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Lebanese Army soldiers and Civil Defense rescue teams working in southern Lebanon to recover the remains of victims of Israeli strikes. (Credit: @CivildefenseLB on X)

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16 bodies pulled from rubble in Tayr Harfa and Alma al-Shaab, south Lebanon | Live

What you need to know

Saudi Arabia calls for lifting international sanctions on Syria

An Israeli strike near Jbal al-Botm (Sour), causes a fire in the area.

The Lebanese Army is expected to redeploy soon to Aitaroun and Mais al-Jabal.

At least 28 people were killed in the last 24 hours in Gaza.

20:14 Beirut Time

The municipality of Taybeh, in Marjayoun district, has announced the forthcoming deployment of the Lebanese Army there, announcing that the troops and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon will temporarily prohibit access to the locality, in order to facilitate the search and rescue and demining operations.


The municipality told residents that their return to Taybeh “is only a matter of time.”


“We will keep you informed of the next steps,” the statement reads. The town authorities called on inhabitants "not to take any risks and to respect the directives of the Lebanese Army."

18:51 Beirut Time

U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance told Fox News that Donald Trump would "enable the Israelis to eliminate the last remnant of Hamas and its leadership" if a cease-fire deal in Gaza is not reached, Middle East Eye reports.


He also suggested that the incoming Trump administration may impose "tough sanctions on those who support terrorist organizations in the Middle East."

18:41 Beirut Time

Civil Defense has recovered the remains of 16 people from the southern villages for Tayr Harfa and Alma al-Shaab, both in Sour district, from which the Israeli army withdrew last week.


The bodies of 11 people were found in Tayr Harfa and five in Alma al-Shaab, extracted from the rubble of Israeli bombardments there. The remains have been handed over to the authorities for DNA testing in hopes of identifying the victims.


Civil Defense has been conducting search and rescue operations across southern Lebanon in coordination with the Lebanese Army for a month now, following the wake of the Israeli army's withdrawal as dictated in the cease-fire agreement.

18:10 Beirut Time

U.S. President Joe Biden will likely talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, his national security adviser says, as U.S. officials race to reach a Gaza hostage and cease-fire deal before Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.


According to a Reuters report, Jake Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" program that the parties were "very, very close" to reaching a deal to halt the fighting in the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there, but still had to get it across the finish line.


Vice President-elect JD Vance told the "Fox News Sunday" program in an interview taped on Saturday that he expects a deal for the release of U.S. hostages in the Middle East to be announced in the final days of the Biden administration, maybe in the last day or two.


Read the full report here  👈

17:56 Beirut Time

Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini, who was detained in Italy, will return to Iran in the coming hours, Iran's judiciary news agency Mizan said, cited in a Reuters report.


Italian authorities arrested Mohammad Abedini on Dec. 16 at Milan’s Malpensa airport on a U.S. warrant. He is accused of supplying the technology for a drone strike in Jordan which killed three U.S. service personnel. Iran had warned Italy that it risks harming bilateral relations if it bows to the "political and hostile goals" of the United States by detaining an Iranian engineer on a U.S. warrant.

16:56 Beirut Time

The municipality of Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun) called on its residents to "take no action and wait for instructions from the competent authorities to ensure their safe return, in accordance with the development of the situation in the villages of the border strip, after the withdrawal of the [Israeli] enemy and the deployment of the Lebanese army."

It specified that it was "in constant and daily communication with the army, which will establish fixed checkpoints at the entrance to some villages."

16:32 Beirut Time

The coordinator of the government's Emergency Committee, caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, inspected the unloading and storage of the cargo of the second aid ship sent by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the port of Beirut, loaded with approximately 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid.

"The aid was stored, sorted and packed in warehouses provided by the Beirut Port Administration," Yassine was quoted as saying by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). He also said that the emergency committee, in cooperation with the Higher Relief Committee and the Lebanese Red Cross, will work to distribute the aid to families affected by the Israeli attacks.

16:31 Beirut Time

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called for the "lifting of international sanctions" imposed on Syria following a meeting of European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers on the future of the war-ravaged country.

The Saudi minister called for "lifting the unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria" to allow its "development and reconstruction," he told reporters after talks in Riyadh on Syria. 

14:57 Beirut Time

An Israeli drone carried out a strike on the outskirts of Jbal al-Botm(Sour), causing a fire in the town.

14:17 Beirut Time

Heritage souks completely destroyed by Israeli strikes in Nabatieh. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

The Lebanese army is expected to redeploy very soon to Aitaroun and Meis al-Jabal.

Find the full details here.

11:49 Beirut Time

The Gazan government's health ministry in the Gaza Strip said Sunday that at least 28 people had been killed in the past 24 hours in the Palestinian territory.

This brings the total death toll to 46,565, he said in a statement, adding that 109,660 people had also been injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.

10:42 Beirut Time

Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said Israel had "decimated Gaza's education system."

"In Gaza, Israel has decimated the entire education system. They have bombed all the universities" and "indiscriminately targeted civilians sheltering in schools," she denounced at a summit in Islamabad on girls' education.

"I will continue to denounce Israeli violations of international law and human rights," she added.

10:01 Beirut Time

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10:01 Beirut Time

Saudi Arabia is hosting European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers today to discuss Syria, where foreign capitals are hoping for a return to stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

"There will be two meetings. The first between Arab states. The second between Arab states and other countries," including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Spain, as well as the United Nations, a Saudi official who requested anonymity told AFP on Saturday. 

The meeting comes as transitional authorities led by the country's new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, are calling for a lifting of international sanctions on Syria.

Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, had imposed sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's government over its crackdown on popular protests in 2011, which sparked civil war.

The European Union foreign minister, Kaja Kallas, said on Friday that the 27 EU countries could "progressively" ease their sanctions "provided that tangible progress is made," notably on the protection of minorities.

Sunday's discussions will focus on the level of support to be given to the new administration and a possible lifting of sanctions, the Saudi official confirmed.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan confirmed their participation in the Riyadh meeting, which follows on from previous talks held in December in Jordan, according to the Saudi official.

U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bass will also attend.

10:01 Beirut Time

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa meet in Damascus. (Photo courtesy of the Lebanese PM's office)

In his first official trip to Syria since Islamist rebels seized power last December, caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said yesterday that the demarcation of land and sea borders with Syria will be one of the "priorities." He announced that a Lebanese-Syrian committee will be set up "to carry out" this process.

Read the full story here.

10:01 Beirut Time

Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa contacted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun yesterday to congratulate him on his election, the new Syrian authorities said in a statement.

During the call, the two leaders "confirmed their willingness to work towards building and strengthening positive relations between Syria and Lebanon and the common points that unite them."

10:01 Beirut Time

The Israeli army demolished several houses this morning in Aata al-Shaab (Sour), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Yesterday, before midnight, an Israeli drone carried out a strike on the outskirts of Kfar Shouba (Hasbaya), residents said. The strike reportedly left one person dead.