Israel-Lebanon talks extended an extra day as deal on IDF withdrawal remains elusive

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they unfold.

Four IDF soldiers hurt in clash with terrorist in southern Lebanon yesterday

Four IDF soldiers, including two officers, were injured in a clash with a terrorist in southern Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

A combat officer was moderately hurt in the incident, and another officer and the two soldiers were lightly hurt, the IDF says.

They were taken to the hospital for treatment, and their families were notified.

US-Iran MOU gives nuclear inspectors access to sites, UN watchdog chief insists

TOKYO, Japan — The US-Iran memorandum of understanding gives inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog access to Iran, the agency’s chief says, after Tehran indicated that key sites would remain off-limits until a final deal with Washington is reached and sanctions are lifted.

“There is an agreement, and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi says at a news conference in Japan. “We hope to be there soon.”

IAEA chief says ‘very strong’ verification system needed for Iran nuclear program

TOKYO, Japan — A “very strong” verification system is needed in Iran following the Middle East conflict to ensure that the country does not develop nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog chief says.

“I think the objective of this (recent US-Iran) agreement is to ensure that there is no development of nuclear weapons in Iran. The government of Iran has declared quite clearly that this is not their intention,” Rafael Grossi tells reporters in Japan.

“But of course intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place… as soon as is practicable,” Grossi says.

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South Korea says three more of its stranded vessels are set to leave Hormuz

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says that three additional vessels are set to depart the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

He adds that this will leave five South Korean cargo ships trapped in the key waterway since the beginning of the US-Israel war with Iran, when the latter imposed a closure on the strait.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US considering relocating some Gulf bases damaged by Iran to Israel — WSJ

The United States is reassessing its military posture in the Middle East, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cited satellite imagery revealing far more extensive damage at a key naval base in Bahrain than the US has publicly acknowledged.

The report says the US is considering refurnishing the base in Bahrain while shrinking its military footprint in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, instead moving bases and operations westward where they would be further away from Iran’s missiles and drones.

One location where some bases could relocate to is Israel, two of the officials cited in the report tell the Journal.

Saudi Aramco resumes oil loading at Ras Tanura after 4-month halt, shipping data shows

Saudi Aramco has resumed oil loading at its Ras Tanura terminal after a near four-month halt, shipping data shows.

Two very large crude carriers were seen loading crude at the Gulf terminal, while another waits nearby, the data shows.

Israel-Lebanon talks extended an extra day as deal on IDF withdrawal remains elusive

Israel and Lebanon will wrap up their third day of US-mediated talks in Washington without an agreement on a partial Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but the sides have agreed to extend negotiations for a fourth day that will take place Friday at the State Department, an Israeli embassy spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

The fifth round was supposed to wrap up Thursday at the State Department, with the US hoping it would culminate with the signing of a framework agreement that would include Israel partially withdrawing from small areas of its large buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Israeli troops would then be replaced by members of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The areas were this changing of the guard are planned for have been dubbed “pilot zones.” An Israeli source argued that it could barely be called a withdrawal because the IDF would still be maintaining its six mile-deep buffer zone in southern Lebanon and only pulling back from areas that it already cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure.

In some cases, the IDF has gone about clearing that infrastructure by razing entire Lebanese villages along the Israeli border to the ground, arguing that Hezbollah was using much of them to plan and carry out attacks against Israel.

Despite the lack of an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, a source familiar with the talks tells The Times of Israel that the sides made progress on Thursday after a rocky first two days.

Both Israel and Lebanon came into what was the fifth round of negotiations furious at the US for the latter’s decision to sign a deal with Iran last week that included a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon argued that that memorandum of understanding undercut a key element of their direct talks, which the US specifically established to try and prevent Iran from having a say on affairs in Lebanon.

The US conduct led Israel to initially harden its position in talks with Lebanon this week, significantly limiting the areas from southern Lebanon from which it said it was prepared to withdraw, the source says.

Lebanon, meanwhile, felt that it had to take a harder line in negotiations with Israel to counter the notion that Iran wields greater influence over affairs in Lebanese territory than it does, the sources says.

Accordingly, Lebanese negotiators presented maps for a proposed withdrawal that were more expansive than what Israel was willing to accept at this stage — which was already very little due to the political pressures Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is facing, the source adds.

The past 24 hours saw gaps between the sides on a potential Israeli withdrawal shrink, though still not enough for a deal to be reached, the source says.

However, due to significant US pressure on the parties to leave this week’s negotiations with some sort of deal, they have agreed to return to the State Department on Friday to see if a consensus can be reached, the source says.

Reward for info on murder of NYC Jewish man raised to $20,000

The NYPD and the family of Albert Itzkowitz, a Jewish man shot to death in Queens last month, increase the reward for information about his killing to $20,000.

The reward for information had been $10,000.

Itzkowitz, 75, was found shot in the neck and back on the shore of Kissena Lake on May 18.

More than a month after his murder in Kissena Park, I joined the family of Albert Itzkowitz to announce they’re doubling the $10K reward offered by Crimestoppers to $20K for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. If you saw something, please call (800) 577-8477. pic.twitter.com/4WQYW2w6V8

— Sandra Ung 黄敏仪 (@CMSandraUng) June 25, 2026

Investigators have ruled his death a homicide.

There is still no information about a motive or suspect.

Itzkowitz’s family have said they suspect the killing was a hate crime, although the NYPD has not confirmed a bias motive.

Itzkowitz had owned a bakery in Queens and volunteered as an EMT.

Nily Rozic, an Israeli-American New York State Assemblymember from Queens, said, “Someone knows what happened in Kissena Park, and we urge anyone with information—no matter how insignificant it may seem—to come forward.”

“The Itzkowitz family deserves justice, and our community deserves accountability,” she said.

Trump says US to soon buy farm goods with unfrozen Iranian funds

US President Donald Trump says the United States will soon buy wheat, soybeans and corn from American farmers using Iranian assets that have been frozen under US sanctions.

Iran has denied that its funds will be used for such purposes or that the US will be able to dictate where they are spent.

Despite objections, Trump notifies US Congress of $700M jet engine sale to Turkey

US President Donald Trump’s administration has formally notified Congress of its intention to sell more than $700 million of jet engines to Turkey, according to two sources and a copy of the formal notification seen by Reuters.

Reuters was first to report on Wednesday that the Trump administration planned to press ahead with the sale despite objections from some lawmakers over Turkey’s continued possession of Russian defense systems it acquired in 2019.

The move is an important gesture to Ankara ahead of a pivotal NATO summit there next month and to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump considers a key ally.

The State Department doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.