The briefing for Saturday, June 20.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire Friday, according to U.S. officials, but the truce was immediately undermined by Israeli strikes that killed at least 58 people in Lebanon. The ceasefire, which took effect at 4:00 PM local time, came after intense Israeli air strikes overnight killed 47 people, including women and children, according to Lebanon's health ministry. Rescue officials in Nabatieh reported at least 12 air strikes after the ceasefire began, with Lebanese state media describing at least 11 killed in more than a dozen targeted areas around the city.

The escalation threatens the broader U.S.-Iran peace deal, which included commitments to end fighting on "all fronts" including Lebanon. Iran has accused the Trump administration of failing to control Israel, while the White House insists a ceasefire is in place. Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said forces would "continue to remove immediate threats" and respond to what they called Hezbollah violations. The clashes erupted when Hezbollah ambushed an Israeli group, destroying three tanks and killing four soldiers including a battalion commander.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the soldier deaths by declaring "Lebanon must burn," demanding that for every Israeli tear, "1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of wanting "permanent war" and said any breach of commitments would be attributed to the U.S. Hezbollah's secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem declared that "the project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed" and vowed Israelis would withdraw from Lebanese territory. The U.S. State Department said direct talks between Lebanon and Israel would resume in Washington next week.

The U.S. government will stop funding HIV and AIDS programs in South Africa, linking the decision to alleged persecution of the white-minority Afrikaner community. The funding cut affects an estimated $400 million annually through the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), which had been providing about one-fifth of South Africa's total HIV program spending. South Africa has more than eight million people living with HIV, the highest number of any country in the world.

The decision follows President Trump's executive order alleging that South African policies have fueled violence "against racially disfavored landowners." The White House said that given these "unjust and immoral practices," further aid would not be provided. South Africa's government disputes these claims, saying its Black Economic Empowerment policy is needed to correct economic inequality from the apartheid era. Trump has also falsely alleged a "white genocide" is taking place and established a refugee program for Afrikaners, who are now nearly the only refugees being allowed into the U.S.

A State Department official confirmed a "phased drawdown" of Pepfar funding would begin due to "South Africa's failure to make demonstrable progress on policy requests." The official said the intention was to "foster self-reliance" and noted that South Africa is "more than capable of supporting its own health programs" as a middle-income country. South Africa's health ministry said it had "long been working on a self-reliance plan" and noted that life-saving antiretroviral drugs are funded separately, with most coming from the government rather than Pepfar.

Australia confirmed its first case of the H5N1 bird flu strain after the virus was found in a migratory brown skua seabird in remote Western Australia. The discovery means the highly contagious variant has now reached every continent. The bird was found on a beach at Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance, about 700 kilometers southeast of Perth. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there was a second suspected case in a southern petrel found exhausted on an Esperance beach, though there was no "evidence of mass mortalities at this time."

Australian authorities said they had been "preparing for this event for a long time" and the committee for emergency animal disease convened Saturday. Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said officials would know "within a few days" if the virus was present in other animal populations. The H5N1 strain was previously detected on the remote Australian territories of Heard and McDonald Islands in October last year, located in the southern Indian Ocean.

A study released this week estimated that around 13,000 baby seals from a group of 17,000 on Heard Island were killed by H5N1 since August, representing more than 75% of the entire population. Scientists believe bird flu was likely introduced to the islands from migrating birds from the French-owned Crozet Islands, about 1,800 kilometers away. Bird flu is caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals like foxes, seals, and otters, with the H5N1 strain having emerged in China in the late 1990s.

Senators are moving to block Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel funds until the Pentagon submits several overdue reports, including its investigation into a deadly U.S. strike on an elementary school in Iran. According to an annual defense authorization bill filed this week, much of the travel funds for the defense secretary's office may not be spent until Hegseth submits "unredacted civilian harm investigations." The provision targets the Feb. 28, 2026, strike on the Minab school, which officials have preliminarily said the U.S. was responsible for based on outdated intelligence.

The bombing on the first day of the U.S. war against Iran killed more than 165 people, many of them children, at a campus adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base. It quickly became a focal point of the conflict and would rank among the highest civilian casualty events caused by American military operations in the last two decades. Congress has not yet received the Defense Department's investigation report, which is believed to have been completed last month. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the defense package "forces the Secretary to be more accountable to Congress."

Outdated intelligence likely led to the strike, according to those familiar with preliminary findings in March. Senators from both parties included the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act to force release of the investigation. The measure represents congressional oversight efforts to ensure accountability for civilian casualties in military operations.

The British bar association temporarily suspended International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Friday, pending disciplinary proceedings. The Bar Standards Board, which regulates lawyers in England and Wales, said it would hold a hearing within four weeks but would not comment on what information the decision was based on. Khan's lawyers said the suspension was based on findings of serious misconduct by the ICC's oversight body and that their client "unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety."

Khan was formally removed from his ICC duties last week after the court's oversight body found he engaged in "serious misconduct" over accusations of an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member. The 56-year-old has strongly denied the allegations. The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties concluded he had engaged in "serious misconduct" and "serious breach of duty" and recommended his removal from office. A vote will be held next month on whether to permanently remove him.

The scandal has dragged on at the court for more than two years. An AP investigation revealed in 2024 that Khan was alleged to have moved a female aide into his office and engaged in misconduct. A UN investigation report in April said there was evidence of "nonconsensual sexual contact" in his office, residence, and on missions. However, a three-judge panel found the investigation not conclusive enough. A diplomatic official told AP that some countries believe the allegations are an attempt to stop the court's investigation into Israel. Khan is also sanctioned by the Trump administration for investigating Israeli officials, which is hampering work across the court. A special session will be held July 24 in New York to vote on Khan's removal, requiring 63 countries to vote in favor.