Israeli drone strike in Bint Jbeil district leaves four injured | LIVE

Health Ministry announces that the Israeli strike in Shaqra injured four people.

An Israeli drone strike targeted an unoccupied house in the town of Shaqra (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent, who reports several people were injured.

Israel says world has an 'obligation' to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear bomb

Israel’s Foreign Minister declared that the world “has an obligation” to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, three days after Israel proclaimed a “historic victory” over Iran and claimed to have “destroyed its nuclear project” during their brief conflict with the Islamic Republic.

“Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the international community. Iran continues to call for and act toward the elimination of Israel. The international community now has the obligation to prevent, by all appropriate means, the world’s most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon,” wrote Gideon Saar on social media platform X.

The Lebanese Army’s engineering regiment completed its inspection tour in Khiam, according to our correspondent. Field findings showed that no houses were rigged with explosives, contrary to earlier claims made by the Israeli army.

Turning to Lebanon, Trump stated: “The United States is with Lebanon until the end.” He praised the country as a “great country, with brilliant people,” noting in particular Lebanon’s strong reputation for education:

“It’s a country known for its teachers and one that has an incredible history,” he said. “We hope to bring it back to what it once was.”

He also said his administration would “try to restore order in Beirut” amid rising tensions linked to Hezbollah’s influence in the country.

Trump affirms support for Lebanon, taunts Iran’s Supreme Leader

At a press conference at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a series of sharp statements on the Middle East, notably targeting Iran’s leadership and reaffirming his administration’s commitment to Lebanon.

On Iran, Trump responded to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s downplaying of recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. “You got beat to hell,” Trump said, adding:

“You are a man of great faith, a man who is very respected in your country. You must tell the truth: you got beat to hell. And Israel got demolished too — they both got demolished.”

He went on to describe the recently agreed ceasefire between Israel and Iran as timely: “It was the right moment to end the war.”

So far, UNIFIL forces have not shown up to accompany the Lebanese Army to Wadi al-Asafir, where homes are under threat of demolition by the Israeli army, according to our correspondent in South Lebanon.

Netanyahu denounces report alleging Israeli army involved in civilian massacres

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "categorically rejected" a report by the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which alleged that Israeli soldiers were ordered to open fire on unarmed civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

"The State of Israel categorically rejects the vile accusations of ritual murder published in Haaretz," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to AFP. "These are malicious lies intended to smear the Israel Defense Forces, the most moral army in the world," the statement added.

The term ritual murder refers to a centuries-old antisemitic libel falsely claiming that Jews murdered non-Jewish children for religious purposes.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency and L’Orient Today’s correspondent in South Lebanon, the Lebanese Army is currently on-site in Khiam, inspecting three homes that the Israeli army has reportedly threatened to blow up.

Searching for food must not become a 'death sentence,' says UN Chief

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly criticized the new "militarized" system of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, warning that it is putting lives at risk.

“People are being killed simply for trying to feed themselves and their families. Searching for food must never be a death sentence,” he told reporters in New York. While not naming the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose Israel- and US-backed aid distribution has often led to chaotic and deadly scenes, Guterres clearly denounced the current setup.

“Any operation that funnels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently dangerous. It kills people,” he said, pointing to the “humanitarian crisis of terrifying proportions” caused by Israel’s military operations following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.

In early March, Israel imposed a humanitarian blockade on Gaza, resulting in severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential goods. While some restrictions were eased in late May with the start of GHF distributions, conditions remain dire.

Israeli army denies instructing soldiers to shoot civilians at Gaza aid points

The Israeli military has “strongly rejected” allegations made in a Haaretz report that soldiers were instructed to deliberately shoot at Palestinian civilians gathering at aid distribution points in Gaza.

In a statement posted to its official Telegram channel in English and reported by Al Jazeera, the army said that its “directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.”

“Any allegation of a deviation from the law or [military] directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary,” the statement added. “The allegations of deliberate fire toward civilians presented in the article are not recognized in the field.”

50th Palestine Red Crescent medic killed by Israel in Gaza

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced on Friday that the 50th member of its medical team has been killed in Gaza since the war began.

According to a PRCS statement cited by Reuters, Haitham Bassam Abu Issa, a nurse at the PRCS clinic in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, was killed while off duty on Thursday.

“This brings the total number of PRCS staff and volunteers killed during the conflict to 50 – a deeply shocking figure,” the organization said, highlighting the devastating toll the war has taken on healthcare workers in the territory.

Gaza Media Office claims drugs found in aid flour bags distributed by US-Israeli centres

Gaza’s Government Media Office has expressed “deep concern and condemnation” over what it alleges is the discovery of narcotic pills inside flour bags distributed through US- and Israeli-backed aid centres in the besieged enclave, according to a statement published on Telegram and reported by Al Jazeera.

The office claims that “Oxycodone pills” were found in several bags, adding: “We have so far documented four testimonies from citizens who found these pills inside flour bags. More serious is the possibility that some of these narcotic substances were deliberately ground or dissolved in the flour itself, which raises the scope of the crime and transforms it into a serious attack directly targeting public health.”

The statement accuses Israel of “spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within” as part of what it describes as a systematic policy of genocide.

Calling the alleged act “a war crime and a grave violation of international humanitarian law,” the Media Office warned that the use of drugs as “a soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians” is a serious escalation.

Gaza Civil Defense announced Friday that 62 people were killed by what it says were Israeli army strikes or gunfire across the war-torn Palestinian territory, according to AFP.

“In total, 62 Palestinians have been killed so far due to the ongoing Israeli [attacks] on the Gaza Strip today [Friday], including 10 who were waiting for humanitarian aid,” Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the emergency response agency, told AFP late in the afternoon.

Israeli army to draft 'action plan' for Iran, says Defense Minister Katz

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on X that he had "asked the army to prepare an action plan against Iran, which includes maintaining Israel’s air superiority, preventing nuclear advancement and missile production, and responding to Iran’s support for terrorist activities," according to Haaretz.

Israeli army denies targeting civilian building in Nabatiyeh

Following a series of Israeli strikes in Nabatiyeh, including a drone strike on a building in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, which killed one person, the Israeli army has denied that it targeted a "civilian building.".

The Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stressed that, according to his "information," the building had been hit by a "shell that was on the site targeted in the first strikes, which was propelled and exploded."

He reiterated his accusations against Hezbollah, which he said "stores shells close to homes," and held the Lebanese government "responsible, insofar as it has not seized Hezbollah's heavy weapons and shells."

Israeli army threatens to blow up three houses in Khiam

The Israeli army has threatened to blow up three houses in the southern village of Khiam (Marjayoun district), which it says its soldiers had infiltrated earlier and rigged with explosives.

Israel informed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army via the cease-fire monitoring committee of its intentions. The Lebanese Army subsequently cut off the roads leading to the area, according to information from our correspondent in the South.

Following the ostensible cease-fire agreement in November, Israeli troops continued to carry our extensive demolition campaigns in southern Lebanese border villages, leveling entire neighborhoods and at times even entire villages.

Israeli army denies bombing residential building in Nabatieh Fawqa

The Israeli army denied targeting a “civilian building,” after an apartment building in Nabatieh Fawqa was hit, killing one woman and injuring 13 others, earlier this afternoon. The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, claimed that, according to his “information,” the building was hit by a “shell that was on the site targeted in the first strikes, which was propelled and exploded.”

The apartment was struck sometime after two waves of heavy bombardments had hit the hills opposite the village.

He reiterated his accusations against Hezbollah, which he said “stores shells near residential areas.” The Israeli army's most sensitive military site is located in the heart of Tel Aviv, including a vast underground bunker and missile launchers that make up its aerial defense system.

Haaretz report reveals Israeli soldiers ordered to fire on Palestinians at aid sites

"It's a killing field," one soldier told Haaretz. "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.T hen, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire."

"I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire," the soldier added. "There's no enemy, no weapons." He said these actions are referred to as "Operation Salted Fish," the name of the Israeli version of the children's game "Red light, green light."

Read more about the revealing report here. 👈

Israeli army kills 72 Palestinians in Gaza in the last 24 hours

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the bodies of at least 72 people have arrived at hospitals in the Strip over the last 24 hours, as well as 174 wounded people, Al Jazeera reports.

Since Israel broke a truce agreed upon with Hamas in March, at least 6,008 Palestinians have been killed and more than 20,591 have been wounded.

The total death toll from the Israeli attacks has risen to 56,331, with 132,632 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023. Thousands more are thought to be still buried under the rubble that covered much of the besieged and demolished enclave.

Netanyahu tries (again) to postpone his corruption trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a second request to postpone his corruption hearings after the first was rejected this morning by the Jerusalem District Court for failing to provide any justification.

According to the Times of Israel, this time, Netanyahu has reportedly attached a copy of his schedule for the next week as evidence for why he believes his hearing should be postponed.

Yesterday, Trump called for Netanyahu's corruption charges to be dropped, in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform that followed some of the harshest criticisms the president has so far levied at Israel, the day before, as he sought to enforce the Israel-Iran cease-fire.

MSF calls for US organization in Gaza, 'slaughter masquerading as aid,' to be dismantled

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called for the controversial Israeli-backed and U.S.-run "humanitarian organization" in Gaza to be halted, saying it was "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid," AFP reports.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, launched last month, "is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies," MSF said in a statement, demanding that the scheme be "immediately dismantled."

In the last month, at least 549 Palestinians were killed trying to access aid at one of the four sites belonging to this group and a recent Haaretz report revealed that Israeli soldiers had been ordered to open fire on people arriving for aid as a form of "crowd control."

Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran

Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure, Reuters reveals in an extensive report.

Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said.

With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a cease-fire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said.

Not only would a cease-fire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said.

Read the full report here. 👈

'Israel continues to ignore calls to cease violence,' says Aoun

President Joseph Aoun has also condemned Israel's three waves of attacks against the Nabatieh district, north of the Litani River, earlier this afternoon, saying the strikes targeted “innocent residents” and demonstrated Israel's "ongoing violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and last November's agreement.”

“Israel continues to ignore regional and international resolutions and calls to cease violence and escalation in the region,” he wrote in a statement published on the presidency's X account. Israel's ongoing aggressions  “require effective action by the international community to put an end to these attacks, which do not serve the efforts to consolidate stability in Lebanon and the countries of the region,” he said.

⚡ Woman killed, 20 injured in two waves of Israeli bombardment and drone strike in south Lebanon

The Ministry of Health released an updated toll for the heavy bombardment of Nabatieh district by the Israeli army earlier this afternoon, increasing the number of injured in the first two waves of bombings on the hills opposite the village of Nabatieh Fawqa to seven.

It also announced that 13 people were injured in the drone strike that followed shortly after the attack on the hills, hitting an apartment building in Nabatieh Fawqa itself.

The number of those killed remains one: the woman whose death we reported earlier, whose name is Afaf Shahrour.

Salam condemns Israeli strikes on Nabatieh district as 'flagrant violation of national sovereignty'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he “strongly condemns Israeli attacks in the Nabatieh area," adding that they "constitute a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and the terms of the cease-fire agreement reached last November,” in a message posted on his X account.

These strikes, he added, represent “a threat to the stability we are committed to preserving.”

'It's like the South isn't in Lebanon,' residents say in aftermath of Israeli attack

Ali Hashem, who works as a delivery driver said he rushed from Saida to the site of the Israeli strike in Nabatiah Fawqa because his girlfriend lives in Nabatieh. "She was really traumatized after the war, so I headed there to be there for her."

"Nabatieh does not look like Nabatieh anymore," he said.

Another resident of Nabatieh, Hussein Tarhini, told L'Orient Today, "It's like the South isn't in Lebanon. We are being bombed and an hour away in Beirut as if we aren't Lebanese."

"If Hezbollah hadn't been weakened in the last war all this wouldn't be happening," he added.

⚡ Third Israeli attack on Nabatieh, drone strike targets building in Nabatieh Fawqa

An explosion heard by residents following the two air raids on the hills opposite Nabatieh Fawqa is confirmed to have been a targeted drone strike on a building in the village of Nabatieh Fawqa itself, according to our correspondent in the South.

A video of the targeted building shows its upper floors destroyed. Ambulances are on site and initial reports indicate a woman has been killed and four people have been injured.

Several in hospital after Nabatieh strikes

According to an initial assessment of the casualties as a result of the two consecutive Israeli bombardments in Nabatieh district, one passerby was injured, not seriously, by air strikes on the road connecting Kfar Tibnit to the Litani Valley, west of the Ali al-Taher forest and several individuals who went into shock during the raids were also transported to hospital.

Nabatieh strikes: Israeli army says it 'detected attempts to rebuild' Hezbollah tunnels

Shortly after the strikes, the Israeli army announced in a statement on X that it had attacked “a site used to manage Hezbollah's fire and protection systems,” which it said was “part of an underground project that was put out of service following Israeli army raids in the area,” without specifying the date.

The army reportedly “detected attempts at reconstruction, and the terrorist infrastructure in the area was therefore attacked,” the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote in the statement.

The November truce agreement mandated the establishment of a cease-fire monitoring committee through which Israel and Lebanon are meant to file their complaints of violations.

Residents shelter in their homes as the sounds of explosions continues

"I'm hiding with my brother in the corridor of our house because it's the safest place," Dana*, a resident of Nabatieh, told L'Orient Today.

"Where is the prime minister, [Nawaf Salam]? And the president, [Joseph Aoun], who repeatedly claims he wants to protect the people of the South?" she asked.

Other Nabatieh residents told L'Orient Today that their houses shook and the ground trembled during the raid and that windows of some of the houses shattered with the force of the explosions.

Residents of Nabatieh Fawqa have told our correspondent in the South that numerous explosions could still be heard in the targeted areas even after the supposed end of the raids.

Israeli jets launched 15 strikes in 20 minutes

As was the case on Monday, the Israeli army targeted an area north of the Litani River with over a dozen strikes in less than 20 minutes, according to an initial evaluation of the strikes and the area hit, which is located east of Nabatieh Fawqa, between Kfar Tibnit, Ali al-Taher, and the Tahra hills, according to further details from our correspondent.

Fire breaks out at site of strikes, located north of Litani

A fire has broken out in the forest that covers the hills of Ali al-Taher, where the Israeli bombardment just took place.

It's worth nothing that the site of these strikes is approximately six kilometers north of the Litani River, which is used to demarcate the area in which the cease-fire's stipulations apply: Hezbollah had agreed to remove all military personnel and infrastructure from the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River.

Second wave of strikes at same site in Nabatieh district

Another round of Israeli bombardments are being unleashed against the same hills of Ali al-Taher, as first responders were already rushing to the scene following the initial strikes.

🔴 Heavy Israeli bombardment near Nabatieh Fawqa, south Lebanon

Israeli jets have targeted the hills of Ali al-Taher, opposite the village of Nabatieh Fawqa, in Nabatieh district, with a series of heavy bombardments, according to our correspondent, who reports that Israeli fighter jets continue to fly low over the area.

Information on casualties is not yet available but ambulances are reportedly heading to the site of the strikes.

Israel says half of Iran's missiles launchers hit, thousands of centrifuges destroyed

Now that the U.S. has brokered — and enforced — a cease-fire between Iran and Israel, with all three militaries claiming victory, Israel has detailed what it says are its achievements in the campaign it waged.

The Israeli army claims to have destroyed "thousands of centrifuges," the devices used in uranium enrichment to separate the chemical components, and 200 missile launch pads, 200, which it says is about half of Iran's total stock.

More than 35 missile production sites were bombed, the Israeli statement continues, more than 80 surface-to-air missile platforms hit, 15 Iranian aircraft destroyed, six airports targeted, "hundreds of members of the Iranian military forces eliminated, dozens of military command centers struck, and more than 30 of the top leaders of the Iranian regime's military and security apparatus were eliminated."

Read the full report here.  👈

South Lebanon: Aita al-Shaab and Haramoun hill bombed, border town raided

The Israeli army bombed the Shouat neighborhood of Aita al-Shaab, in Bint Jbeil district twice last night, once around 10 p.m. and again around 11 p.m., continuing its daily violations of the cease-fire agreement.

Israeli tanks also fired artillery shells at Aita al-Shaab around the time of the first drone strike, according to information from our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.

Israeli machine gun fire targeted the outskirts of Kfar Kila, in Marjayoun district, and tanks fired on Haramoun hill, in Bint Jbeil district. At 2 a.m., Israeli troops stationed at the "Radar" military outpost, one of five it illegally occupies on Lebanese territory along the Blue Line, raided the outskirts of the Hasbaya district village of Shebaa, advancing using machine gun fire.

Yesterday, the Israeli army killed two people in two separate drone strikes. Read a summary of yesterday's events here. 👈

Palestinians gather at an aid distribution point set up by the privately-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)

US gives Gaza aid group $30 million amid daily killings

The U.S. State Department announced Thursday that it had approved $30 million in funding for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation backed by Israel and run by U.S. contractors as an aid distribution mechanism in the besieged Gaza Strip, the New York Times reports.

In the last month of operations in the Strip, 549 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect aid boxes from the GHF distribution sites, which have been heavily criticized by humanitarian organizations and even its former CEOs.

State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said the GHF was “absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported.”

Read more here. 👈

Iran denies US claims of re-launched nuclear talks

Iran denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of U.S. strikes, AFP reports.

The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S., but Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff both told the media that negotiations were underway, with Trump specifying Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week.

But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was "speculation" that Tehran would come to the table and said it "should not be taken seriously."

"I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations," he said on state television. "No plan has been set yet to start negotiations."

More details here. 👈

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, notably the aftermath of the 12-day Israel-Iran war and questions around the effects of Israeli and U.S bombings against Iranian nuclear facilities. The world is also turning its attention back to Gaza, where already catastrophic conditions have become even more so.

📌 Catch up on yesterday's live coverage here. 👈

☕ Read the Morning Brief here.  👈

Health Ministry announces that the Israeli strike in Shaqra injured four people.

An Israeli drone strike targeted an unoccupied house in the town of Shaqra (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent, who reports several people were injured.

Israel says world has an 'obligation' to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear bomb

Israel’s Foreign Minister declared that the world “has an obligation” to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, three days after Israel proclaimed a “historic victory” over Iran and claimed to have “destroyed its nuclear project” during their brief conflict with the Islamic Republic.

“Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the international community. Iran continues to call for and act toward the elimination of Israel. The international community now has the obligation to prevent, by all appropriate means, the world’s most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon,” wrote Gideon Saar on social media platform X.

The Lebanese Army’s engineering regiment completed its inspection tour in Khiam, according to our correspondent. Field findings showed that no houses were rigged with explosives, contrary to earlier claims made by the Israeli army.

Turning to Lebanon, Trump stated: “The United States is with Lebanon until the end.” He praised the country as a “great country, with brilliant people,” noting in particular Lebanon’s strong reputation for education:

“It’s a country known for its teachers and one that has an incredible history,” he said. “We hope to bring it back to what it once was.”

He also said his administration would “try to restore order in Beirut” amid rising tensions linked to Hezbollah’s influence in the country.

Trump affirms support for Lebanon, taunts Iran’s Supreme Leader

At a press conference at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a series of sharp statements on the Middle East, notably targeting Iran’s leadership and reaffirming his administration’s commitment to Lebanon.

On Iran, Trump responded to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s downplaying of recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. “You got beat to hell,” Trump said, adding:

“You are a man of great faith, a man who is very respected in your country. You must tell the truth: you got beat to hell. And Israel got demolished too — they both got demolished.”

He went on to describe the recently agreed ceasefire between Israel and Iran as timely: “It was the right moment to end the war.”

So far, UNIFIL forces have not shown up to accompany the Lebanese Army to Wadi al-Asafir, where homes are under threat of demolition by the Israeli army, according to our correspondent in South Lebanon.

Netanyahu denounces report alleging Israeli army involved in civilian massacres

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "categorically rejected" a report by the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which alleged that Israeli soldiers were ordered to open fire on unarmed civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

"The State of Israel categorically rejects the vile accusations of ritual murder published in Haaretz," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to AFP. "These are malicious lies intended to smear the Israel Defense Forces, the most moral army in the world," the statement added.

The term ritual murder refers to a centuries-old antisemitic libel falsely claiming that Jews murdered non-Jewish children for religious purposes.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency and L’Orient Today’s correspondent in South Lebanon, the Lebanese Army is currently on-site in Khiam, inspecting three homes that the Israeli army has reportedly threatened to blow up.

Searching for food must not become a 'death sentence,' says UN Chief

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly criticized the new "militarized" system of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, warning that it is putting lives at risk.

“People are being killed simply for trying to feed themselves and their families. Searching for food must never be a death sentence,” he told reporters in New York. While not naming the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose Israel- and US-backed aid distribution has often led to chaotic and deadly scenes, Guterres clearly denounced the current setup.

“Any operation that funnels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently dangerous. It kills people,” he said, pointing to the “humanitarian crisis of terrifying proportions” caused by Israel’s military operations following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.

In early March, Israel imposed a humanitarian blockade on Gaza, resulting in severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential goods. While some restrictions were eased in late May with the start of GHF distributions, conditions remain dire.

Israeli army denies instructing soldiers to shoot civilians at Gaza aid points

The Israeli military has “strongly rejected” allegations made in a Haaretz report that soldiers were instructed to deliberately shoot at Palestinian civilians gathering at aid distribution points in Gaza.

In a statement posted to its official Telegram channel in English and reported by Al Jazeera, the army said that its “directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.”

“Any allegation of a deviation from the law or [military] directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary,” the statement added. “The allegations of deliberate fire toward civilians presented in the article are not recognized in the field.”

50th Palestine Red Crescent medic killed by Israel in Gaza

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced on Friday that the 50th member of its medical team has been killed in Gaza since the war began.

According to a PRCS statement cited by Reuters, Haitham Bassam Abu Issa, a nurse at the PRCS clinic in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, was killed while off duty on Thursday.

“This brings the total number of PRCS staff and volunteers killed during the conflict to 50 – a deeply shocking figure,” the organization said, highlighting the devastating toll the war has taken on healthcare workers in the territory.

Gaza Media Office claims drugs found in aid flour bags distributed by US-Israeli centres

Gaza’s Government Media Office has expressed “deep concern and condemnation” over what it alleges is the discovery of narcotic pills inside flour bags distributed through US- and Israeli-backed aid centres in the besieged enclave, according to a statement published on Telegram and reported by Al Jazeera.

The office claims that “Oxycodone pills” were found in several bags, adding: “We have so far documented four testimonies from citizens who found these pills inside flour bags. More serious is the possibility that some of these narcotic substances were deliberately ground or dissolved in the flour itself, which raises the scope of the crime and transforms it into a serious attack directly targeting public health.”

The statement accuses Israel of “spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within” as part of what it describes as a systematic policy of genocide.

Calling the alleged act “a war crime and a grave violation of international humanitarian law,” the Media Office warned that the use of drugs as “a soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians” is a serious escalation.

Gaza Civil Defense announced Friday that 62 people were killed by what it says were Israeli army strikes or gunfire across the war-torn Palestinian territory, according to AFP.

“In total, 62 Palestinians have been killed so far due to the ongoing Israeli [attacks] on the Gaza Strip today [Friday], including 10 who were waiting for humanitarian aid,” Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the emergency response agency, told AFP late in the afternoon.

Israeli army to draft 'action plan' for Iran, says Defense Minister Katz

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on X that he had "asked the army to prepare an action plan against Iran, which includes maintaining Israel’s air superiority, preventing nuclear advancement and missile production, and responding to Iran’s support for terrorist activities," according to Haaretz.

Israeli army denies targeting civilian building in Nabatiyeh

Following a series of Israeli strikes in Nabatiyeh, including a drone strike on a building in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, which killed one person, the Israeli army has denied that it targeted a "civilian building.".

The Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stressed that, according to his "information," the building had been hit by a "shell that was on the site targeted in the first strikes, which was propelled and exploded."

He reiterated his accusations against Hezbollah, which he said "stores shells close to homes," and held the Lebanese government "responsible, insofar as it has not seized Hezbollah's heavy weapons and shells."

Israeli army threatens to blow up three houses in Khiam

The Israeli army has threatened to blow up three houses in the southern village of Khiam (Marjayoun district), which it says its soldiers had infiltrated earlier and rigged with explosives.

Israel informed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army via the cease-fire monitoring committee of its intentions. The Lebanese Army subsequently cut off the roads leading to the area, according to information from our correspondent in the South.

Following the ostensible cease-fire agreement in November, Israeli troops continued to carry our extensive demolition campaigns in southern Lebanese border villages, leveling entire neighborhoods and at times even entire villages.

Israeli army denies bombing residential building in Nabatieh Fawqa

The Israeli army denied targeting a “civilian building,” after an apartment building in Nabatieh Fawqa was hit, killing one woman and injuring 13 others, earlier this afternoon. The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, claimed that, according to his “information,” the building was hit by a “shell that was on the site targeted in the first strikes, which was propelled and exploded.”

The apartment was struck sometime after two waves of heavy bombardments had hit the hills opposite the village.

He reiterated his accusations against Hezbollah, which he said “stores shells near residential areas.” The Israeli army's most sensitive military site is located in the heart of Tel Aviv, including a vast underground bunker and missile launchers that make up its aerial defense system.

Haaretz report reveals Israeli soldiers ordered to fire on Palestinians at aid sites

"It's a killing field," one soldier told Haaretz. "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.T hen, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire."

"I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire," the soldier added. "There's no enemy, no weapons." He said these actions are referred to as "Operation Salted Fish," the name of the Israeli version of the children's game "Red light, green light."

Read more about the revealing report here. 👈

Israeli army kills 72 Palestinians in Gaza in the last 24 hours

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the bodies of at least 72 people have arrived at hospitals in the Strip over the last 24 hours, as well as 174 wounded people, Al Jazeera reports.

Since Israel broke a truce agreed upon with Hamas in March, at least 6,008 Palestinians have been killed and more than 20,591 have been wounded.

The total death toll from the Israeli attacks has risen to 56,331, with 132,632 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023. Thousands more are thought to be still buried under the rubble that covered much of the besieged and demolished enclave.

Netanyahu tries (again) to postpone his corruption trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a second request to postpone his corruption hearings after the first was rejected this morning by the Jerusalem District Court for failing to provide any justification.

According to the Times of Israel, this time, Netanyahu has reportedly attached a copy of his schedule for the next week as evidence for why he believes his hearing should be postponed.

Yesterday, Trump called for Netanyahu's corruption charges to be dropped, in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform that followed some of the harshest criticisms the president has so far levied at Israel, the day before, as he sought to enforce the Israel-Iran cease-fire.

MSF calls for US organization in Gaza, 'slaughter masquerading as aid,' to be dismantled

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called for the controversial Israeli-backed and U.S.-run "humanitarian organization" in Gaza to be halted, saying it was "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid," AFP reports.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, launched last month, "is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies," MSF said in a statement, demanding that the scheme be "immediately dismantled."

In the last month, at least 549 Palestinians were killed trying to access aid at one of the four sites belonging to this group and a recent Haaretz report revealed that Israeli soldiers had been ordered to open fire on people arriving for aid as a form of "crowd control."

Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran

Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure, Reuters reveals in an extensive report.

Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said.

With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a cease-fire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said.

Not only would a cease-fire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said.

Read the full report here. 👈

'Israel continues to ignore calls to cease violence,' says Aoun

President Joseph Aoun has also condemned Israel's three waves of attacks against the Nabatieh district, north of the Litani River, earlier this afternoon, saying the strikes targeted “innocent residents” and demonstrated Israel's "ongoing violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and last November's agreement.”

“Israel continues to ignore regional and international resolutions and calls to cease violence and escalation in the region,” he wrote in a statement published on the presidency's X account. Israel's ongoing aggressions  “require effective action by the international community to put an end to these attacks, which do not serve the efforts to consolidate stability in Lebanon and the countries of the region,” he said.

⚡ Woman killed, 20 injured in two waves of Israeli bombardment and drone strike in south Lebanon

The Ministry of Health released an updated toll for the heavy bombardment of Nabatieh district by the Israeli army earlier this afternoon, increasing the number of injured in the first two waves of bombings on the hills opposite the village of Nabatieh Fawqa to seven.

It also announced that 13 people were injured in the drone strike that followed shortly after the attack on the hills, hitting an apartment building in Nabatieh Fawqa itself.

The number of those killed remains one: the woman whose death we reported earlier, whose name is Afaf Shahrour.

Salam condemns Israeli strikes on Nabatieh district as 'flagrant violation of national sovereignty'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he “strongly condemns Israeli attacks in the Nabatieh area," adding that they "constitute a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and the terms of the cease-fire agreement reached last November,” in a message posted on his X account.

These strikes, he added, represent “a threat to the stability we are committed to preserving.”

'It's like the South isn't in Lebanon,' residents say in aftermath of Israeli attack

Ali Hashem, who works as a delivery driver said he rushed from Saida to the site of the Israeli strike in Nabatiah Fawqa because his girlfriend lives in Nabatieh. "She was really traumatized after the war, so I headed there to be there for her."

"Nabatieh does not look like Nabatieh anymore," he said.

Another resident of Nabatieh, Hussein Tarhini, told L'Orient Today, "It's like the South isn't in Lebanon. We are being bombed and an hour away in Beirut as if we aren't Lebanese."

"If Hezbollah hadn't been weakened in the last war all this wouldn't be happening," he added.

⚡ Third Israeli attack on Nabatieh, drone strike targets building in Nabatieh Fawqa

An explosion heard by residents following the two air raids on the hills opposite Nabatieh Fawqa is confirmed to have been a targeted drone strike on a building in the village of Nabatieh Fawqa itself, according to our correspondent in the South.

A video of the targeted building shows its upper floors destroyed. Ambulances are on site and initial reports indicate a woman has been killed and four people have been injured.

Several in hospital after Nabatieh strikes

According to an initial assessment of the casualties as a result of the two consecutive Israeli bombardments in Nabatieh district, one passerby was injured, not seriously, by air strikes on the road connecting Kfar Tibnit to the Litani Valley, west of the Ali al-Taher forest and several individuals who went into shock during the raids were also transported to hospital.

Nabatieh strikes: Israeli army says it 'detected attempts to rebuild' Hezbollah tunnels

Shortly after the strikes, the Israeli army announced in a statement on X that it had attacked “a site used to manage Hezbollah's fire and protection systems,” which it said was “part of an underground project that was put out of service following Israeli army raids in the area,” without specifying the date.

The army reportedly “detected attempts at reconstruction, and the terrorist infrastructure in the area was therefore attacked,” the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote in the statement.

The November truce agreement mandated the establishment of a cease-fire monitoring committee through which Israel and Lebanon are meant to file their complaints of violations.

Residents shelter in their homes as the sounds of explosions continues

"I'm hiding with my brother in the corridor of our house because it's the safest place," Dana*, a resident of Nabatieh, told L'Orient Today.

"Where is the prime minister, [Nawaf Salam]? And the president, [Joseph Aoun], who repeatedly claims he wants to protect the people of the South?" she asked.

Other Nabatieh residents told L'Orient Today that their houses shook and the ground trembled during the raid and that windows of some of the houses shattered with the force of the explosions.

Residents of Nabatieh Fawqa have told our correspondent in the South that numerous explosions could still be heard in the targeted areas even after the supposed end of the raids.

Israeli jets launched 15 strikes in 20 minutes

As was the case on Monday, the Israeli army targeted an area north of the Litani River with over a dozen strikes in less than 20 minutes, according to an initial evaluation of the strikes and the area hit, which is located east of Nabatieh Fawqa, between Kfar Tibnit, Ali al-Taher, and the Tahra hills, according to further details from our correspondent.

Fire breaks out at site of strikes, located north of Litani

A fire has broken out in the forest that covers the hills of Ali al-Taher, where the Israeli bombardment just took place.

It's worth nothing that the site of these strikes is approximately six kilometers north of the Litani River, which is used to demarcate the area in which the cease-fire's stipulations apply: Hezbollah had agreed to remove all military personnel and infrastructure from the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River.

Second wave of strikes at same site in Nabatieh district

Another round of Israeli bombardments are being unleashed against the same hills of Ali al-Taher, as first responders were already rushing to the scene following the initial strikes.

🔴 Heavy Israeli bombardment near Nabatieh Fawqa, south Lebanon

Israeli jets have targeted the hills of Ali al-Taher, opposite the village of Nabatieh Fawqa, in Nabatieh district, with a series of heavy bombardments, according to our correspondent, who reports that Israeli fighter jets continue to fly low over the area.

Information on casualties is not yet available but ambulances are reportedly heading to the site of the strikes.

Israel says half of Iran's missiles launchers hit, thousands of centrifuges destroyed

Now that the U.S. has brokered — and enforced — a cease-fire between Iran and Israel, with all three militaries claiming victory, Israel has detailed what it says are its achievements in the campaign it waged.

The Israeli army claims to have destroyed "thousands of centrifuges," the devices used in uranium enrichment to separate the chemical components, and 200 missile launch pads, 200, which it says is about half of Iran's total stock.

More than 35 missile production sites were bombed, the Israeli statement continues, more than 80 surface-to-air missile platforms hit, 15 Iranian aircraft destroyed, six airports targeted, "hundreds of members of the Iranian military forces eliminated, dozens of military command centers struck, and more than 30 of the top leaders of the Iranian regime's military and security apparatus were eliminated."

Read the full report here.  👈

South Lebanon: Aita al-Shaab and Haramoun hill bombed, border town raided

The Israeli army bombed the Shouat neighborhood of Aita al-Shaab, in Bint Jbeil district twice last night, once around 10 p.m. and again around 11 p.m., continuing its daily violations of the cease-fire agreement.

Israeli tanks also fired artillery shells at Aita al-Shaab around the time of the first drone strike, according to information from our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.

Israeli machine gun fire targeted the outskirts of Kfar Kila, in Marjayoun district, and tanks fired on Haramoun hill, in Bint Jbeil district. At 2 a.m., Israeli troops stationed at the "Radar" military outpost, one of five it illegally occupies on Lebanese territory along the Blue Line, raided the outskirts of the Hasbaya district village of Shebaa, advancing using machine gun fire.

Yesterday, the Israeli army killed two people in two separate drone strikes. Read a summary of yesterday's events here. 👈

Palestinians gather at an aid distribution point set up by the privately-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)

US gives Gaza aid group $30 million amid daily killings

The U.S. State Department announced Thursday that it had approved $30 million in funding for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation backed by Israel and run by U.S. contractors as an aid distribution mechanism in the besieged Gaza Strip, the New York Times reports.

In the last month of operations in the Strip, 549 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect aid boxes from the GHF distribution sites, which have been heavily criticized by humanitarian organizations and even its former CEOs.

State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said the GHF was “absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported.”

Read more here. 👈

Iran denies US claims of re-launched nuclear talks

Iran denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of U.S. strikes, AFP reports.

The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S., but Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff both told the media that negotiations were underway, with Trump specifying Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week.

But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was "speculation" that Tehran would come to the table and said it "should not be taken seriously."

"I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations," he said on state television. "No plan has been set yet to start negotiations."

More details here. 👈

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, notably the aftermath of the 12-day Israel-Iran war and questions around the effects of Israeli and U.S bombings against Iranian nuclear facilities. The world is also turning its attention back to Gaza, where already catastrophic conditions have become even more so.

📌 Catch up on yesterday's live coverage here. 👈

☕ Read the Morning Brief here.  👈