Israel and Hezbollah Agree to Cease-Fire; U.S.-Iran Negotiations Resume

[Anchor]

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have agreed to a cease-fire, mediated by the United States and Qatar. As U.S. envoys head to Switzerland, follow-up negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are also expected to resume.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the story.

[Reporter]

A U.S. official told the media that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire effective as of 4:00 p.m. local time on June 19, following mediation by the United States and Qatar.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog also confirmed that "all offensive operations have ceased," though Hezbollah has yet to issue an official statement.

Until just before the cease-fire, Israeli airstrikes were intense.

From the night of June 18 through the morning of June 19, the Israeli military struck over 80 targets in Lebanon, leaving at least 47 people dead and nearly 100 injured.

Israel claimed the strikes were in retaliation for an attack on its tank units in southern Lebanon, which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.

Reports have emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump intervened personally when the implementation of the cease-fire memorandum began to falter.

An NBC News reporter stated that they spoke with President Trump, who said he told the Israeli side, "Sometimes you just have to calm down and use your head."

President Trump later announced that he had brokered the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Although the cease-fire remains fragile, the stabilization of the Lebanese front—which had been a major obstacle to U.S.-Iran talks—has allowed stalled post-war negotiations to begin moving again.

The U.S. news outlet Axios reported that President Trump's Middle East envoy, Witkoff, is en route to Switzerland, and his son-in-law, Kushner, has already arrived.

It has not yet been confirmed whether Vice President Vance, who is expected to lead the working-level negotiations, will join them.

However, with key U.S. figures heading to Switzerland, the possibility of face-to-face negotiations as early as this weekend is gaining traction.

[Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.