Israeli strike on the main Adchit–Taybeh road in the Marjayoun district | LIVE

Turkey and Hamas discuss steps to move to second phase of Gaza agreement

Turkey and Hamas have discussed the steps needed to move to the second phase of the Gaza agreement, according to sources cited by Reuters.

Turkey’s intelligence chief and a Hamas delegation discussed measures required to advance to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, Turkish security sources said.

Netanyahu–Trump meeting: Israeli PM seeks to convince U.S. president of “swift action” against Iran, sources say

Israeli officials are increasingly concerned about the expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile production program, which was damaged by Israeli military strikes earlier this year, U.S. media outlet NBC reported.

Citing one source directly familiar with the plans and four former U.S. officials briefed on the matter, the report said Israeli officials are preparing to present Donald Trump with options for new attacks on the program.

Israeli officials are also concerned that Iran may be rebuilding nuclear enrichment sites bombed by the United States in June, the sources said. However, they view Iran’s efforts to reconstruct ballistic missile production facilities and repair heavily damaged air defense systems as more urgent.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet later this month in Florida at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. According to the sources, Netanyahu intends to convince Trump that the expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile program constitutes a threat that may require swift action.

Strike on the main road in Adchit Taybeh

An Israeli drone carried out a strike on the main road linking Adchit and Taybeh, in the Marjayoun district, according to our correspondent in the south.

Ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

Israeli drone explodes inside empty house in Blida

A kamikaze Israeli drone exploded inside an empty house in the town of Blida, in the Marjayoun district, according to our correspondent in the southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army also carried out a sweep operation using medium-caliber automatic weapons, from Roueissat al-Alam toward the outskirts of Kfar Shuba.

Meanwhile, more than fifty towns in the south were overflown by drones in the districts of Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun.

Salam: First phase of arms monopoly plan nearing completion

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated, after a meeting with Ambassador Simon Karam, Lebanon’s negotiator in the “mechanism,” that the state is “ready to move to the second phase” of Hezbollah’s disarmament north of the Litani River.

“The first phase of the army’s plan on the monopoly of arms in the south of the Litani River will be completed within a few days. The state is ready to move to the second phase, that is, north of the Litani, in accordance with the plan developed by the Lebanese army under the government’s mandate,” Salam said.

He also emphasized “the need to provide all necessary support to the Lebanese army to allow it to fully carry out its national responsibilities.”

Funerals in Gaza for six killed in Israeli bombardment

Dozens of people gathered Saturday in Gaza City for the funerals of six people, including children, killed the previous day in an Israeli strike on a school serving as a shelter for displaced persons.

Regarding the strike, the Israeli army said Friday that it had identified “several suspicious individuals” during operations and that its soldiers had fired “to eliminate the threat.”

It added that it is “examining allegations regarding casualties” and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved individuals.”

U.S. proposes “project sunrise” to transform Gaza into high-tech metropolis

The Trump administration has proposed “Project Sunrise,” a plan to transform the Gaza Strip — devastated by Israeli bombardments — into a futuristic coastal destination featuring luxury seaside hotels, high-speed rail lines, and AI-optimized smart networks, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday evening.

The plan was presented by an American team led by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, along with two senior White House advisers. The 32-page presentation, described as “sensitive but unclassified,” includes PowerPoint slides richly illustrated with images of coastal skyscrapers, graphs, and cost tables. It outlines steps to move Gaza’s population from tents to luxury apartments and from poverty to prosperity, according to the report.

The presentation does not specify which countries or companies would finance Gaza’s reconstruction, nor does it indicate where the two million Palestinians displaced during the process would live. U.S. officials said the slides have been shown to potential donor countries, including wealthy Gulf states, Turkey and Egypt.

The plan estimates a total cost of $112.1 billion over ten years, with the United States committing to provide nearly $60 billion in grants and debt guarantees for all proposed projects during this period. It envisions Gaza eventually financing many projects independently and reducing its debt over time through economic growth and industrial development.

However, some U.S. officials who have reviewed the plan express serious doubts about its feasibility, particularly whether Hamas would agree to disarm—a prerequisite for implementation—and whether the United States can persuade wealthy nations to fund the transformation of a post-war, high-risk environment into a state-of-the-art city.

New Israeli incursion in Quneitra countryside

The Israeli army launched a new incursion into Syria’s Quneitra province in the southwest, according to the National News Agency (NNA), citing the Syrian Sana news agency. Israeli forces reportedly entered several localities in the southern and central outskirts of Quneitra.

According to SANA’s correspondent in Quneitra, a patrol of seven military vehicles entered from Tell Ahmar in the west, took the road through the village of Koudna to Ain Zeywan, where they set up a temporary checkpoint in the center of the village and blocked the road connecting Ain Zeywan to Soueissa, before withdrawing.

Another Israeli force, comprising three Hummer military vehicles and one Hilux, reportedly infiltrated the village of Al-Ajraf in central Quneitra, where it established a temporary checkpoint, conducted searches of passersby, and then withdrew. No arrests were reported.

Israeli drone drops a sound bomb on Ras al-Naqoura

An Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb on Ras al-Naqoura, in the Sour district, according to our correspondent.

Lebanese Army to destroy unexploded ordnance in Mais al-Jabal

The Lebanese Army announced that a military unit will carry out the destruction of unexploded ordnance today in Mais al-Jabal, in the Marjayoun district, between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., according to the National News Agency.

Jordan confirms participation in U.S. strikes in Syria

Jordan has confirmed its participation in the U.S. strikes in Syria, according to an army statement cited by AFP.

Israeli army fires automatic weapons towards Odaisseh and Kfar Kila

The Israeli army fired automatic weapons toward the towns of Odaisseh and Kfar Kila in the Marjeyoun district, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israeli drones are flying over several areas in the south.

Irish prime minister in Lebanon to inspect UNIFIL contingent

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Saturday morning at the Grand Serail. Martin arrived in Beirut overnight to inspect his country’s contingent operating as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south, according to a post on X by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The meeting focused on the situation in Lebanon, particularly in the south, as well as on bilateral relations between the two countries.

Reconnaissance aircraft flies over Hermel

A reconnaissance aircraft is flying over Hermel and villages in the district, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

At least five ISIS fighters killed in U.S. “retaliatory” strikes

A week after an attack that killed three Americans in Syria, the United States carried out overnight strikes from Friday to Saturday on “strongholds” of the Islamic State group, killing at least five of its members, according to a local organization.

While “more than 70 targets” were hit across the country, Donald Trump spoke of “very heavy retaliation” in response to the attack, which Washington blamed on ISIS and which killed two U.S. service members and an interpreter on Dec. 13 in the Palmyra desert region.

“We are hitting ISIS strongholds very hard,” the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after the Pentagon announced the launch of a “massive” operation. The strikes began at 4:00 p.m. Washington time (9:00 p.m. GMT) and involved fighter jets, helicopters, and artillery, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom).

Israeli drone flies at low altitude over Beirut’s southern suburbs

An Israeli drone is flying at low altitude over Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to the National News Agency.

Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel

Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, the Islamic Republic’s sworn enemy, the judiciary’s news outlet announced on Saturday, the latest in a series of executions following a war between the two countries in June.

The death sentence against Aghil Keshavarz, “found guilty of espionage on behalf of the Zionist regime, communication, and cooperation with the regime,” was carried out “after confirmation by the Supreme Court and the completion of legal procedures,” according to the Mizan news agency.

The man, described as a “Mossad agent,” Israel’s foreign intelligence service, was arrested in April–May 2025 in northwestern Iran, though the case had not previously been made public.

The death sentence was based on the defendant’s “explicit and clear confessions,” as well as “evidence,” including photos and video recordings “taken at military and security sites,” Mizan added.

Hamas hopes for an end to Israeli “violations”

Hamas said yesterday it hopes that talks in Florida involving U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and representatives from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt will lead to an end to Israeli “violations” in the Palestinian territory.

“Our people expect these talks to result in an agreement to end Israeli excesses and halt all violations,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told AFP.

Rubio: Hamas must be disarmed for the next phase of the cease-fire

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Friday that Hamas must be disarmed for the next phase of the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, as representatives of the mediating countries meet in Miami.

“If Hamas ever finds itself in a position to threaten or attack Israel, there will be no peace,” Rubio said at a press conference in Washington. “You will not convince anyone to invest money in Gaza if they believe another war will break out in two or three years. That is why disarmament is so important,” he added.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East. We will continue to follow the situation in Lebanon, where the south remains under near-daily Israeli bombardment. We will also cover developments in Syria, Gaza — still under Israeli fire despite the cease-fire — the occupied West Bank, and elsewhere in the region.