AFP, Geneva

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire yesterday, a US official said, after deadly exchanges between the two sides in Lebanon put a deal to end the Middle East war under strain, less than two days after it was signed.

Talks that were scheduled to take place between the US and Iran in Switzerland yesterday to build on the deal and work towards a lasting settlement were postponed amid the fighting, with no new date announced.

Tehran’s top negotiator warned it would not bend on its red lines and that its finger was still “on the trigger”, even as shipping appeared to pick up in the Strait of Hormuz, which had essentially been closed during the war.

SEE PAGE 2 COL 4