Israeli army to 'focus' operations on Gaza City to 'decisively' strike Hamas | Live

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U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, accompanied by former envoy Morgan Ortagus, landed at Beirut airport on Sunday evening, according to reports.

Parliament Speaker and leader of the Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, Nabih Berri, who also spoke to al-Arabiya, called for a "dialogue about the decision of the monopoly of weapons in the hands of the state, but not in the way it is currently proposed."

"I will listen to the American envoy to find out his vision regarding the modalities of disarmament, but I have nothing to submit to him on my side," he said, while Tom Barrack is expected in Lebanon on Monday, along with his predecessor, Morgan Ortagus.

"There is no fear of a civil war or a threat to internal peace," Berri added that "no decision regarding the disarmament of a party can be implemented as long as Israel refuses to implement its commitments," including withdrawing from Lebanese territory and releasing Lebanese detainees in its prisons.

President Aoun also stressed that the Shiite community was "a fundamental element in Lebanon and there is no need to fear for one community or another." He said that Lebanon's neutrality, and keeping it away from conflicts, "is what protects it from all challenges." The Lebanese Army "is strong and carries out its missions in all regions of the country, which strengthens stability and reassures the Lebanese at home and abroad," he said.

On another level, the head of state rejected any "naturalization of Palestinians" in Lebanon, recalling that it was a "question falling under the National Pact."

Regarding relations with the Gulf, and especially with Saudi Arabia, Joseph Aoun explained that he had "told His Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman and everyone in the world: I don't want donations, I want investments. Investments can take many forms and we have many sectors in which you can invest."

"We are counting heavily on the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon's recovery. No one could renounce the relationship between our two countries," he stated.

"I promise the Lebanese, at home and abroad, that we will move forward. There will be no turning back," Joseph Aoun said. "Change does not happen overnight, but it has begun and it is tangible," adding that "steps that restore the confidence of the Lebanese and abroad in the state have been initiated."

"No one is protected, not even me. And the depositors' funds will return," he stated.

Joseph Aoun says he had "two options" regarding the Barrack plan: accept it or reject it and see Israeli attacks intensify.

"Everyone is in favor of Lebanon's neutrality, and this is what strengthens it and protects it against any challenge from any party," he added.

Regarding the U.S. roadmap approved by the government on Aug. 7, he stressed that he had "two options: either accept the document and ask the world to obtain Israel's agreement" to stop attacks targeting Lebanon, "or not accept it and see the aggression and economic isolation of Lebanon intensify."

"We have made comments on the American document, and it has thus become a Lebanese document," he responded to officials who criticized the plan presented by envoy Tom Barrack. "It only becomes enforceable after the approval of the relevant states, and we have insisted on the principle of 'step by step."

Joseph Aoun to al-Arabiya: It is unjustified to instill fear of the other among the Lebanese

"Iran is a friendly country, but on the basis of mutual respect and the preservation of sovereignty. We do not allow ourselves to intervene in its affairs or those of any other state, nor do we accept interference in our internal affairs," added Aoun, while the Iranian regime said it rejected the Lebanese government's decision to disarm Hezbollah.

For him, the warnings of civil war in the event of imposed disarmament, and "the fear of the other instilled among the Lebanese" were only "words, and they are not justified."

President Joseph Aoun is currently giving an interview on al-Arabiya.

Speaking to Lebanese journalist Layal al-Ikhtiyar, he said that Hezbollah's arming is "an internal matter and that it is the constitutional institutions that are competent to deal with this issue," referring to the government's decisions on Aug. 5 and 7 regarding the arms monopoly.

"I don't think anyone in the country has a problem with the principle of the arms monopoly," he added.

The Israeli army will "focus" its operations on Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian territory, to strike Hamas "decisively," its chief of staff announced.

"Today, we approve the plan for the next phase of the war," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in an army statement during a field visit to the Gaza Strip. 

"We will maintain the momentum of the operation" announced in mid-May by the army in the Palestinian territory, which has been at war for 22 months, "while focusing on Gaza City" – the largest city in the territory and, according to Israel, one of the last bastions of the Palestinian movement – he explained.

"We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, always keeping the hostages at the forefront of our concerns," he added.

Creation of a 'coalition of residents of southern border villages,' requesting state aid for reconstruction and compensation for families

Presenting itself as "neither affiliated nor opposed to any political party," a "coalition of residents of southern border villages," formed for the occasion, organized a press conference at 11 a.m. in Kfar Jouz (Nabatieh). "We reject all rumors about buffer zones being emptied of their inhabitants, because this land has owners who will not abandon it."

Denouncing the fact that "tens of thousands of displaced people are still scattered across the country, some still sheltering in schools," and that the "return rate does not exceed 10 percent of the pre-war population," the "coalition" addressed fourteen demands to the Lebanese state "and to all parties concerned," including the reconstruction of destroyed areas, the payment of compensation to victims, medical care and free education, the withdrawal of deposits blocked in banks, and the payment of a monthly amount of at least $300 per family as a housing allowance.

"We will knock on every door and carry out all possible and available forms of mobilization, in a democratic, legal, positive and peaceful manner," the statement said.

Protests to end Gaza war strengthen Hamas's position

Demonstrations in Israel demanding an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and the negotiated release of hostages are strengthening Hamas's position, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"Those who call today for an end to the war without a defeat for Hamas not only strengthen Hamas's position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of Oct. 7 will happen again and again, and that we will have to fight a war without end," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Israel on Sunday to demand a ceasefire agreement guaranteeing the release of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israeli soil, which triggered the war.

18 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings and gunfire

The Civil Defense in Gaza said 18 people were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday in Israeli shelling and gunfire. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told AFP that the dead included seven Palestinians killed at dawn by a drone strike in the courtyard of al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza City, in the starving northern territory.

According to witnesses, the victims were members of the Hamas-affiliated "Sahm Unit." This unit includes hundreds of security personnel and volunteers tasked with "providing aid and combating looters," according to Hamas sources.

'For every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die ... They need a Nakba from time to time,' says former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva.

In a series of undated recordings broadcast Friday evening by Israel's Channel 12 prime time network, former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, who resigned his post in April 2024, said that "the fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations," Israeli media reported.

"For everything that happened on Oct. 7, for every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die," he said. "I don't say this out of revenge, but as a message to future generations."

"They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences. There is no alternative in this disturbed neighborhood," he added.

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Thank you for joining us for our live coverage today.

Israeli army announces bombing of Houthi 'energy site'

The Israeli army announced this morning that it struck "an energy site" in the Sanaa region, used by Houthi rebels.

The Israeli army "carried out this strike at a distance of some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, in the heart of Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site used by the terrorist Houthi regime," the army said in a statement.

Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel 

Shortly after the Israeli strike on Sanaa, the Houthi military spokesperson announced "the imposition of a complete air blockade of Israel," saying it was acting "in response to the intensification of operations in Gaza."

"We will act to enforce this blockade by repeatedly targeting airports, particularly Lod Airport, known as Ben-Gurion," the spokesperson said, in comments reported by Al Jazeera.

Following the threats, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Air Europa, Spain's third-largest airline, canceled all of its flights scheduled for Monday between Madrid and Tel Aviv.

Protests in Israel demand the release of Gaza hostages

Demonstrations have begun in several Israeli cities calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in the Gaza Strip and secure an agreement for the release of the hostages held there. A huge Israeli flag, adorned with portraits of the kidnapped, was unfurled in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," which has become iconic since the start of the war.

Sunday's demonstration comes as Israel announced it was preparing to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps with the stated goal of defeating the Palestinian movement and freeing the hostages. This announcement has sparked fears among hostage families in Israel, who fear the operation could result in the deaths of their loved ones.

US suspends humanitarian visas for Gazans

The State Department announced yesterday that it was suspending medical visas for Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip pending an investigation, after a far-right influencer, who has Donald Trump's ear, denounced this humanitarian policy.

"All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are suspended while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used in recent days to grant a small number of temporary medical and humanitarian visas," the State Department said on X.

This announcement by the State Department, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, follows social media posts by Laura Loomer, a far-right journalist and influencer. She announced Friday that she complained to Republican congressmen about the arrival of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States who "work for pro-Hamas Islamic organizations ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar."

Sharaa meets Patriarch Yazigi

In Syria, President Ahmad al-Sharaa met the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, in Damascus yesterday, the presidency reported on Telegram.

The two men discussed the "role of the Church" in consolidating national unity in Syria and preserving civil peace.

This meeting took place nearly two months after the attack on the Saint Elijah Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, which left 25 dead and 63 injured. The attack was claimed a few days later by a mysterious Syrian jihadist group calling itself "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" ("Brigade of Supporters of the Sunnis"). Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State.

Explosion heard in the Kfar Kila region

At dawn, a powerful explosion of still unknown origin was heard in the Kfar Kila region, according to local sources speaking to L'Orient Today's correspondent. The blast was heard in several nearby villages.