At least 12 killed in Bekaa strikes: Israel says it targeted Hamas and Hezbollah command centers | LIVE

Israeli strikes on Bekaa: Death toll rises to at least 12, son of former Hezbollah official 'Abu Salim' killed

Evening Israeli airstrikes on the Bekaa Valley have killed at least 12 people and injured 25, according to our correspondent in the region.

Hussein Yaghi, the son of former Hezbollah official Mohammad Hassan Yaghi, was killed in the strike. Mohammad Hassan Yaghi, known as “Abou Salim,” was one of Hezbollah’s founders in 1982 and served as executive assistant to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in September 2024.

“Abu Salim” also held a seat in the Lebanese Parliament.

Ali Zeid Moussawi, a Hezbollah member, was also killed in the strikes, according to our correspondent’s reports.

Casualty update from Bekaa strikes

So far, the airstrikes on Bekaa have left six dead ('three strikes in Bednayel and two strikes in Rayak') and more than 25 injured, who have been taken to hospitals across the region, our correspondent reports.

Israeli strikes on Bekaa-Baalbek: 7 injured hospitalized

The Israeli military carried out six strikes — three in the Shaara area and three on Bednayel, Temnin, and the Rayak-Baalbek road — according to our correspondent in the region.

Seven injured people were taken to Rayak Hospital, and heavy damage was reported at the strike sites. Civil defense teams are on site searching for survivors.

Hamas open to foreign forces presence, but no interference, says spokesperson

Hamas is open to the presence of foreign forces in the Gaza Strip, but only without interference “in the territory’s internal affairs,” spokesperson Hazem Qassem told AFP.

“Our position on international forces is clear: we want peacekeeping forces to monitor the cease-fire, ensure its implementation, and act as a buffer between the occupation army [Israel] and our people in Gaza, without interfering in internal affairs,” he said.

Israeli strikes on Ain al-Hilweh: Hamas condemns attack

Hamas condemned the Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp in the city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, saying it “killed and injured civilians” in a statement.

The group also claimed the strike targeted a building belonging to the Palestinian Joint Security Force.

Bekaa strikes: Airstrike on building reportedly causes casualties

The Israeli strike on a building behind Qard al-Hassan, on the Rayak-Baalbek road, targeted the apartment of Rafik Haidar Ahmad, according to our correspondent in the region.

Reports indicate there are both injuries and fatalities.

In video

Israeli airstrikes hit Bekaa Valley, building linked to Hezbollah destroyed

The Israeli military carried out four strikes on the Anti-Lebanon mountains in the village of Shaara, east of Nabi Sheet.

The strikes hit the Bednayel and Temnin plains, west of Baalbek, according to our correspondent in the region.

One strike targeted a building behind Qard al-Hassan, a financial company linked to Hezbollah and sanctioned by the United States, on the Rayak-Baalbek highway, completely destroying the structure. Three people were also injured and taken to Rayak Hospital.

Israeli airstrikes hit Bekaa valley

Israeli warplanes carried out three strikes on the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, targeting the Temnin plain, according to our correspondent in the region.

Israeli strikes on Ain al-Hilweh: Fatah in Lebanon condemns attack

“The Fatah movement condemns the strike that targeted the Ain al-Hilweh camp and killed two martyrs one hour before iftar,” said Riyad Abou al-Ainain, secretary-general of the Palestinian movement in Lebanon.

“Where are the guarantors of the cease-fire agreement? Where is the international community? Why is it remaining silent?” asked Abdallah al-Danan, an official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Lebanon, speaking to our correspondent in the south.

“What happened today in the Ain al-Hilweh camp is part of the Israeli-American plan targeting the camps and the right of return,” he added, calling for a firm stance to protect the Palestinian people from Israel’s crimes.

USS Gerald R. Ford enters the Mediterranean amid rising US–Iran tensions

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was seen entering the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, where it was ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a massive military buildup in the Middle East.

The carrier was seen transiting the Strait of Gibraltar — which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean — in a photo taken from the Gibraltar side of the strait.

Trump — who had previously sent another carrier to the Middle East — said Friday he is "considering" a limited strike on Iran if negotiations fail to yield a replacement for the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in office.

Israeli strikes on Ain al-Hilweh: Health Ministry confirms two deaths

Israel army says on 'defensive alert' regarding Iran but no change to public guidelines

The Israeli army said it was on "defensive alert" as the United States threatens potential military action against Iran, but insisted there were no changes in its guidelines for the public.

"We are closely monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse concerning Iran. The (Israeli military) is on defensive alert," army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a video statement published Friday.

"Our eyes are wide open in all directions, and our finger is more than ever on the trigger in response to any change in the operational reality," he added, but emphasised "there is no change in the instructions."

Limited strike on Iran: Donald Trump confirms WSJ report

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed in a statement reported by Reuters that he is considering a limited strike against Iran by the The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

Asked about this possibility, Trump said, “I suppose I can say that I am considering it.”

Additionally, U.S. officials told Reuters that military planning regarding Iran has reached an advanced stage, with options including the possibility of targeting individuals in an attack and even pursuing regime change in Tehran, if President Trump gives the order.

These U.S. officials, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the plans, did not provide further details on which individuals might be targeted or how the U.S. military might attempt regime change without deploying significant ground forces.

Israeli strikes on Ain al-Hilweh kill at least 2

Three Israeli army drone strikes killed at least two people, according to our correspondent in the south.

The targeted site, located inside the Ain al-Hilweh camp, is known to be actively used by Hamas, as well as by Islamic Jihad and other groups.

Israeli army launches 3 strikes on Ain al-Hilweh

At least one fatality was reported by our correspondent in the South, following the drone strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp.

Gunfire has been heard in several neighborhoods of Saida from the camp in an attempt to clear the roads for ambulances.

Israeli army carries out strike on Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp

The Israeli army said it recently carried out a strike on a headquarters where “Hamas operatives were operating in the area” of Ain al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon.

Nuclear: Iran says draft agreement for the United States will be 'ready in two or three days'

The Iranian foreign minister said on Friday, the day after Donald Trump issued an ultimatum, that a draft nuclear agreement would be ready "in two or three days" and that Iran would then present it to the United States.

"The next step for me is to present a potential agreement proposal to my U.S. counterparts," envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Abbas Araghchi told MSNBC.

"I think it will be ready in two or three days," added Araghchi, who led negotiations for Iran in Geneva on Tuesday under Omani mediation.

Three Silicon Valley engineers suspected of transferring confidential data to Iran charged

Three Silicon Valley engineers suspected of transferring confidential data to Iran have been charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and other technology companies, according to a statement released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the indictment, the three defendants — two women and the husband of one of them — worked for major technology companies in the field of laptop processors.

Aged between 32 and 41, they used their positions "to access confidential and sensitive information," according to the department.

All three are of Iranian origin, but one of the two women had obtained U.S. citizenship.

They then "exfiltrated confidential and sensitive documents, including trade secrets related to processor security, cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology companies to third-party locations," including Iran.

Iran claims the US did not ask it to give up uranium enrichment

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said U.S. negotiators have not requested Tehran end its nuclear enrichment program, contradicting statements from U.S. officials.

"We have not offered any suspension, and the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment," Araghchi said in an interview with the Morning Joe show on U.S. TV network MSNBC.

Gaza civil defense: Israeli strikes kill 12 Palestinians

Gaza's civil defense have reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians since dawn on Sunday, reports AFP.

The Gaza civil defense, which operates as a rescue force under local governing authorities, said one strike hit a tent of displaced people in northern Gaza and another targeted an area in the south.

Five people were killed and several injured when an air strike targeted a tent sheltering displaced people in Jabalia in the north, the agency said in a statement.

Five more were killed and several injured in a separate early morning strike in the southern city of Khan Younis, the agency said, adding that one more was killed in Israeli shelling in Gaza City.

It also said Israeli gunfire killed one person in Beit Lahia in north Gaza.

The Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals confirmed receiving at least seven bodies.

Read more here.

South Lebanon: Israeli strike on a quarry, incursion near Houla, and gunfire

While Thursday night and Friday morning remained relatively calm in southern Lebanon, the morning was marked by an attack carried out by an Israeli army drone which, according to residents, fired two missiles at dawn at a rock quarry on the outskirts of Markaba (Marjayoun), causing material damage to the site's equipment, reports our correspondent in the region.

Another Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on the outskirts of Houla, in the same district.

To the east of the village, an Israeli army Merkava tank advanced to the Dawawir area, where it took up position.

The Israeli army also opened fire with machine guns in the vicinity of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil).

Trump considers 'limited' initial attack on Iran to force it to reach agreement, according to WSJ

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering launching "limited" initial military strikes against Iran to force the Islamic Republic to accept his terms for a nuclear agreement, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

According to the WSJ, citing sources close to the matter, this option would be a first step aimed at exerting maximum pressure on Tehran, while avoiding a large-scale offensive that could provoke a major military response from Iran.

These initial strikes could take place "in the coming days" if Donald Trump gives the green light, and would target several Iranian military or government sites.

If Tehran continues to refuse to abandon its uranium enrichment program, Washington could then expand its military offensive to targets linked to the regime, with the potential aim of weakening or even overthrowing the current government.

A source quoted by the newspaper indicates that Donald Trump may favor a strategy of gradual escalation.

Iranian fighter jet crashes in western Iran

An Iranian fighter jet crashed accidentally yesterday evening in western Iran, killing one of the two pilots, state television Irib reported.

The aircraft, a Nahaja two-seater, crashed while on a night training mission in Hamedan province, according to Irib. One of the pilots was killed while the other survived. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation, the television station added.

US bases in the Middle East will be 'legitimate targets' for Iran in event of attack

Iran reiterated its threats against U.S. bases in the Middle East in the event of an attack in a letter sent yesterday, Thursday, to the U.N. Secretary-General, amid continuing high tensions with the United States.

"In the event that Iran is subjected to military aggression, it will respond decisively and proportionately in accordance with the principles of self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," wrote the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. in a letter to Antonio Guterres, seen by AFP.

"In such circumstances, all U.S. bases, infrastructure and assets in the region are legitimate targets," he added.

The two countries concluded their second round of talks in Switzerland on Tuesday. At the same time, Iran's supreme leader warned in a fiery speech that the U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf could be sunk.

The talks did not appear to lead to any significant rapprochement between the two sides in the immediate future.

Read more here.

Trump gives 10-15 ultimatum to decide on deal or use force against Iran

These Iranian threats were made while, on the one hand, the Revolutionary Guards were conducting military manoeuvres, in a show of force, in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passageway for global oil trade.

On the other hand, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was giving himself "ten" to "fifteen days" to decide whether an agreement with Iran is possible, or whether he will resort to force against Tehran.

He repeated in a speech in Washington that without a "meaningful" agreement, "bad things" will happen.

Hello and welcome to our live news blog.

We will be providing live coverage of events taking place in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iran and elsewhere in the region, and beyond.

We will be closely following developments in talks and tensions between the United States and Iran, as well as the situation in southern Lebanon, which Israel continues to attack daily in violation of the November 2024 cease-fire.

Catch up with the latest round-up of news and events in our Morning Brief.