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Western pressure on Iran mounts
Iran has not yet fulfilled the conditions set by France, Britain, and Germany to avoid the reinstatement of U.N. sanctions, a French diplomatic source said after Tuesday's meeting between their ministers and their Iranian counterpart.
"For the moment, Iran has not met the conditions, but discussions will continue in order to explore all possibilities," the source told Reuters.
"We remain mobilized until the last moment. The ball is in Iran's court," the source added, specifying that if no progress is made by September 27, U.N. sanctions will be reinstated.
Qatar offers support for Lebanon at UN General Assembly
During his speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanon and its army, calling on "Israel to withdraw from the Lebanese territories it occupies, in accordance with international resolution 1701."
Hamas rejects Trump's accusations, denies obstructing cease-fire in Gaza
Hamas has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's accusation that the Palestinian group is blocking efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.
"Hamas has never been an obstacle to reaching a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip ... The U.S. administration, mediators, and the whole world know that the war criminal [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu is the only one hindering all attempts to reach an agreement," the movement said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, during his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, the U.S. president claimed that Hamas was refusing to release the hostages held in Gaza or to agree to a ceasefire.
Macron offers warning to Israel
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that France will not remain "inert" in the event of Israeli reprisals against Palestine statehood recognition in an interview with BFMTV from New York.
"We are ready. We have planned for all possible options, which means we will never remain inactive. We are simply planning ahead and will always defend France's interests wherever it is represented," he added.
Iran's Supreme Leader: Iran won't back down
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Iran will not back down on the issue of uranium enrichment, a major point of contention with the West.
"Over the past decades, during which we have carried out our nuclear activities in Iran, the pressure exerted on our country ... has been considerable," Khamenei said in an address to the nation.
"We have not yielded and we will not," he added, just days before the possible re-imposition of U.N. sanctions in the absence of an agreement with European countries.
UN humanitarian coordinator condemns violence against civilians in southern Lebanon, doesn't name perpetrator
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon (OCHA), Imran Riza, condemned the almost daily violence in southern Lebanon.
"Since the ceasefire, at least 98 civilians have been killed, including three children in an air strike a few days ago," he lamented in a statement, without mentioning the Israeli army.
"Humanitarian and reconstruction needs remain immense. The U.N. and its partners remain committed to supporting affected communities. However, while humanitarian efforts are essential, they alone cannot protect civilians, restore stability or rebuild lives devastated by conflict," he added.
He went on to say that "true recovery is only possible if civilians are protected, international humanitarian law is fully respected, and all parties refrain from committing further violations."
"The protection of civilians is not only a legal obligation; it is a moral imperative and an essential aspect of the humanity that unites us all," Riza concluded.
Macron to Trump: Nobel Peace Prize only possible if you stop the conflict in Gaza
French President Emmanuel Macron said during an interview in New York on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump could only win the Nobel Peace Prize if he brought the war in Gaza to an end, according to AFP.
"I see an American president who is committed, who said it again this morning at the United Nations: 'I want peace. I have resolved seven conflicts.'"
The French president also said that the State of Palestine, officially recognized by France on Monday, will truly be created "on the day that the State of Israel recognizes it."
South Lebanon: An Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades on the town of Marwahine (Sour), reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Funeral procession in Bint Jbeil (Photo credit: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
Lebanese village mourns father and three children killed in Israeli strike
Bint Jbeil held a public funeral this afternoon for Shadi Sobhi Sharara, his three children, and Mohammad Mroueh, the moto driver, all killed in a double strike by Israel on Sunday in the southern Lebanese village.
Five coffins, draped in Lebanese flags, were carried by a bereaved crowd chanting slogans condemning Israel for the killing.
Photos of Gaza exhibited at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid to "raise awareness"
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid is exhibiting photographs taken by photojournalists in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
The exhibition A través de sus ojos (Through their eyes) occupies the main hall of the museum and shows scenes of humanitarian aid workers distributing food and water to people in Gaza and children attending makeshift schools amid the rubble of destroyed buildings.
"These photos document the bombing and destruction of the Gaza Strip, the forced displacement of the population, the bombing of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and United Nations schools, but also famine," Raquel Martí, executive director of UNRWA Spain, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and partner in the exhibition, told AFP.
"These are not distant images, they are human faces that force us to recognize the dignity of a suffering people," said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun at a press conference.
UN inquiry: Israel intends to occupy Gaza permanently
Israel has shown clear intention to establish permanent control over Gaza and ensure a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank, said a United Nations commission of inquiry on Tuesday.
The U.N. report details the extensive and systematic demolition by Israeli authorities of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, resulting, according to the document, in an extension of Israeli control to 75 percent of the Gaza Strip in July this year.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump denounced the recognition of Palestinian statehood as a "reward" for the "atrocities" committed by Hamas.
⚡Spain approves 'total' arms embargo on Israel
Two weeks following the announcement by Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of a total arms embargo on Israel, the Spanish government has approved a royal decree formalizing the ban on the sale and purchase of weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Israel, as reported by AFP.
The embargo constitutes part of a series of measures aimed at ending the "genocide in Gaza", said Sánchez. The decree also blocks requests for the transit of aviation fuel with potential military applications and prohibits the import of products "from illegal settlements in Gaza and the West Bank" and their advertising, said Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo during a press conference.
The decree will take effect immediately, but it still needs to be approved by parliament, where Sánchez's left-wing government does not have a majority and is struggling to get legislation passed.
Gaza: Israeli army kills 38 people in the last 24 hours
The Israeli army killed thirty-eight Palestinians in Gaza in the last 24 hours, Haaretz reports, citing officials in the Gaza Strip. This figure is in addition to three children who died of starvation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the European Union “condemns the strike carried out on Sunday by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, which caused several civilian casualties, including children.”
On that day, a double Israeli airstrike on Bint Jbeil killed five people, including several children from the same family. Israel claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that it had killed a Hezbollah member. The EU emphasizes that “this incident comes in the wake of an escalation of attacks and warnings by the Israeli army.”
It also reiterates its call “for full respect for and implementation of the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel,” stating that “security concerns must be addressed by fully utilizing the monitoring mechanism established under this agreement.”
It concludes by stating that “the determined efforts of the Lebanese government to establish state control over the possession of weapons must be supported by all.”
Nuclear talks: European and Iranian ministers to meet in New York
The foreign ministers of the E3 group (Germany, France and the United Kingdom), the European Union, and Iran will meet on Tuesday morning in New York to discuss the control of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, AFP learned from a diplomatic source.
Abbas Araghchi has until Saturday midnight to reach a consensus with his counterparts — Johann Wadephul (Germany), Yvette Cooper (United Kingdom), Jean-Noël Barrot (France) and Kaja Kallas (European Union) — to prevent the reinstatement of U.N. sanctions on Sunday, which had been suspended under the 2015 agreement.
Israel plans to close the Allenby Bridge border crossing — the only access point between the occupied West Bank and Jordan — starting Wednesday and until further notice, the Palestinian General Authority for Border Crossings and Terminals announced on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
On Monday, the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority reopened the crossing to vehicular traffic after it had been closed following a gun attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers, Haaretz noted.
The Israeli army opened fire with machine guns from the Ruwiessat al-Alam position towards the area surrounding the village of Kfar Shuba, in the Hasbaya district, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reports.
An Israeli drone crashed in the village of Blida, in the Marjayoun district, according to our correspondent in the South.
This type of incident has occurred several times in recent months.
General Edgar Lawandos, head of the State Security Department, met in Beirut with Brigadier General Patrick Gauchat, who heads the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), a U.N. body established after the first Arab-Israeli war.
According to the state-run National News Agency, their discussions focused on the overall situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as ways to strengthen cooperation between the two parties.
(Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)
Hezbollah's campaign included the display of flags and banners along the main highways connecting Saida to Sour, as well as the one connecting Saida to Nabatieh.
It also involved the posting of large images and murals decorating the entrances to villages and public squares in various localities, from the al-Tuffah region and Saida to the villages of Zahrani and Nabatieh.
(Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)
Hezbollah has launched a large-scale poster campaign in southern Lebanon to commemorate the first anniversary of the deaths of its former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, and his then-designated successor, Hashem Safieddine, both killed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut between late September and early October 2024.
MP Michel Moussa stated that “the massacre that occurred in Bint Jbeil [on Sunday] was a clear expression of Israeli criminality,” in an interview with Sawt Kel Lebnen, which the state-run National News Agency relayed.
On Sunday, a double Israeli airstrike on Bint Jbeil killed five people, including several children from the same family. Israel claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that it had targeted a Hezbollah member.
The MP also commented on the recent remarks of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who stated that everything Lebanon is doing to ensure the continuation of the cease-fire agreement concluded between Israel and Hezbollah at the end of November is merely words.
“There is no doubt that there is significant pressure on Lebanon, and the statements of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack are part of this pressure. Lebanese people must take the necessary measures, including maintaining unity of position and solidarity among all political parties, in order to strengthen Lebanon’s position in the negotiation process with Israel,” added the MP.
The Jordanian army has decided to relocate its field hospital in the Gaza Strip, currently located in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in southwest Gaza, to Khan Younis.
According to the army, this decision was made due to the intense Israeli bombardment near the hospital, which endangers medical staff and patients, severely disrupts access to the facility, and damages medical equipment, thus significantly reducing the hospital's capacity to provide medical care.
In response, the Palestinian Health Ministry called on King Abdullah II of Jordan to reconsider this decision and keep the hospital in Gaza. The ministry urged Jordan to transfer its medical operations to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, as other international organizations providing medical services in the city have done.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) maritime security agency reported on Tuesday an explosion near a ship off the coast of Yemen, where the Houthis regularly carry out attacks against vessels linked to Israel.
The ship's captain reported a spray of water and an explosion sound near the vessel, according to the agency, which added that the crew members were safe and the ship was continuing its voyage to its next port of call.
The incident occurred 120 nautical miles east of Aden, a city in southern Yemen, and was classified by UKMTO as an "attack," for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.
The Lebanese Army announced in a statement that it will carry out the destruction of unexploded munitions in the villages of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil district) and Blida (Marjayoun district) today, between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.
As part of the commemorations marking the first anniversary of the death of its former leader, Hezbollah plans to illuminate the Raouche Rocks on Thursday with an image of its former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, after moving the event forward from Sept. 28 to Sept. 25.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a circular on Monday calling for "the strict enforcement of the law regarding the use of public land and maritime areas, as well as heritage and tourist sites, public buildings and places of significant national importance."
The Israeli army opened fire with machine guns from the Israeli position of "Ramtha" towards the Bastra Farm located south of the town of Kfar Shuba, in the Hasbaya district, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Canada, France, Germany, and other Western and European countries offered on Monday to provide financial contributions, medical personnel or equipment to treat patients from Gaza in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported.
“We urge Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so that medical evacuations from Gaza can resume and patients can receive the urgent medical care they need in the Palestinian territories,” the countries stated in a joint statement released by Canada.
Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Poland were among the more than a dozen signatories to the statement.
The United States was not among the signatories.
France and several other countries recognized a Palestinian state from the U.N. podium on Monday, seeking to increase pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, in what was a historic but largely symbolic move.
Andorra became the sixth country to take this step during the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly, joining France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Belgium and Malta. The United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia had preceded them on Sunday, during a United Nations conference in New York.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Fox News on Monday that his country does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization, but rather a "resistance movement," Reuters reported.
Speaking earlier at a U.N. conference on Palestine, the Turkish leader accused Israel of committing genocide and of seeking to make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible.
"The Netanyahu government's goal is to make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible and to forcibly displace as many Palestinians as possible," Erdogan said.
"The [Benjamin] Netanyahu government, originating from a society that was once a victim of the Holocaust, is now committing genocide against neighbors with whom it has shared land and water for millennia," he added.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, asked for Washington's support to ensure that Israel respects the cease-fire agreement that ended the war with Hezbollah last fall, as well as increased support for the Lebanese Army.
Southern Lebanon had its second consecutive night without major incidents since the Bint Jbeil massacre on Sunday, except for drone overflights that continued this morning over several towns, according to our correspondent in the South.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia on Monday, the U.S. regional envoy (and their ambassador to Ankara), Tom Barrack, stated that "the situation in Lebanon is very difficult."
Known for his conciliatory approach, he even went so far as to say that everything Beirut does "amounts to mere words, without any tangible action," warning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "doesn't care about borders or red lines."
Top news story this morning
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to present a peace and post-war governance plan for Gaza to a group of Arab and Muslim leaders today, Axios reported Monday, citing two U.S. officials and two Arab officials.
According to Axios, representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan will attend the meeting.
In addition to the release of hostages and an end to the war, Trump is expected to discuss principles related to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as post-war governance without Hamas involvement, according to Axios.
The United States also wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to facilitate the Israeli withdrawal and to provide Arab and Muslim funding for the transition and reconstruction, Axios added.
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