was caused and police have opened an investigation. 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