From Kfar Shuba, Salam pledges infrastructure rehabilitation | LIVE

Israeli gunfire targets Aitaroun

Israeli machine-gun fire from the Malkiya position targeted the outskirts of the town of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), our correspondent reported.

Notably, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was in Aitaroun yesterday, as part of his visit for several southern Lebanese villages.

Iranian MPs to hold closed-door session on nuclear talks

Iranian MPs will hold a closed-door session on Monday to discuss nuclear negotiations, with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi likely to attend, the semi-official Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported.

The session will take place before the open parliamentary meeting, allowing MPs to share their views while Araghchi presents a report on the latest developments.

Two rounds of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. were held on Friday in Muscat, mediated by Oman, with Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Wittkoff.

Qabalan welcomes Salam's visit to the southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Qabalan called Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to the South “an important step in the right direction.”

"It must be completed through a strong presence of state institutions and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in every area south of the river, especially along the forward edge," Qabalan added, according to comments cited in the state-run National News Agency

Salam’s visit 'welcomed by people of the South,' Hezbollah MP says

Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi said that “the prime minister’s visit to the southern region and the border villages is welcomed ... We hope this visit will help strengthen the southerners’ confidence in the state, especially since the people of the South, from 1948 until today, have not been accustomed to the state standing by their side.”

Speaking during a ceremony organized by Hezbollah in Kawthariyet al-Siyyad (Saida district) on the occasion of the birth of Imam Mahdi, he pointed out that “Lebanon has fulfilled everything required of it regarding the cease-fire, and that the Resistance has cooperated with the Lebanese authorities and the Lebanese Army to the maximum extent. This has been stated by the president and the prime minister and has also been confirmed by reports from the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL.”

“Lebanon has completed all its obligations and is no longer required to make any additional commitments,” Jishi added.

Hezbollah states that the cease-fire agreement only provides for the disarmament of the party south of the Litani River. However, the agreement refers to several previous texts, primarily U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006), which provides for the disarmament of all militias throughout Lebanese territory.

Salam visits Kfar Shuba, a 'symbol of resilience,' pledges reconstruction

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

On the second day of his tour of southern villages, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya district) on Sunday, receiving a warm welcome from residents, MPs and civil society figures.

"Kfar Shuba is a symbol of resilience. We are fully aware of the hardships the people of Arkoub [Hasbaya] have endured over many years of aggression, deprivation, and neglect, and they have undeniable rights from the Lebanese state," Salam said.

He also highlighted ongoing and planned projects, including the Souq al-Khan–Shebaa road, wastewater management initiatives, and the restoration of public schools to ensure a proper learning environment for children.

Iran questions U.S. seriousness in talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran has reason to doubt Washington is serious about resolving the crisis through negotiations.

Speaking at a forum in Tehran, Araghchi pointed to continued U.S. sanctions and recent military deployments as raising “doubts about the other party’s seriousness and readiness to engage in genuine negotiations.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation, assessing all the signals, and will decide whether to continue the negotiations,” he added.

Meshaal: Hamas will not give up weapons

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the movement will not surrender its arms and will resist any foreign control of Gaza, despite calls for disarmament from Israel and the United States.

"Criminalizing the resistance, its weapons, and those who carried it out is something we should not accept," Khaled Meshal said at a conference in Doha.

"As long as there is occupation, there is resistance. Resistance is a right of peoples under occupation ... something nations take pride in," said Meshal, who heads Hamas’ diaspora office and formerly led its political bureau.

For more details Meshaal’s statement, click here.👈

Syria and Saudi Arabia sign new investment deals

Riyadh and Damascus signed a series of investment agreements Saturday aimed at reviving Syria’s war-torn economy. The deals include creating a joint airline and a $1 billion telecommunications development project.

The Syrian authorities are pushing to attract investment after more than 13 years of civil war, building on earlier agreements with Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key partner of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the transitional president who took power after ousting Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Read the full report, here.👈

Iran insists to maintain uranium enrichment, US military moves 'don’t scare' us

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran will not abandon uranium enrichment, pushing back against U.S. pressure and threats of military action.

“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior,” Araghchi said.

He dismissed the U.S. military presence in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. “Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he added.

His comments came a day after U.S. Middle East envoy Donald Trump’s envoy visited the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf, part of ongoing pressure on Tehran.

For more on U.S.-Iran tensions, click here.👈

Salam continues his south Lebanon visit, promises infrastructure rehabilitation for Kfar Kila

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam toured southern Lebanon today, visiting villages still reeling from Israeli strikes despite a cease-fire in place since November 2024.

He started the day in Kfar Kila, in the Marjayoun district, a village heavily damaged by the recent bombardments. Salam, traveling in a Lebanese Army armored vehicle, was greeted with bouquets and an olive branch by residents.

Salam said the government is working to rehabilitate the village and its infrastructure to allow residents to return. “Road rehabilitation work and the deployment of a telecommunications network will begin in the coming weeks,” he said. “Our visit aims to reaffirm that the state stands by the affected villages.”

Acknowledging the challenges, he added: “The situation in Kfar Kila is more difficult than elsewhere due to Israel’s persistent daily violations of the cease-fire and its proximity to the border.”

Among those accompanying Salam were MPs Ali Hassan Khalil (affiliated Amal Movement), Kassem Hashem (Amal parliamentary group), and Melhem Khalaf, a figure from the 2019 protest movement.

Read the details of his visit yesterday, here.👈

Good morning,

Welcome to our live coverage of the news in the region. Today, we'll focus on Lebanon, as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam continues his visit to southern Lebanon, which began yesterday.

We'll also follow developments in U.S.-Iran tensions and ongoing negotiations, while keeping an eye on potential updates from Palestine, Syria, Yemen and the wider Middle East region.