Lebanon: Israeli army chief issues warning to troops against looting
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, issued a warning to his troops on Monday regarding acts of looting, adding that the use of social media to disseminate "questionable" messages constituted a "red line."
His comments come after the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that soldiers in southern Lebanon had been consistently looting civilian property, citing accounts from both soldiers and commanders on the ground.
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Israel continues its air strikes on the district of Nabatieh
The Israeli army is continuing its strikes on Kfour (Nabatieh) and Bassalia (Jezzine), on the outskirts of the town of Jbaa. Meanwhile, a building collapsed in Nabatieh Fawqa due to cracks caused by a previous strike, reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Israeli strikes have also hit the outskirts of Khirbet Selm (Marjayoun) and Siddiqine (Sour).
Israel continues its air strikes across southern Lebanon
Israeli air strikes have once again targeted Yohmor al-Shaqif (Nabatieh), Kounin (Bint Jbeil district), as well as the town of Bint Jbeil (Bint Jbeil), according to our correspondent in the region. Israeli artillery fire also targeted the outskirts of Mansouri (Sour).
Hezbollah claims to have targeted two groupings of Israeli soldiers in Naqoura
In its third claimed attack of the day, Hezbollah said it targeted two groupings of Israeli soldiers in Naqoura (Sour) at 5.30 p.m. using two explosive drones, inflicting “confirmed casualties.”
The head of the Israeli army says that 2026 “could still be a year of fighting” on all fronts
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, stated on Monday that 2026 “could still be a year of fighting” on all fronts, according to a military statement quoted by AFP.
“Since Oct. 7 [2023], the army has been engaged in an ongoing campaign on several fronts. We remain ready and on alert for the possibility of a resumption of intense fighting on all these fronts — 2026 could still be a year of fighting on each of them,” said Zamir during a meeting with officers.
A Hezbollah MP lambasts Aoun’s remarks, accusing the ‘miserable’ state of attempting to ‘sell the country to the Zionists’
Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah MP, has responded vehemently to President Joseph Aoun, lambasting a "miserable regime" that is allegedly attempting to "sell the country to the Zionists."
"The resistance will remain the symbol of the nation’s dignity; as for the submissive and the traitors, their prostration before the invaders will not grant them the slightest shred of national honor,” he declared in a rare public statement.
Aoun had stated that “betrayal is committed by those who drag their country into war to serve foreign interests,” in reference to Hezbollah’s entry into the regional war alongside Iran.
Without directly referring to these remarks, the MP stated in a press release that “leveling accusations against an entire community and casting it as an enemy will not allow a wretched regime to sell the country to the Zionists.”
“The members of the resistance and the families of their martyrs across Lebanon embody patriotism. They need no certificate of allegiance, for the blood of their sons will wash away the shame of a regime that brings humiliation and dishonor upon its homeland,” he added.
“It is already shameful that Netanyahu has made them complicit in every act of aggression he perpetrates against our country, and in the blood of every child he is spilling these days in the South,” he further stated.
Israel continues its air strikes across southern Lebanon
Israeli air strikes have targeted Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh), Hadatha, and Braasheet (Bint Jbeil), as well as Touline (Marjayoun), our correspondent in southern Lebanon has reported.
Israeli artillery shelling in the Nabatieh district and in Bint Jbeil
Israel has fired artillery shells over the past hour on Yohmor al-Shaqif and Mayfadoun (Nabatieh), as well as in Bint Jbeil, according to reports from our correspondent in southern Lebanon. In Bint Jbeil, Israel carried out a simultaneous demolition operation.
Netanyahu says Hezbollah’s rockets and drones necessitate continued military action
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the "dual threat" posed by Hezbollah’s rockets and drones necessitates continued military action against Lebanon, according to a statement from his office.
“There are still two main threats from Hezbollah: 122-mm rockets and drones. This requires a combination of operational and technological measures,” said Netanyahu.
Barrot to UN: Iran must make ‘major concessions’ to end the war
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said on Monday that Iran must make "major concessions" in the peace talks in order to bring an end to the war in the Middle East. “There will be no lasting solution to this crisis unless the Iranian regime agrees to major concessions and a radical change of stance,” he said during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, reports AFP.
Turkey: Ship carrying over 700 tons of humanitarian aid docks in Beirut
A humanitarian aid ship from Turkey has docked at the port of Beirut, carrying over 700 tons of relief equipment and essential supplies for Lebanon, reports the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
The cargo includes 7,200 shelter tents, over 10,000 food parcels, 28,000 blankets, and 1,000 personal hygiene kits, amounting to an estimated net total of around 730 tons of humanitarian aid.
“This is the second ship to arrive within a week, reflecting Turkey’s continued commitment and the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries,” said Fadi Makki, Minister of State for Administrative Development, praising Turkey’s solidarity.
For her part, Minister of Social Development Haneen Sayed emphasized that “this aid arrives at a time when Lebanon needs it most,” praising “Turkey’s constant support for Lebanon in times of peace as well as in times of crisis.”
The Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon, Murat Lutem, stated that “this shipment is intended to support vital institutions, including the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Red Cross, to help them cope with the consequences of successive crises.”
Katz says Qassem is ‘playing with fire'
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says that Hezbollah leader Naim q=Qassem is "playing with fire," which will "burn Lebanon," reports AFP.
Latest Health Ministry toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon: 2,521 people killed, 7,804 injured
Iran is 'stable and robust,' says Araghchi to Putin
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the Islamic Republic was “stable” and “robust” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian state television reported on Monday, as cited by AFP.
During the talks in St Petersburg, Araghchi said that since the war launched by the United States and Israel, “the world has now understood Iran’s true power,” and that “it has become clear that the Islamic Republic is a stable, robust, and powerful system.” He added that Russia stood in solidarity with Iran, and that the two countries would continue their “strategic partnership,” according to the same source.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for a second attack, targeting an Israeli army bulldozer in Bint Jbeil
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for a second attack, in which it says it targeted an Israeli D9 bulldozer in Bint Jbeil at 1.30 p.m., which had been used for demolishing houses in the main town of the border strip.
The Israeli army has repeatedly used the D9, a bulldozer manufactured by the U.S. company Caterpillar, in Gaza to protect its soldiers entering the area and to raze the enclave, according to videos authenticated by Le Monde. It has also been using it in southern Lebanon for the past two months, in its attempt to create a “buffer zone” in the region.
Israeli airstrike on Souaneh kills 2 people, including 1 woman, and injures 4, according to initial reports
The Israeli airstrike reported earlier on Souaneh (Marjayoun) has killed two people, including one woman, and injured four others, among them children.
According to preliminary reports from our correspondent in southern Lebanon, the victims are from the same family: the parents were killed, whilst the grandmother and three children were injured.
Putin tells Araghchi that Moscow will do ‘everything’ to restore peace in the Middle East
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during his meeting in St Petersburg with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Moscow will do "everything" to restore peace in the Middle East, reports AFP.
Hezbollah said it had 'targeted and hit' an Israeli tank in Qantara
In in its first claimed attack of the day, Hezbollah said it struck an Israeli Merkava tank at 2 p.m. in the occupied Lebanese locality of Qantara (Marjayoun) in southern Lebanon, using an explosive drone.
Earlier, the Israeli army said Hezbollah had launched a “booby-trapped drone toward Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon,” adding that it had “detonated near the forces” without causing casualties.
The army also said that earlier in the day it had “successfully intercepted a hostile aircraft launched toward the area where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon.”
Iran says its armed forces should have authority over the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s armed forces should have authority over the Strait of Hormuz under a draft bill aimed at regulating the management of the strategic waterway, a member of parliament said.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament’s National Security Committee, told state television that the armed forces already control the strait and seek to prevent the passage of “hostile vessels,” Reuters reported. He added that the bill also stipulates that transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz would be paid in Iran's national currency, the rial.
Hezbollah ready to carry out 'suicide attacks' against the Israeli army, according to a military official
A Hezbollah military official told the Qatari channel Al Jazeera that the group “return to tactics from the 1980s" and activate suicide squads to prevent Israel from establishing a “foothold” in southern Lebanon.
“Large groups of suicide bombers are deployed in the occupied territory [south Lebanon, by the Israeli army]," the official said.
"The mission of the suicide bombers is to engage with enemy officers and soldiers in the occupied Lebanese villages,” he added.
Hezbollah emerged in 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and initially carried out several suicide attacks, mainly in the 1980s. The United States has notably blamed the Iran-backed group for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa
Israeli air forces carried out several strikes in southern Lebanon, targeting Sowaneh in Marjayoun district, as well as Touline, which was hit twice. Another strike targeted Froun (Bint Jbeil district), although the missile did not detonate.
An Israeli bombardment also struck the Shaara area in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, east of the Bekaa Valley on the border with Syria, according to our correspondent in the region.
Israeli army announces strikes 'on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa'
The Israeli army said it has “begun carrying out” a series of strikes on “Hezbollah positions” in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, according to a brief statement issued by the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya.
Shortly before the announcement, strikes were reported by our correspondent in Tibnin, Yater (Bint Jbeil district), between Jmaijmeh and Majdal Selm (between the Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun districts), and between Kafra and Siddiqine (Sour district).
Aoun says he will not accept a 'humiliating agreement' with Israel
President Joseph Aoun reiterated that a real cease-fire is an “indispensable first step to any negotiation,” recalling that the truce agreement stipulates that “Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets” during this period.
Addressing those who “claim we are entering negotiations in a position of surrender,” he urged them to “wait until negotiations begin, and then judge the results.”
“My duty is to assume responsibility for my decisions and lead my country on the path to salvation. My goal is to end the state of war with Israel, in line with an armistice agreement,” he added, stressing that he will not accept a “humiliating agreement.”
Netanyahu and Katz hold security meeting over 'cease-fire violations' by Hezbollah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and senior security officials held consultations during the day on the situation in southern Lebanon and what they described as “cease-fire violations” by Hezbollah, according to Haaretz.
Hezbollah has been carrying out attacks against Israeli positions inside Lebanese territory and in northern Israel, saying it is responding to continued Israeli strikes.
Israel has killed at least 15 people since Sunday morning.
Aoun: The real betrayal is by those who drag their country into war to serve external interests
President Joseph Aoun said that direct negotiations with Israel do not constitute “betrayal,” arguing instead that “the real betrayal is committed by those who drag their country into war to serve external interests,” in a clear reference to Hezbollah.
Responding to criticism over the decision to engage in negotiations, two hours after a statement by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem calling on the state to reverse its position, Aoun added: “Some accuse us of deciding to engage in negotiations on the grounds that there is no national consensus. I reply: when you chose war, did you first obtain that consensus?”
His remarks come as Lebanon has once again been drawn into the regional conflict following Hezbollah rocket fire against Israel on March 2, launched in response to the killing of the Iranian Islamic leader two days earlier.
“Until when will the people of the South continue to pay the price of others’ wars on our territory, particularly those waged in support of Gaza or Iran? If the war were for Lebanon, we would support it. But when it serves the interests of others, I reject it completely,” Aoun added, speaking during a meeting with a delegation from Arkoub in southern Lebanon, mainly composed of residents from Sunni villages.
Israeli army continues demolition of homes in Taybeh and Yaroun
The Israeli army continued demolishing homes in Taybeh (Marjayoun district) and Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district), while a Merkava tank shelled the outskirts of Bint Jbeil.
In the Nabatieh district, artillery fire targeted Yohmor al-Shaqif, while a drone strike hit Mansouri (Sour).
Trump to hold crisis meeting on Iran later today
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to hold a crisis meeting on Iran later today, according to U.S. media, as negotiations remain stalled over a cease-fire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to navigation.
Trump will meet Monday with his senior national security and foreign policy team, Barak Ravid, a journalist for Axios known for his reporting on Israel-related issues, said on X. “The meeting is expected to discuss the current stalemate in the negotiations with Iran and potential options for the next steps in the war,” he added.
ABC News, citing “two U.S. officials familiar with the preparations,” reported that the Trump administration is growing increasingly confident in the impact of its ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports, while becoming more skeptical about the ability of talks with Iran’s current negotiators to yield the desired results.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported that Iran had submitted a new proposal to the U.S. aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage. ABC added, citing one of its sources, that Tehran’s terms appear “well below the red lines set by the administration.”
South Lebanon: Burj Qalaway municipality urges residents not to return to village
Following Israeli strikes on Burj Qalaway (Bint Jbeil) — one of which killed three members of the same family inside their home — the town's municipality has called on residents to delay their return, particularly elderly people, the sick, and families with children, “due to the ongoing instability on the ground and the risks involved.”
The municipality also announced the postponement of “all maintenance and cleaning work scheduled this week in the village’s neighborhoods and streets.”
Burj Qalaway is located just a few kilometres outside the “buffer zone” that Israel reportedly seeks to establish in southern Lebanon.
South Lebanon: Drone strike hits parked car in Sour district as artillery fire targets Yater
An Israeli drone targeted a car parked by the roadside in Sammaaiyeh, in Sour district, according to reports. In the same district, artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Byout al-Sayad.
Separately, artillery shells were fired at Yater, in the Bint Jbeil district.
Golani Brigade says it destroyed more than 50 Hezbollah facilities in recent days
The Israeli army’s Golani Brigade has destroyed at least 50 Hezbollah facilities in its area of operations in southern Lebanon in recent days, according to a statement posted on X by Arabic-language spokesperson Ella Waweya.
Among the targets, the army said it identified and destroyed a Hezbollah “underground complex” at an unspecified location.
The Israeli army also said Hezbollah launched a “booby-trapped drone” toward Golani Brigade forces on Sunday, which was intercepted. Videos circulating in Israeli media reportedly show soldiers evacuating a wounded comrade on a stretcher by helicopter when a drone approaches their position before being shot down.
Qassem: Direct negotiations with Israel plunge Lebanon into a 'cycle of instability'
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has once again called on the Lebanese authorities to reverse their decision to enter into direct negotiations with Israel, saying it “plunges Lebanon into instability,” as well as their decision to declare the military activities of Hezbollah illegal.
In a statement read on al-Manar, the party’s television channel, the secretary-general said Israel — despite continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon and demolishing border villages in an effort to establish a “buffer zone” — is “in a deadlock” facing “resistance.” He expressed regret that, in light of developments on the ground, Lebanese authorities have opted for direct negotiations with Israel, which he described as a “free, humiliating and unnecessary concession, whose only justification is submission without reciprocity.”
He reiterated his “categorical rejection” of direct talks, calling instead for indirect negotiations, while accusing the Lebanese authorities of “renouncing Lebanon’s rights, ceding territory and confronting its own resisting people.”
For Qassem, Lebanese leaders must reverse the “serious mistakes that are pushing Lebanon into instability,” including, he said, the cancellation of the “March 2 decision that criminalizes the resistance and its supporters.”
Israeli strike kills one in Qleileh
One person was killed in an Israeli strike on Qleileh, in the Sour district in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent.
Iran FM in Russia blames US for failure of Pakistan talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday blamed the United States for the failure of peace talks in Pakistan, after arriving in Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, AFP reported.
"The U.S. approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.
He also said that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue," as the U.S. and Iran continue their rival blockades in the waterway.
Air raid sirens sound in northern Israel due to projectiles 'fired from Lebanon,' Israeli army says
Air raid sirens warning of an “infiltration of hostile aircraft” sounded this morning at 7:40 a.m. in several localities in northern Israel, the Israeli army said, adding that “a suspicious device launched from Lebanon was briefly tracked before contact was lost, with no injuries reported.”
Additional alerts were triggered over fears of falling interception debris, while a second warning turned out to be a false detection.
Relatively calm night in south Lebanon despite demolition operations in Khiam
Last night was relatively calm in southern Lebanon, despite the continuation of Israeli demolition operations, notably in Khiam (Marjayoun district), while artillery fire targeted Arnoun in the Nabatieh district, our regional correspondent reported. Around 9 p.m., Israeli airstrikes hit a wooded area in Ali al-Taher, on the outskirts of Nabatieh Fawqa, and carried out strikes on Siddiqine and Jabal al-Botom in the Sour district.
On Sunday, until midnight, Israeli military aviation targeted 16 localities in the South, each of them bombed multiple times, while drones struck three additional areas. Five villages were also subjected to heavy artillery shelling. These attacks killed 14 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, including two children and two women, and left 37 others injured.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed five offensive operations on Sunday, the last taking place around midnight against “vehicles and soldiers of the Israeli army on the Tall al-Nahas hill, on the outskirts of Kfar Kila” in the Marjayoun district, “using a guided missile.” The party-militia’s attacks killed one Israeli soldier on Sunday, the army confirmed.
Iran reportedly proposes new deal to the US to reopen Hormuz, end the war, but delay nuclear talks
Iran has submitted a new proposal to the United States aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage, according to a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the matter cited by Axios. The proposal comes as talks remain largely stalled over the nuclear issue.
Under the proposal, the cease-fire would be extended for a long period, or even turned into a permanent agreement ending the war, while nuclear negotiations would only begin at a later stage. The White House has received the proposal, but it is unclear whether the United States is willing to consider it. Axios notes that lifting the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz could deprive Washington of leverage in future nuclear negotiations with Iran.
The Iranian proposal was reportedly conveyed via Pakistan, as Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting on Iran during the day, according to three U.S. officials. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during his stay in Islamabad, in talks with Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari mediators, that “there is no consensus among Iranian leaders on how to respond to U.S. demands.”
Araghchi arrives in Saint Petersburg to meet with Putin
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Monday morning, where he is expected to meet Vladimir Putin, marking a new stage in a diplomatic tour focused on the Middle East war, following a missed meeting with the United States in Islamabad.
Nearly three weeks after the cease-fire reached at the end of 40 days of fighting between Iran and Israel, supported by the United States, Moscow remains one of the Islamic Republic’s main allies.
Araghchi arrived this morning in Saint Petersburg, in northwestern Russia, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, according to AFP. He is expected to be received by the Russian president, according to the TASS news agency, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Meanwhile, Araghchi announced that Iran and Oman have agreed to continue consultations on the Strait of Hormuz through expert-level talks.
The Iranian minister also said that talks held in Pakistan examined the conditions for a possible resumption of negotiations between Iran and the United States, adding that his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be “a good opportunity” to discuss developments in the war, according to IRNA.
Iran gives U.S. new proposal on reopening Strait of Hormuz, ending war
Iran, through Pakistani mediators, gave the United States a new proposal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, Axios reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Good morning, and thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the cease-fires in Iran and Lebanon and the events in the region.
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