Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has arrived in Switzerland to participate as a mediator in upcoming high-level discussions between Iran and the United States. The talks, held under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding framework, are taking place at the Burgenstock resort. Munir is expected to play a significant role in facilitating the technical dialogue between the two nations.

The meeting is viewed as an important step in advancing ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. However, no official details have been released regarding the agenda or potential outcomes of the discussions. US Vice President JD Vance also arrived in Switzerland earlier, with his spokesperson confirming the visit to Reuters.

Vance told reporters that he hopes for progress on nuclear issues and a ceasefire in Lebanon, noting signs of reduced tension in the region. He emphasized the need for continued monitoring to ensure stability and security for both Israel and Lebanon.

Tensions between the United States and Israel intensified this week following an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the Iran war. Israeli media accused President Donald Trump of abandoning Israel to its greatest enemy, sparking widespread outrage and feelings of betrayal among the public and political circles. The memorandum of understanding, signed without Israel’s involvement, calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities, including Israel’s recent attacks in Lebanon, and for both sides to respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

Leading Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, owned by Trump donor Miriam Adelson, published a scathing editorial accusing Trump of surrendering to a “terrorist regime.” A Channel 12 poll showed only 11 percent of Israelis believe they have won the war, while 71 percent no longer trust the Trump administration to protect Israel’s interests. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir publicly condemned the deal, with Ben Gvir’s incendiary social media post later restricted for policy violations.

US officials expressed irritation at Israel’s reaction. At the G7 summit, Trump said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “too excited” over Lebanon, while Vice President JD Vance defended Trump as Israel’s only sympathetic ally amid global criticism of its Gaza actions.

The Iran war concluded with what has been described as a conditional surrender by the United States, following a preliminary agreement between the Trump administration and Iran. President Donald Trump had earlier insisted that only Iran’s unconditional surrender could end the conflict, but the final deal reversed that stance. Conservative Republicans and war advocates have sharply criticized the agreement, calling it a major foreign policy mistake. Under the deal, Iran will regain access to previously frozen billions of dollars and receive a $300 billion reconstruction fund, along with partial rights to collect fees from commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz within 60 days.

Critics argue that the agreement represents a strategic defeat for the US, while supporters note that continuing the war would have caused further loss of life and economic damage. Trump defended his decision, saying the deal prevented prolonged bombing and economic collapse. Analysts suggest the war weakened the US militarily and financially, costing thousands of lives and nearly $1 trillion.

The new accord leaves Iran’s nuclear capabilities for future negotiation, raising fears that Tehran may pursue nuclear weapons more aggressively. Talks are expected to extend beyond the initial 60-day period.

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland to join formal negotiations aimed at turning a fragile interim agreement with Iran into a full accord. The talks, held near Lucerne, seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program and end ongoing conflicts. Vance landed at Emmen Air Base early Sunday with his wife, according to the Vice President’s office. The discussions follow a preliminary deal signed last week between the United States and Iran, considered vital for global economic stability and security.

The negotiations face early challenges due to escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran’s announcement of closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments. The US Central Command denied the closure, saying maritime traffic remains normal. Iran’s delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, joined the talks alongside US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators.

Vance said he would stay in Switzerland briefly, leaving detailed discussions to Witkoff and Kushner. The agreement, signed by Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, allows Iran to sell oil freely and access frozen assets while reducing enriched uranium stockpiles.

As U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to celebrate his 80th birthday at the White House, a long-anticipated peace deal with Iran aimed at extending the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz was nearly finalized. However, just hours before the signing, Israeli warplanes struck Beirut, killing at least three people. Trump publicly condemned the attack on Truth Social, calling it ill-timed, and later had a heated phone exchange with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly using harsh language.

The incident exposed growing tensions between the two leaders after more than three months of war with Iran. Trump, facing domestic pressure ahead of the November midterm elections, sought to end the conflict and lower oil prices, while Netanyahu insisted on continuing the fight until Iran’s defeat. Analysts noted that Netanyahu’s political future depends on the war’s outcome, with Israeli elections due in October and public opinion demanding Hezbollah’s destruction.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran remain uncertain after the Beirut strike, with the situation now hinging on developments in Lebanon and whether Iran can restrain Hezbollah.

At least 29 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday, just one day after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was announced. The attacks struck Nabatieh, Tyre, Sidon, and the Bekaa Valley, with Lebanon’s Civil Defense reporting 16 deaths in Nabatieh and the state news agency NNA describing the strike on Barish village as a ‘massacre.’ A Lebanese army officer was also killed in an airstrike on the Kafr Rumman–Nabatieh road.

The Lebanese army accused Israel of trying to obstruct any solution aimed at restoring stability in Lebanon. The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to overnight Hezbollah attacks on Israeli positions, while Hezbollah claimed it repelled Israeli infiltration attempts during the ceasefire. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Israel’s occupation made any truce meaningless.

The violence unfolded amid U.S.–Iran efforts to implement a memorandum of understanding to ease hostilities. Israeli ministers criticized the deal, while U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Israel’s operation. Iran warned that peace in Lebanon depended on Israel’s compliance with international law and an end to occupation.

An Israeli soldier was killed and 13 others injured during an operation to seize a major underground Hezbollah base in Lebanon early Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. in the village of Kafr Tibnit, Nabatieh, when rockets and drones targeted Israeli positions. The deceased soldier, Nir Ben Ari, 21, was a member of the Maglan unit of the Commando Brigade. Two of the injured soldiers are reported to be in critical condition.

The IDF stated that the underground base beneath the al-Taher mountain range serves as the main center for Hezbollah’s Badr regional division, where heavy fighting continues both underground and above ground. A day earlier, four Israeli soldiers, including Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, were killed in a similar attempt to capture the same base.

Following the latest attack, Israel launched extensive airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon. Lebanese media and rescue workers reported at least 27 deaths and 26 injuries from the Israeli strikes. The IDF said it has paused attacks outside the declared “security zone” but will continue operations within it.

At least 15 bodies of migrants, including women, were recovered over the past week along Libya’s eastern Mediterranean coast. Security, naval, and medical sources confirmed the information to Reuters on Saturday, saying the victims likely drowned after a boat sank. A naval source reported that about 10 people were rescued alive, and survivors said around 61 people had been on board. The bodies were found near the coastal areas of Tobruk, close to the Egyptian border, with some already decomposed. Officials warned that more bodies might still be in the area.

Photos posted on the Tobruk Red Crescent’s Facebook page showed volunteers in white protective suits collecting bodies from rocky shores and placing them in white bags. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011, Libya’s coast has become a major route for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Many people fleeing conflict and poverty risk the dangerous sea journey, while others come to Libya seeking limited job opportunities in its oil-based economy.

In a separate incident, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center in Tripoli reported rescuing 13 migrants alive after another boat accident, providing them with necessary medical care.

An Iranian high-level delegation has arrived in Switzerland to hold technical-level discussions with the United States on June 21 in Burgenstock. The talks follow the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad between the two countries. According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, the delegation’s arrival in Switzerland has been confirmed, and the Swiss Foreign Ministry also acknowledged their presence on Saturday night.

In a post on social media platform X, the Swiss Foreign Ministry welcomed the Iranian delegation and stated that the discussions are part of implementing the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States. Ahead of the meeting, a preparatory discussion took place at the Burgenstock resort, attended by diplomats from several countries.

Switzerland’s state media RTS reported that, in addition to the U.S. and Iranian technical teams, representatives from Qatar and Pakistan participated in the preparatory talks as mediating countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered a halt to military operations in Lebanon, according to Israeli Channel 12 as reported by Dawn. The directive suspends offensive actions in southern Lebanon but does not include any withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied areas. The decision was reportedly made in coordination with the United States, though no details were provided on when the order takes effect or which operations it covers.

Earlier, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central command said the move was a temporary suspension of maritime traffic, describing it as the “first phase of response” to violations of a ceasefire agreement. Iranian authorities warned of stronger measures if the aggression continues.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 4,057 people and injured more than 12,121, underscoring the severe humanitarian toll of the ongoing conflict.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned comments made by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who posted on X that “all of Lebanon must burn” following the killing of four Israeli soldiers in a Hezbollah attack. Cooper described the remarks as “horrendous and abhorrent” in her own post on Friday.

Ben-Gvir’s statement also rejected a peace agreement between the United States and Iran, declaring that Israel “is not subordinate to the United States” and calling for Lebanon to be “obliterated.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying the comments were not a random outburst but a public declaration by a senior Israeli official, calling Israel a “threat to all of humanity.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz separately stated that 200,000 displaced residents of southern Lebanon would not be allowed to return, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged to “open the gates of hell” in Lebanon.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah, which began on March 2, 2026, has displaced more than 1.2 million people and killed over 1,200 in Lebanon.

A heated exchange broke out between Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon and senior United Nations officials during a high-level meeting in New York marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The confrontation escalated when Danon demanded the resignation of Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, after a recent report listed Israel for the first time among countries accused of conflict-related sexual violence.

Vanessa Frazier, another UN official and author of a separate report on children and armed conflict, objected to Danon’s remarks, urging him to refrain from personal attacks. She defended the report’s findings as evidence-based. Frazier’s report highlighted violence and rights violations against Palestinian children and warned that Israeli settler groups could also face future blacklisting. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the rise in such violations as deeply concerning.

Earlier, Israel had already been included in the UN’s so-called “list of shame” for violations against children, intensifying diplomatic tensions over the reports’ findings.

Israeli forces have continued attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire declared in October last year. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least five Palestinians were killed and 43 others injured in Israeli strikes over the past 48 hours. The information was reported by Al Jazeera, citing the ministry’s daily statistical report.

The report stated that Israeli aggression has not ceased since the ceasefire took effect. During this period, a total of 1,012 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 3,208 injured as a result of Israeli attacks. The ongoing violence highlights the continued instability in Gaza despite formal declarations of truce.

The situation underscores the fragility of the ceasefire and the persistent humanitarian toll on Gaza’s population, as documented by health authorities.

According to US intelligence reports cited by American officials, Israel may continue its military operations in Lebanon even after a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. The reports indicate that although the agreement explicitly calls for a halt to hostilities in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure to maintain operations against Hezbollah.

The New York Times reported that Israel views Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militia and political group, as a serious threat. US intelligence agencies believe that despite ongoing diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran, Israel might persist with its campaign in Lebanon.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, stated on Friday that his country has committed to an immediate ceasefire and suspended all offensive operations in Lebanon. However, he emphasized that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon to safeguard national security. Intelligence assessments have expressed doubt about how long this suspension will last.

The bodies of two expatriate workers from Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur, who were killed in a road accident in Iraq, returned to Bangladesh 26 days after their deaths. The remains of Bazlur Rashid, 38, and Monohar Ali, 36, arrived at their respective homes on Saturday afternoon, where relatives and locals gathered in mourning. After funeral prayers, both were buried in their family graveyards.

According to family members, the two men died on May 25 in Iraq’s Kurdistan province when a speeding private car struck them as they were crossing a road after work. They had been working at a confectionery shop without valid documents or residence permits. Their bodies were flown to Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Bangladesh Biman flight before being transported to their villages.

Madarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Suman Chowdhury expressed condolences to the bereaved families and assured administrative support. The incident has left both families devastated, with relatives describing financial hardship and emotional distress following the deaths.