Newshour

Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, as more Lebanon strikes reported

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official says, following intense Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that the government said killed 47 people. Also on the programme, the US government says it will stop funding programmes in South Africa intended to tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS, there's been a furious reaction in Italy after President Trump claimed the prime minister Georgia Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7 summit; and the ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta, on taking his Cuban dance group on tour. (Photo: Smoke rises over southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes, Metula, Israel - 19 Jun 2026. ATEF SAFADI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior US official has confirmed to the BBC. Earlier, planned talks to cement the ceasefire between Iran and the US were delayed with reports suggesting it was due to Iranian concern over Israel's actions in Lebanon. Also on the programme: the by-election result that could decide Britain's next prime minister; and how the resident organist for the Boston Red Sox baseball team has been entertaining visiting Scottish football fans. (Photo: Khadija Amara, whom local residents said had not left her home, fills a jerrycan with water as she sits among the rubble of a house, which was damaged by an Israeli strike in the Tyre district, southern Lebanon on June 19, 2026.)

US defends its deal with Iran

Donald Trump says he expects a ceasefire to take effect "on all fronts", including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon while Vice President JD Vance says the memorandum signed with Tehran is already bearing fruit and insisted that Washington holds the cards in coming negotiations. Meanwhile, a message attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader says that Tehran will not submit to any excessive demands. Also in the programme: why one critic calls Barack Obama's Presidential Centre a 'Klingon Prison'; and how Nigerian sisters born conjoined at the head are enjoying life after pioneering surgery assisted by artificial intelligence. (Photo: US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media about the Iran-US memorandum of understanding in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, DC, USA Credit: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Agreement to end US-Iran war signed

A basic agreement has been signed to end the war between the US and Iran. The negotiations now turn to the really difficult issues: we hear from Iran and Israel. Also in the programme: Ukraine targets Moscow in a massive drone attack; researchers say it's way too easy to get around ChatGPT's guardrails; and an ancient oak tree in Sherwood Forest linked to Robin Hood has died - or is it just entering its next phase? (IMAGE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian showing a signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in Tehran, Iran, 18 June 2026 / CREDIT: Photo by IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock (16934712a))

US releases details of initial deal with Iran

A Memorandum of Understanding outlined by the United States suggests it has found common ground with Iran, but there are still questions about whether this preliminary deal achieves any more than the agreement signed when Barack Obama was president. Meanwhile Israel, the US partner in the recent war, faces the possibility of a stronger Iran and a new balance of power in the Middle East. We hear from Alon Ben Dah-veed, senior military correspondent for Israel's Channel 13. Also in the programme: the fuel shortages affecting Russian drivers as a result of the Ukraine war; an introduction to so-called 'micro-history'; and the death at the age of 99 of the last member of a leading British 'girl band' of the 1950s, the Beverley Sisters. (Photo: US President Donald Trump holds a press conference during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France; Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)