Body found in border village of Kfar Shuba, in south Lebanon | LIVE

Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East amid Iran tensions

President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. is sending a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East after warning of “traumatic” consequences if Iran fails to reach a nuclear deal.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region, as tensions rise following a crackdown on protests in Iran, which rights groups say killed thousands and arrested over 53,000.

Exiled opposition leader Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians to join Saturday’s international protests from home. Reformist politicians Azar Mansouri, Javad Emam, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh were released on bail.

Trump stressed military action depends on a nuclear deal, while U.S.-Iran talks continue in Oman.

Southern Lebanon: Markaba condemns 'repeated' Israeli attacks

The municipality of Markaba (Marjayoun) issued a statement strongly condemning the “repeated” Israeli attacks targeting the town.

The municipality called on the state to “take immediate measures to end these repeated violations against the town and its innocent residents, in order to ensure their safety and protect the village’s sovereignty.”

It also expressed its “support for the residents and commitment to upholding their right to live safely and with dignity on their land.”

US ends temporary protected status for Yemen

The Trump administration has ended Temporary Protected Status for Yemen, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Friday.

It is not immediately clear how many people will be affected by the announcement.

Iranian reformists released on Bail

Azar Mansouri, Javad Emam, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh of Iran’s Reformist Front were released on bail following arrests during nationwide protests.

They faced charges of “undermining national unity.”

The arrests reflect ongoing tensions between reformists advocating social freedoms and hardline authorities.

Iran: Reza Pahlavi calls for new protests

The exiled son of Iran’s last Shah has called on Iranians to take part in new protest actions, alongside gatherings abroad, ahead of a planned speech on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.

Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the United States and has not returned to his homeland since the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1979, urged demonstrations on Saturday in Munich, Toronto, and Los Angeles to demand international action against Iran.

A large-scale mobilization against the Iranian regime was violently suppressed in early January, with human rights NGOs reporting thousands of protesters killed.

In a message posted on X on Thursday, Pahlavi called on Iranians inside the country to continue their mobilization, but from home. “I invite you, on the evenings of Feb. 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., to make your voices heard and chant slogans from your homes and rooftops. Shout your demands. Show your unity. With unwavering determination, we will overcome this occupying regime,” he added.

Macron denounces 'anti-Semitic hydra' which, 'seeks to portray Jews as perpetrators of genocide'

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the "anti-Semitic hydra" that has infiltrated "every crevice" of society for the past 20 years and called for a "mandatory ban from holding office" for elected officials guilty of "anti-Semitic, racist and discriminatory acts and remarks."

During his tribute to Ilan Halimi, the young Jewish man kidnapped and tortured to death in 2006, the President emphasized that the fight against anti-Semitism must be "every French person's fight" because "when a Jew is in danger in the homeland, the homeland itself is in danger."

Aoun denounced "Islamist antisemitism, the root cause of the Oct. 7 pogrom," and "far-left antisemitism ... which rivals that of the far right and its clichés about power and wealth."

He also attacked "antisemitism that uses the mask of anti-Zionism to quietly gain ground."

"This is the very same antisemitism that, in a dizzying historical reversal, seeks to portray Jews as perpetrators of genocide," he asserted.

London's High Court declares UK's decision to ban Palestine Action as terrorist organization 'unlawful'

The British High Court ruled on Friday that the government's decision to designate the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, while maintaining the ban pending an appeal.

Hoda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, said the ruling "is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and for the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom, overturning a decision that will forever stand as one of the most extreme attacks on freedom of expression in recent British history."

Israeli army dropped stun grenade near Odaisseh, Marjayoun

An Israeli army drone dropped a stun grenade that exploded near a civilian on the outskirts of the town of Odaisseh in the Marjayoun district, causing no injuries, reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Israeli army claims responsibility for strike that killed Hezbollah member in Tiri

The Israeli army stated that the drone strike that targeted a vehicle in Tiri (Bint Jbeil) targeted a Hezbollah member who was "attempting to rebuild military infrastructure," according to a statement from its new Arabic-language spokesperson.

Earlier in the morning, the party also issued a statement paying tribute to Mehdi Hassan Sheaito, a veteran wounded in the Syrian war.

South Lebanon: Body Found in Kfar Shuba as Israeli cease-fire violations continue

A body was found in the border village of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya district), where a Lebanese Army patrol, accompanied by the Red Cross, retrieved it before conducting examinations to determine if it is human, according to our correspondent in the region.

Meanwhile, the outskirts of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil) were targeted by Israeli machine-gun fire from the hill known as "Karantina."

In addition, an Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades on Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).

Israeli fire kills at least 1 Palestinian near Gaza City, injures over 12 others across enclave

A Palestinian man was killed, and over 12 others were injured by Israeli soldiers in several incidents overnight Thursday to Friday in various parts of the besieged enclave, outside the areas where the Israeli army is deployed. Israel continues to violate the cease-fire agreement that came into effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital, quoted by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, indicated that a young man named Mohammad Salim Dababash was killed by Israeli fire in eastern Gaza City.

Ten other people were wounded by gunfire targeting the Kuwait Roundabout in the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, according to rescue workers quoted by Al Jazeera.

The Qatari media outlet also reports that three other Palestinians, including two children, were wounded at dawn in the southern city of Khan Younis, where four residential buildings were also demolished by the Israeli army.

Wafa reports three other people injured, including a woman, in Jabalia and Beit Lahia in the north, as well as in the al-Mawassi area in the south.

According to the latest figures released Wednesday by the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 591 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army in the four months since the cease-fire, bringing the official death toll to 72,045 and the number of injured to 171,686 since the start of the Israeli offensive against the enclave.

Israeli army says it carried out strike against 2 Palestinian militants in northern Gaza

The Israeli army stated in a press release that its air force conducted a strike Thursday evening targeting two militants in the northern Gaza Strip, without specifying whether they were killed.

The two men reportedly entered a building east of the Yellow Line, which demarcates the territory of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control as part of the cease-fire agreement, the implementation of whose second phase has stalled in recent weeks.

New Israeli artillery fire in south Lebanon

The Israeli army fired several artillery shells at the area known as Wadi Mazallam, located between the villages of Ramaya and Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent.

Yesterday, Israeli artillery carried out a series of attacks on five border villages in southern Lebanon, notably causing a fire near the town of Markaba (Marjayoun district).

Iran: Government launches commission of inquiry after deadly protests

The Iranian government has announced the establishment of a commission of inquiry, more than a month after an unprecedented protest movement, initially sparked by the high cost of living, but which has taken an anti-government turn and left several thousand dead, AFP reports.

"A commission of inquiry has been formed with representatives of the relevant institutions and is currently collecting documents and testimonies," Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the Isna news agency.

The spokesperson did not specify whether the commission would focus on the economic demands that triggered the protests, or whether the investigation would also include the victims.

Israeli army says it struck 'two militants' in northern Gaza

The Israeli army said that its troops struck "two militants" yesterday in the northern Gaza Strip who "entered a structure" east of the Israeli-controlled Yellow Line.

A second US aircraft carrier will be deployed to the Gulf

The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Gulf region, several U.S. media outlets reported Thursday, according to AFP, as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Iran to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

According to the New York Times (NYT), the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean, will be sent to the Gulf to join the Abraham Lincoln.

"The ship's crew was informed of the decision Thursday, according to four US officials who requested anonymity," the NYT reported.

Fighter jets from the Ford participated in the Jan. 3 attack on Caracas, which led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

As early as Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that a second aircraft carrier could be deployed to the region.

Israeli president says hasn't yet decided on pardoning Netanyahu

Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated yesterday that the review of the pardon request for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is underway, saying he refuses any pressure in this case in which the prime minister is being prosecuted for corruption.

U.S. President Donald Trump had declared earlier that Herzog should be "ashamed" for not having pardoned Netanyahu.

"Contrary to the impression given by President Trump's remarks, President Herzog has not yet made a decision on this matter," the Israeli president's office stated.

"The prime minister's request is currently being reviewed by the Justice Ministry for legal opinion, in accordance with established procedures," it added.

"Only after this process is completed will President Herzog consider the request in accordance with the law, in the best interests of the State of Israel... without any external or internal pressure," the office stated.

Release of 2 prominent reformists arrested after protests

Two prominent figures of the reformist camp arrested in recent days in Iran following the widespread protests against the government in January were released last night, AFP reported.

Javad Emam, spokesman for the Reformist Front, the main coalition of the reformist camp, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a former member of parliament, "were released a few minutes ago after posting bail," their lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, told the Isna news agency on Thursday evening, a report picked up by the Etemad daily.

He added that the release of Azar Mansouri, head of the Reformist Front since 2023 and former advisor to former reformist president Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005), could follow "in the coming days."

Former HRW director denounces blocking of report on Palestinian right of return

More than a week after resigning from Human Rights Watch (HRW), its former director for Israel and Palestine, Omar Shakir, remains furious about the NGO's blocking of a report describing Israel's refusal of the Palestinian right of return as a "crime against humanity," reports AFP.

South Lebanon: 1 killed, 2 injured in Israeli strike on Tiri

This morning's main news:

An Israeli army drone fired three missiles at a car in Tiri, in the Bint Jbeil district, late Thursday night, killing its driver, Mehdi Hassan Sheaito, a veteran wounded in the Syrian war.

The strike also wounded two others, reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Shortly after the attack, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on X that the drone had "targeted a Hezbollah element in the Tiri area."

Despite the cease-fire agreement reached with Hezbollah at the end of November 2024, Israel still occupies several positions in southern Lebanon and bombs Lebanese territory almost daily.

Good morning. We are now launching our LIVE coverage of news from the Middle East.

We will be following the evolving tensions between the United States and Iran, two days after the meeting in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called for maximum pressure on Tehran.

We will also be covering the situation in southern Lebanon and Gaza, which remain under Israeli bombardment despite cease-fires in place.