Trump discussed Iran negotiations with Sultan of Oman, White House says
President Donald Trump spoke with the Sultan of Oman on Tuesday about the upcoming round of negotiations with Iran scheduled for Saturday in Oman, the White House said.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump's goal in these talks, which began with an initial session last Saturday, was to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons.
Trump and the Omani leader also discussed ongoing U.S. operations against the Houthis in Yemen, she added.
'Hamas will continue to suffer blow after blow': Netanyahu tells troops in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a visit to the northern Gaza Strip, told troops operating in the Palestinian territory that “Hamas will continue to suffer blow after blow,” his services announced.
“We insist that they release our hostages, and we insist on achieving all our war aims,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office.
Members of the martyrs' center in Khiam (Marjayoun) have recovered, in cooperation with the Lebanese Civil Defense, the remains of a man killed inside the eastern quarter of the town, our correspondent in the south reported.
Hezbollah condemns 'the desecration of the Al-Aqsa mosque'
Hezbollah condemned “the desecration of the Al-Aqsa mosque for three days by Israeli settlers who performed Jewish rituals and provocative acts, under the protection of Israeli forces and extremist Knesset figures.”
The party denounced these acts as part of Israel's “ongoing efforts to alter the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem.” Hezbollah urged Arab and Islamic countries to take action against these violations and warned that silence would embolden Israel to continue its aggression in Palestine and the region.
The statement called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, academics and the international community to “act urgently and confront Israel's crimes, committed with the support of the United States.”
Hamas says it has 'lost contact' with group holding Israeli-American hostage
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Tuesday that it had “lost contact” with the group holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.
“We have lost contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander after a bombing raid targeted their location, and we are still trying to reach them,” said a message broadcast by their spokesperson, Abu Obeida, on Telegram. He is the only living hostage of American nationality still held by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which released a video of him on Saturday.
Netanyahu visits northern Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, his office announced, amid Israel's military offensive on the Palestinian territory.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern Gaza Strip today,” his office said in a statement.
Israel attributes explosion that killed Lebanese soldier to Hezbollah munitions
The Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted on his X account that, according to “the information available to the Israeli army,” the Lebanese soldier killed yesterday, as well as the three others wounded in the Aaziye valley (Sour), in southern Lebanon, were killed in “the explosion of ammunition belonging to Hezbollah.”
He shared two screenshots of articles published by the Al-Akhbar newspaper and the Al-Mayadeen channel, which he said had falsely claimed that the Lebanese soldier had been killed by ammunition left behind by the Israeli army.
“Hezbollah continues to endanger the security of the Lebanese people, undermining the stability of Lebanon and its institutions,” the spokesperson accused.
The Lebanese Army, for its part, had reported the incident simply as the explosion of a “suspicious device” during a “technical survey.”
The Israeli army and the Israeli security agency said in a joint statement that Sunday night's attack in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza killed Mohammad al-Ajlah, who they said was a Hamas commander.
According to Israel, the victim had succeeded Haitham Rizk Abed al-Karim Sheikh Khalil as commander of the Hamas battalion in Shujaiya after the latter was killed last week.
"Khalil was eliminated last week. He was responsible for arming the battalion's terrorists with weapons used to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and [Israeli] troops," the statement posted on Telegram said. "Al-Ajlah is the fifth commander of the Hamas battalion in Shujaiya to be eliminated since the beginning of the war, and the third since the start of the resumption of operations in Gaza."
"An [Israeli army] drone attacked the Aitaroun region in south Lebanon earlier today and eliminated the commander of a cell in Hezbollah's special operations division," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.
(Photo provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
Ali Baydoun, originally from Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), was killed after his vehicle was targeted this morning in his native village by the Israeli army, reported L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Emmanuel Macron in a telephone conversation that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be "a huge reward for terrorism," his office said.
One dead and three injured in Israeli drone strike in Aitaroun
An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Aitaroun left one person dead and three injured, according to the latest report from L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
Gaza
Hamas will "most likely" respond "within 48 hours" to Israel's cease-fire proposal in the Gaza Strip, a senior leader from the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP on Tuesday.
Israeli drone strike targets vehicle in south Lebanon
An Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) with three missiles, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The strike killed at least one person and left another in critical condition.
Gaza
The Gaza Health Ministry warned that "the ongoing shortage of medicines is preventing medical teams from carrying out emergency interventions on the wounded."
"Hundreds of patients and injured people are deprived of essential medicines and their suffering is worsening due to the closure of crossings [by Israel]," the statement posted on Telegram said. "Patients with cancer, kidney failure, and heart disease are the most affected by the shortage of medicines and medical supplies."
The Health Ministry called on international organizations to pressure Israel to allow the entry of medical supplies and field hospitals into the war-torn enclave.
Gaza
At least 17 Palestinians were killed and 69 others wounded in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian enclave's Health Ministry.
"Some victims are under the rubble and on the roads, as ambulances and civil defense teams are unable to reach them," the statement posted on Telegram said.
At least 1,630 people have been killed and 4,302 injured since Israel broke the cease-fire on March 18, according to the ministry. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 51,000 Palestinians and injured 116,343 others.
Iran's military capabilities are 'red lines' in talks with Washington
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the country's military and defense capabilities constitute untouchable "red lines," days before a new round of indirect nuclear talks with Washington scheduled for Saturday.
"National security, military power, and defense are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances," IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini was quoted as saying by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Iran and the United States, which have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, held talks last Saturday, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, on the thorny issue of Iran's nuclear program.
Aoun: Army pays blood price to preserve Lebanon's unity, sovereignty and integrity
President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday that the army is paying a heavy price for "preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon," a day after the death of a soldier and the injuries inflicted on three others during the dismantling of explosive materials in the Aazieh (Sour) valley in southern Lebanon.
Addressing army commander General Rodolphe Haykal and members of the Military Council, Aoun stated that "the army has paid and continues to pay the price in blood to preserve the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Lebanon and will remain faithful to its oath."
"Be united because the Lebanese expect a lot from you," he added.
Before his trip to Doha, the president met Defense Minister Michel Menassa on Tuesday morning. He then went with the minister to the office of the army commander, where they held a meeting with the head of the Army Intelligence Service, Brigadier General Tony Kahwagi.
UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by Israeli attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply alarmed" by the Israeli military's attack on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza on Sunday, which resulted in the death of a child, his spokesperson said Tuesday.
"Under international humanitarian law, the wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected," said the spokesperson for the U.N. chief.
Two Israeli missiles struck Gaza's main hospital, which was still functioning, on Sunday, knocking out the emergency department and damaging other facilities, doctors said, in a strike that Israel said targeted "Hamas fighters who were exploiting the facility."
The hospital's health authorities evacuated the patients after a phone call from a person who identified himself as a member of the Israeli security services shortly before the attack.
Israeli soldiers sign petitions calling for an end to the war in Gaza
Israeli Army Radio reported that a group of 150 members of the Golani Brigade joined the call for an end to the war in Gaza, adding that about 250 former and current soldiers from the elite Shayetet 13 naval commandos also signed a letter Tuesday calling for an end to hostilities as part of a hostage deal, according to Haaretz.
Over the past week, hundreds of Israeli soldiers, reservists, veterans, academics and security agency officials have signed similar letters, including 1,000 air force reservists who were the first to lead such an initiative. Another petition was signed Sunday by 200 Israeli military doctors.
These positions led to the dismissal of a large number of the signatories by the Israeli general staff, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to dismiss any serving soldier who signed one of these petitions.
South Lebanon
An Israeli helicopter dropped a bomb on tobacco farmers in Aita al-Shaab, without causing any injuries, reported L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
Palestinian student activist arrested in the United States while seeking naturalization
A participant in the student protest for Palestinians in the United States was arrested Monday by immigration agents at an office where he had come for a naturalization interview, according to AFP.
Mohsen Mahdawi, born in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has held a permanent resident green card in the United States since 2015, his lawyers said in court documents. He is also the co-founder of a Palestinian student group at Columbia University in New York, along with Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure in the pro-Palestinian student movement in the United States, whom the Trump administration has been trying to deport since his arrest on March 8.
Read the details here.
Iranian Foreign Minister expected in Moscow ahead of talks with Washington
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Moscow this week to discuss the ongoing talks between Iran and the United States, ahead of a new round of discussions with Washington on Saturday. Iran and the United States, which have not had diplomatic relations since 1980, held talks last Saturday, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, on the thorny issue of Iran's nuclear program.
Western countries, led by the United States, have long suspected Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Tehran rejects these allegations and defends its right to nuclear power for civilian purposes, particularly for energy. Iran and the United States agreed to continue talks on April 19, still under Omani mediation.
Before this new round of talks, Araghchi will travel to Moscow "at the end of the week," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said on Monday, adding that this visit would be "an opportunity to discuss the latest developments related to the negotiations." The Iranian foreign minister will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Moscow confirmed, without specifying the date of these discussions.
Hamas considers Israeli cease-fire proposal
On Monday, Hamas said it was examining an Israeli proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which, the U.N. warned, is experiencing "probably the worst" humanitarian situation since the start of the war.
Earlier, a Hamas official told AFP that the Israeli proposal for a temporary cease-fire, transmitted by Egyptian mediators, also suggests a "permanent end to the war" that Israel is making conditional on the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist movement, "a red line ... that is non-negotiable" for the latter. According to this official, the Israeli proposal would provide for "the release of half of the hostages" in the first week after the agreement in exchange for a cease-fire of "at least 45 days" and the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.
"The position of Hamas and the resistance factions is that the weapons of the resistance constitute a red line ... that is non-negotiable ," he told AFP. In a statement, the Palestinian movement said that its leadership was studying the proposal submitted by the mediators and that it "will present its response as soon as the necessary consultations are completed."
Israeli army claims to have eliminated 'an elite Hamas terrorist'
The Israeli army and the Shin Bet eliminated "an elite terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre and, later, in the release of hostages," Arabic-language army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.
"Two weeks ago, the Israeli army and the Shin Bet attacked the central Gaza Strip and eliminated Hamza Wael Mohammad Asfa, a terrorist who commanded an elite cell of the Hamas battalion in Deir al-Balah, which crossed the border and participated in the bloody massacre of Oct. 7," Adraee wrote. He also accused Asfa of having "participated in the release of the hostages Eliyahu Shara'abi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy."
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