Middle East live: Israel hammers Lebanon and makes reported deal with Hezbollah (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

The IDF soldier who shot 7-month-old baby Sam in the Palestinian West Bank earlier in June simply “ran away” without offering any medical assistance, the boy’s grieving father Fahed Haikal has told RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij.

While the IDF said that the serviceman “perceived” Haikal’s car accelerating towards him, footage recently released by Israeli NGO B’Tselem shows the car almost immediately stopped when prompted, she said.

The soldier’s shots went through the car’s windshield, piercing Haikal’s fingers, hitting his baby’s head and continuing through his wife’s cheek and chest.

“It’s crime. I can’t describe it, but it’s crime,” Haikal said.

Watch the full news report below:

Prior to the US-Iran ceasefire, American spy agencies warned the White House that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was likely to undermine the deal, the Washington Post has reported.

West Jerusalem is frustrated with the recently signed MOU and “appears intent on maintaining military operations” against Hezbollah, the newspaper wrote, citing recent US intelligence reports.

Netanyahu’s political survival is linked to demonstrating to the Israeli public that he will not withdraw troops from southern Lebanon, WaPo cited a US official as saying.

The IDF is “protecting” Israel by leveling entire sectors of villages in southern Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said.

“Every village, the first line of Lebanese villages was destroyed, every house was destroyed,” he said in an interview with Israeli Channel 14, citing the presence of Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

“We are demolishing all the houses and the residents will never see them again.”

Israel continues to attack Hezbollah in southern Lebanon due to the militant group’s overnight attacks on Israel, which killed at least four Israeli service members, IDF Spokesman Effie Defrin has said.

“Overnight, Hezbollah once again attacked IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon to protect Israeli civilians. We lost four of our soldiers,” he said in a press briefing.

The attacks “prove that Hezbollah’s goals remain the same,” he said. “This is not a reality we can accept. And this is exactly why the IDF continues to operate in southern Lebanon.”

The aftermath of Israeli air strikes in the town of Al-Qlailah, southern Lebanon, June 19, 2026. © Getty Images / Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu

Attempts to eliminate Hezbollah have failed, the group’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has said, vowing that Israeli forces will be driven out of Lebanese territory.

The group’s victory would mean forcing “the enemy” out of Lebanon, he added.

Any ships wanting to traverse the Strait of Hormuz need to submit requests 48 hours in advance, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, Iran’s body overseeing the key waterway, said in a statement shortly after the imposition of the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.

Hezbollah will honor the ceasefire, provided Israel does the same, the organization’s political wing spokesman and Lebanese MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi has said.

“We will abide by the ceasefire if Israel does, and we have the right to respond,” he said in a comment cited by Lebanese state news agency NNA.

Israeli forces retain “full freedom of action” to act against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, IDF Spokesman Effie Defrin has said.

Speaking at a press briefing shortly after the reported ceasefire, he declined to confirm the agreement.

Troops “have full operational freedom of action, to remove threats in any area,” he said. “There is no limit [to] removing threats.”

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike near the town of Kfar Tebnit, southern Lebanon, June 19, 2026. © Getty Images / Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu

Forty-seven people have been killed and 97 wounded across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

The worst attack was reported in Harouf, where nine people, including three women, were killed and 14 wounded.

The ministry added that 3,980 people have been killed and 12,001 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2.

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has said that any violation of commitments will be attributed to the United States.

Speaking to Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar over the phone, Araghchi has expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s efforts, initiatives, and commendable endeavors in the diplomatic negotiation process and reaching a memorandum of understanding.

Earlier today, Iran’s official broadcaster IRIB posted a video of Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon, which happened despite the ceasefire.