Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire set to begin at 4pm local time (9pm, Singapore time) on Friday (Jun 19), a senior US official told Reuters. “Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire,” the official said on background, adding that negotiators for the US and Qataris worked out the deal with help from Iran. “We understand that after the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ceasefire.” Fighting had earlier escalated sharply between Israel and Hezbollah in south Lebanon overnight, with more than 18 people reported killed in Israeli strikes and four Israeli soldiers killed ... (full story)