Beirut, June 20: An Israeli airstrike targeted the Jabal al-Rafee area near the southern Lebanese town of Sajd, shortly after a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel took effect, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The ceasefire took effect at 4:00 p.m. on Friday (local time), Xinhua news agency reported.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that the group would confront Israel with weapons if attacked, stressing that threats of death would not deter its members.

“The project to eliminate Hezbollah and entrench the occupation has failed, and the Israelis will withdraw from every last inch of our land,” Qassem said in a televised speech on al-Manar local TV channel.

He added that Lebanon was facing “the most dangerous stage” and an “American-Israeli project” targeting the future of the country, accusing Israel of seeking to turn Lebanon’s political authority against the resistance movement and of obstructing reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the conflict.

Qassem also said Hezbollah’s weapons are directed solely against Israel and called on Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

His remarks came as an Israeli airstrike targeted the Jabal al-Rafee area near the southern Lebanese town of Sajd on Friday, shortly after a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel that took effect at 4:00 p.m. local time, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Earlier in the day, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc “Loyalty to the Resistance,” said that the group would continue to abide by the ceasefire agreement provided that Israel also respects its terms.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the cumulative toll from Israeli attacks since March 2 had risen to 3,980 people killed and 12,001 injured.

Evian (France), June 18: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday in an official statement that Prime Minister Modi met the US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France’s Evian and discussed end of West Asia conflict, significant progress in the India-US interim trade deal and bilateral cooperation in terms of defence, strategic technologies, energy, and trade sectors between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi commended President Trump for his efforts that had resulted in an understanding to end the ongoing conflict in West Asia and restore peace and stability across the broader region, the MEA statement said.

The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and the need to ensure the safety of seafarer, the MEA statement added.

Taking to his official social media plaform X, PM Modi said: “Pleased to meet President Trump in Evian. We reviewed the sustained progress in our bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, defence, technology and people-to-people ties. Conveyed India’s appreciation on the progress in the efforts for restoring peace and stability in West Asia. Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is vital for the global economy. Reiterated the importance of ensuring the safety and security of civilians, including seafarers.”

“Both PM Modi and President Trump reviewed the substantial progress achieved under the India–US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology) since their meeting in Washington D.C. in February 2025,” the MEA said in the statement.

The two leaders welcomed key developments across the defence, strategic technologies, energy, and bilateral trade sectors, the MEA statement added.

“The leaders noted with particular satisfaction the significant progress made in negotiations towards an interim Bilateral Trade Agreement and instructed their officials to work towards a “balanced, mutually beneficial, and commercially meaningful agreement at the earliest”. The US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will be visiting India next week in this connection.”

“Prime Minister Modi and President Trump reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and advancing cooperation across all domains for the mutual benefit of the two countries and their people,” the MEA added.

Kabul/ New Delhi, June 17: Continuing with its humanitarian support for Afghanistan, India on Wednesday delivered another 5 tonnes of essential medicines to Kabul, reflecting its long-standing commitment to the welfare and well-being of the Afghan people.

Taking to X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said, “India delivers another 5 tonnes of essential medicines to Kabul, reaffirming its enduring commitment to humanitarian assistance and the well-being of the Afghan people.”

This comes amid India’s sustained efforts to provide humanitarian support to Afghanistan, including through the supply of essential medicines and other aid.

Last week, the MEA reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to peace, stability and development in Afghanistan and the wider region, highlighting the enduring civilisational links between India and Afghanistan.

Addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Jaiswal cited India’s recent statement at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) briefing, underscoring India’s continued humanitarian assistance and development partnership with Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan, we had a meeting yesterday in New York where you saw our Permanent Representative (PR); he made a statement on the UNAMA briefing where we have reiterated that India and Afghanistan are contiguous neighbours. As civilisational states, our ties have spanned centuries. We stand in favour of peace and stability in Afghanistan and in the region so as to foster development and stability in the region. We also talked about our development cooperation, our longstanding friendship and development cooperation that we continue to do in Afghanistan on the side of food security, medicine, pharma support and health,” Jaiswal stated.

Earlier on May 22, India delivered 20 tonnes of Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) and Tetanus & Diphtheria (Td) vaccines to Kabul to boost immunisation efforts among Afghan children.

“India delivers 20 tonnes of critical dry materials for BCG and Tetanus & Diphtheria (Td) vaccines to Kabul to augment Afghanistan’s Child Immunisation Programme. More consignments are underway. India is committed to support the friendly people of Afghanistan in the health sector,” the MEA posted on X.