Hostilities have resumed in the region nearly two weeks after Washington and Tehran signed an interim peace framework
Published 27 Jun, 2026 00:13
Buildings in Nabatieh, Lebanon, destroyed in Israeli airstrikes on June 26, 2026. © Guy Smallman / Getty Images
The US and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time since signing an interim peace framework on June 17.
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had struck missile, drone and radar sites in Iran in response to a drone attack on the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely the previous day. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had retaliated by firing at American bases in the region.
Both sides accused each other of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last week. The hostilities come as Iran and the US clash over differing interpretations of the agreement regarding the administration of the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, and Iran’s frozen assets.
Protests also broke out in Beirut after the Lebanese government signed an agreement with Israel and the US in Washington. Hezbollah rejected the deal, demanding that Israel completely withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah officials warned that attempts to enforce the agreement could lead to civil war.
Here are the latest developments:
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27 June 2026
00:55 GMT
Axios reporter Barak Ravid shared the text of the deal signed by the US, Israel and Lebanon in Washington.
- Israel and Lebanon affirm each other’s right to exist in peace and security.
- The Lebanese army will restore control over all of Lebanon pending the “verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,” referring to Hezbollah.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will gradually withdraw from Lebanon once the Lebanese army takes full control of “pilot zones,” following confirmation that non-state armed groups in those areas have been disarmed. Israel and Lebanon have agreed on the first two such zones, with more to be established in the future.
- Israel affirms that its military operations are aimed only at fighting Hezbollah and that it “has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.”
- 00:35 GMT
US Vice President J.D. Vance accused Iran of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence,” he wrote on X.
Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone.
But violence will be met with violence. https://t.co/VWnBS1PWaV
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 26, 2026
- 00:29 GMT
Shortly after the US strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck American military sites in the region.
While not directly mentioning the drone attack on the Ever Lovely, the IRGC said the ship had used an “unauthorized route” while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the memorandum of understanding signed last week affirmed Iran’s authority to control traffic in the strategic waterway.
- 00:13 GMT
Protesters waving the flags of Lebanon, Hezbollah and Iran have taken to the streets of Beirut to denounce the deal, which the pro-Palestinian armed group says gives Israel greater freedom to continue its occupation of southern Lebanon.
🇱🇧🇮🇱 Chaos in Beirut right now
Crowds have completely taken over the streets, burning tires and blocking roads in fury over the Lebanese authorities signing an agreement with Israel.
They say it legalizes Israel's occupation of South Lebanon and gives Netanyahu immunity for…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 26, 2026
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27 June 2026
00:13 GMT
Protesters waving the flags of Lebanon, Hezbollah and Iran have taken to the streets of Beirut to denounce the deal, which the pro-Palestinian armed group says gives Israel greater freedom to continue its occupation of southern Lebanon.
🇱🇧🇮🇱 Chaos in Beirut right now
Crowds have completely taken over the streets, burning tires and blocking roads in fury over the Lebanese authorities signing an agreement with Israel.
They say it legalizes Israel's occupation of South Lebanon and gives Netanyahu immunity for…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 26, 2026
- 00:29 GMT
Shortly after the US strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck American military sites in the region.
While not directly mentioning the drone attack on the Ever Lovely, the IRGC said the ship had used an “unauthorized route” while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the memorandum of understanding signed last week affirmed Iran’s authority to control traffic in the strategic waterway.
- 00:35 GMT
US Vice President J.D. Vance accused Iran of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence,” he wrote on X.
Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone.
But violence will be met with violence. https://t.co/VWnBS1PWaV
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 26, 2026
- 00:55 GMT
Axios reporter Barak Ravid shared the text of the deal signed by the US, Israel and Lebanon in Washington.
- Israel and Lebanon affirm each other’s right to exist in peace and security.
- The Lebanese army will restore control over all of Lebanon pending the “verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,” referring to Hezbollah.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will gradually withdraw from Lebanon once the Lebanese army takes full control of “pilot zones,” following confirmation that non-state armed groups in those areas have been disarmed. Israel and Lebanon have agreed on the first two such zones, with more to be established in the future.
- Israel affirms that its military operations are aimed only at fighting Hezbollah and that it “has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.”
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