UNIFIL confirms shooting down Israeli drone in south Lebanon; Ortagus visits Israeli position near border | LIVE

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⚡ UNIFIL confirms shooting down Israeli drone in south Lebanon

A UNIFIL spokesperson confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour that the Israeli drone that crashed in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district) was shot down by U.N. peacekeepers while they were conducting a patrol in the area.

The force stated that this act was a "countermeasure" against the aircraft, which was "acting aggressively" toward the peacekeepers.

According to information from our correspondent in the region, the battalion involved in this incident was reportedly French. UNIFIL declined to confirm this information.

A statement detailing the incident will soon be issued by the force's command.

Israel congratulates itself on killing 'local Hezbollah representative' in the South

The Israeli army congratulated itself on having killed, in two attacks on two cars early Sunday afternoon in Naqoura (South Lebanon) and then in Nabi Sheet (Bekaa), respectively the "local representative of Hezbollah in the town of Bayada" and "a trafficker and arms smuggler" of the party, "within the space of an hour," according to a message on X from its Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.

The Hezbollah member killed in Naqoura, Abdel Mahmoud Sayyed, was "in charge of relations between the party and the inhabitants of the region in the economic and military fields, and is believed to have participated in attempts to rebuild Hezbollah's military capabilities in the village" of Bayada.

In the Bekaa, Israel claims to have killed Ali Hussein Moussawi, an "arms trafficker and smuggler." He is said to have been involved in "the purchase, transportation, and smuggling of weapons and military equipment from Syria to Lebanon, playing a key role in the reconstruction and arming of Hezbollah."

The Israeli army, however, has not commented on the strike on the town of al-Hafir, west of Baalbeck, which killed two people, including one Syrian, according to our correspondent in the region.

2 killed, 1 injured in Israeli drone strike on al-Hafir, west of Baalbeck

The Israeli drone strike targeting the town of al-Hafir, west of Baalbeck, killed two people and injured one, our correspondent in the region reports.

The attack occurred near an inhabited house in one of the town's orchards, our correspondent reports.

Israeli drone crashed near UNIFIL position near Kfar Kila border village

According to our correspondent, an Israeli drone crashed near a UNIFIL position near the border village of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district).

It is unclear at this stage whether the drone was shot down or crashed accidentally.

Contacted by our publication, UNIFIL was not immediately available for comment.

Ortagus visited observation post of Israeli army's Northern Command near Lebanese border on Sunday

One of the U.S. administration's envoys to Lebanon, Morgan Ortagus, visited an observation post of the Israeli army's Northern Command near the Lebanese border on Sunday, several Israeli media reported.

She was accompanied by several other U.S. and Israeli officials, including Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The delegation also included U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, Northern Front Commander General Rafi Milo, as well as representatives from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the National Security Council.

1 killed, 1 injured in new Israeli drone strike in Bekaa

A new Israeli drone strike in the Bekaa, this time on the town of al-Hafir, at the Flaweh junction, west of Baalbeck, killed one person and injured another, reports our correspondent in the region.

Their identities were not immediately known.

Israeli strikes on car on the al-Aswad road in Bouday

Three consecutive Israeli strikes targeted a car on the al-Aswad road in Bouday, a village in the Bekaa located about 15 kilometers west of Baalbeck, reports our correspondent in the region.

No casualty figures were immediately available.

40 Palestinian children killed by Israeli army in occupied West Bank in 2025: UN report

According to a U.N. report, the Israeli army killed 40 children in the occupied West Bank in 2025, representing 20 percent ​​of all Palestinian victims who died in the territory since the beginning of the year.

The study adds that since October 2023, at least 77 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody, while more than 3,000 people have been displaced due to settler violence in the West Bank.

In total, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since Oct. 7, 2023, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the U.N.

Israel says will maintain 'full control' over security in Gaza Strip

An Israeli government spokesperson said Israel would maintain "full control over security in the Gaza Strip," asserting that the Israeli military would continue to oversee security operations even after the current phase of fighting ends, Reuters reports.

The same spokesperson also indicated that Red Cross teams, along with an Egyptian convoy, were allowed to cross the Israeli military's yellow line in Gaza on Sunday to continue the search for the last 13 hostage remains.

In addition, Hamas members were reportedly allowed to join Red Cross teams in Israeli-controlled areas in the south of the enclave, including Rafah and Khan Younis, as part of the search, according to Israeli and Qatari media reports.

Person killed in Bekaa was Hezbollah member

The person killed in the Israeli strike on a car in the Bekaa was a member of Hezbollah, belonging to the Moussawi family, reports our correspondent in the region.

South Lebanon: 1 injured after accidental explosion in Aitaroun

One person was moderately injured in the border town of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district) following an explosion of a suspicious device originating from war remnants caused by a fire started by villagers.

Bekaa: 1 killed following Israeli drone strike in Nabi Sheet, Baalbeck

An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in the town of Nabi Sheet (Baalbeck), near the General Security center in the city, killing the driver, reports our correspondent in the region.

South Lebanon: Driver killed in Naqoura was gas station owner, Hezbollah member

The driver killed in two Israeli strikes on a car in Naqoura (Sour district) was a Hezbollah member, reports our correspondent in the South.

He has been identified as Abdel Sayyed, the owner of a gas station located near the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL), on the main road to Naqoura, our correspondent reports.

Netanyahu affirms Israel will have veto power over members of security force in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again affirmed that Israel will have veto power over members of the force responsible for post-war security in Gaza, which Washington is trying to establish following the cease-fire with Hamas.

"We have ... made it clear to the international forces that Israel will decide which forces are unacceptable to us," declared the prime minister, who is opposed to the deployment of Turkish forces, in the preamble to a cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu claims doesn't need green light to strike Israel's 'enemies' in Lebanon, Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that he does not need a green light to strike Israel's enemies, which he said is an "independent state."

This statement came as the Israeli army struck Gaza and southern Lebanon in recent hours, despite the cease-fires in effect.

"Our security policy is in our hands," he assured a Cabinet meeting, before adding: "We respond at our discretion to attacks, as we saw in Lebanon and most recently in Gaza."

In Gaza, on Sunday evening, an Israeli strike on Islamic Jihad left at least one person dead in Nuseirat.

In southern Lebanon, drone strikes on vehicles killed two men on Saturday evening in Qleileh and early Sunday afternoon in Naqoura.

Netanyahu was speaking after a week in which he received visits from a series of senior U.S. officials seeking to consolidate the cease-fire in effect in Gaza since Oct. 10.

South Lebanon: Driver struck by Israel in Naqoura was killed

The driver targeted by Israeli strikes in Naqoura has been killed, our correspondent reports.

Israeli drone strikes Naqoura, Sour in southern Lebanon twice

An Israeli drone launched two missiles at a car near the northern entrance to the border town of Naqoura (Sour district), near the fishing port, our correspondent reports. The driver was seriously injured, according to initial reports.

The car caught fire, according to residents. Flames were seen escaping from the area, according to a video transmitted to our correspondent.

Islamic Jihad denies Israeli claims that it was preparing for action before being struck

In response to the Israeli army's allegations justifying its strike that killed at least one person Saturday evening in Nuseirat, in the northern Gaza Strip, Islamic Jihad issued a statement Sunday denying that its armed wing had any such intention.

"The Israeli army's claim that al-Quds Brigades cadres in Nuseirat were preparing yesterday for imminent action is a pure fabrication and a fabrication through which the occupation seeks to justify its aggression and violation of the cease-fire," the Palestinian armed group declared, denouncing it as a "false accusation" and "slander."

The movement also called on the cease-fire mediating countries to "force" Israel to cease its attacks on the enclave.

Israeli military arrests 13 Palestinians early Sunday morning in occupied West Bank

The Israeli military carried out new operations early Sunday morning in the occupied West Bank, arresting 13 Palestinians, including seven in Ramallah, according to the Wafa news agency.

During these incursions, they arrested five people in Hebron and shot and injured another in al-Ram, near Jerusalem.

Among those arrested was Zein Barghouti, who had been released as part of a previous prisoner exchange during the short-term cease-fire in the Gaza Strip in early 2025, according to the same source.

Israeli forces also searched several homes in Nablus, without making any arrests.

South Lebanon: An Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb on the border village of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district) this morning.

Hamas to enter new areas of Gaza to search for hostage bodies

The head of Hamas' negotiating team, Khalil Hayyeh, stated that forces from the Palestinian movement will soon enter new areas of the Gaza Strip to search for the bodies of hostages that have not yet been found.

"Israel will not be given a pretext to resume the war," he said Saturday in an interview with Al Jazeera.

He also indicated that Hamas has "no objection" to a national figure living in Gaza administering the enclave, stressing that the organization will transfer all administrative powers to the Strip's governing body, including security.

"There is an agreement with Fateh regarding the deployment of international forces to monitor the cease-fire," he added.

Gaza: 1 Palestinian killed, 4 wounded in overnight Israeli strike targeting Islamic Jihad, army says

At least one person was killed and four others were wounded in an overnight Israeli drone strike targeting the Nuseirat refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, a source at al-Awda Hospital told Al Jazeera.

The Israeli army said in a statement that it attacked a member of the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad.

🔗 More details here.

Katz orders Israeli army to destroy Gaza tunnels

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli army has been ordered to begin destroying tunnels located on the Israeli side of the "yellow line" in Gaza, the part of the Palestinian enclave that remains under Israeli control under the current cease-fire.

In a message posted on X, Katz declared destroying the tunnels the army's "core mission," claiming that 60 percent of them were still intact. He added that this decision was made after discussions with senior U.S. officials.

Controversial GHF says ready to resume aid distributions in Gaza

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organization supported by Israel and the United States, said Saturday it was ready to resume its distributions to the population of the Gaza Strip, according to a message from the organization's spokesperson contacted by AFP.

The U.N. and international humanitarian NGOs have heavily criticized the opaquely funded organization since its deployment in May in the war-torn Palestinian territory. Its operations have been marred by the deaths of more than 1,000 people near its sites, according to the U.N. human rights office.

The GHF made this announcement as Reuters reported Friday that Washington was considering a plan for humanitarian aid mechanisms in Gaza.

Rubio says does not see permanent division of Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday he did not envision a permanent division of Gaza, despite Israeli troops remaining in an area prioritised for reconstruction.

Under a U.S.-brokered cease-fire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a "Yellow Line," leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. The United States has said that reconstruction aid would be focused on the area under Israeli control.

Rubio said that an international force, which the U.S. and regional mediators are trying to build, would move to enforce security across the Palestinian territory.

🔗 Read his full statement here.

Gaza: Egyptian convoy enters Gaza to help locate hostage bodies

An Egyptian convoy of vehicles and trucks carrying heavy construction equipment entered the Gaza Strip overnight Saturday to Sunday to help locate the bodies of hostages abducted by Hamas, according to AFPTV footage.

The vehicles were filmed in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to The Times of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of an Egyptian team accompanied by several engineering vehicles to help locate the bodies.

"This is a technical team," Netanyahu's office was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "It is going there solely to locate the murdered hostages."

🔗 More details here.

Intense low-altitude Israeli drone overflights in southern Lebanon

Several Israeli drones are flying low over towns in the Sour, Nabatieh and Zahrani regions.

A resident of Adloun, on the coast between Saida and Sour, told our correspondent in the region that she "woke up to the sound of the drone."

"It sounded like it was inside the house," she added.

Drone activity has significantly intensified across the South's villages and towns in recent days.

In Beirut, drone flights and their buzzing noise have become frequent again over the past week.

🔗 Find Malek Jadah's explanations here on the reasons for these overflights.

South Lebanon: Israeli army drone targets excavator again

On Saturday night, around 3:40 a.m., an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on an excavator belonging to the Southern Council and being used to remove rubble in the border town of Blida (Marjayoun district).

The strike caused significant material damage, but no casualties, reports our correspondent in the South.

Israeli army claims responsibility for drone strike on Qleileh that killed Hezbollah member

According to a statement from the Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, the drone strike that killed one person Saturday evening in the village of Qleileh (Sour district) targeted "a member of the Radwan force," Hezbollah's elite unit.

The victim was identified as Mohammad Akram Arabiya, whose name was also cited in a memorial statement issued by Hezbollah, indicating that his funeral will be held this Sunday in his home village.

The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed his death Saturday evening.

The Israeli army accuses him of having "encouraged attempts to rebuild Hezbollah's combat capabilities and contributed to attempts to rebuild its infrastructure," the statement continued.

LIVE launch

We are now launching our live coverage of news from the Near and Middle East, particularly from Gaza and southern Lebanon, which continue to be regularly bombarded by the Israeli army despite the truces in effect.