Berri, Ghalibaf claim Israel has violated MoU between Iran and US; Israeli army head describes Lebanon-Israel agreement as ‘historic’ | LIVE

Egyptian Foreign Minister tells Berry that Israeli withdrawal is the ‘key’ to stability in Lebanon

The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, stated during a meeting with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, that a complete Israeli withdrawal was “the key to stability in Lebanon,” according to a statement from Ain al-Tineh. The minister also reaffirmed “Egypt’s commitment to Lebanon’s stability."

For his part, Nabih Berri emphasized the need “to avoid discord in Lebanon and to redouble efforts to preserve stability and civil peace.”

Israel fires stun grenade near farmers in Ibl al-Saqi

An Israeli drone fired a stun grenade near the Ibl al-Saqi spring (Marjyoun), close to farmers, without causing any injuries, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Berry and Ghalibaf refer to 'Israel’s violation of the MoU' between Tehran and Washington

During their telephone call, as reported earlier by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, discussed “Israel’s violation of the first point of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States” on June 17, which provides for an end to the war on all fronts, according to a press release from the Lebanese Parliament.

According to the two officials, the agreement also stipulates in the same clause “Israel’s withdrawal from the territories it has occupied to internationally recognized borders, from the very moment the agreement is signed and for a period of sixty days.”

Analysis | Lebanon-Israel framework agreement: The real challenge lies ahead

The Lebanon-Israel framework agreement signed Friday under U.S. auspices marks a diplomatic breakthrough, but key challenges remain ahead, including Hezbollah's rejection of the agreement.

Mounir Rabih breaks down the content of the agreement and the challenges surrounding its implication here.

Focus | France, Italy, Indonesia: What we know about the 'post-UNIFIL' era

Post-UNIFIL plans remain uncertain as European and international actors explore possible replacements ahead of the 2027 withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

France and Italy are reportedly pushing for a multinational coalition, while Lebanon has welcomed efforts to avoid a security vacuum.

Several scenarios are under discussion, ranging from a limited UN extension to an extra-U.N. force, but no framework has yet been agreed.

Read more in Malek Jadah's focus piece here.

Israeli army chief: 'Agreement signed with Lebanese government is historic and significant'

“The agreement signed with the Lebanese government is historic and significant,” says Eyal Zamir, the Israeli army’s Chief of Staff, who adds that “the real test now is its implementation,” according to comments reported on X by the Israeli army.

“The operational capability and military successes achieved by the [Israeli army] in recent months are what have created the necessary conditions for its conclusion,” he said. Whilst affirming that Israel “will respect this agreement and work towards its success,” the Israeli army chief said that the “real test now lies in its implementation by both parties, and the coming period will determine the future.”

“The safety of our forces is of paramount importance. The soldiers of the 36th Division and our Commando unit are in control of the Beaufort Ridge sector and have all the tools and resources necessary to defeat the enemy,” he added.

Ghalibaf holds talks with Berri following Lebanon-Israel framework agreement

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, held talks with his Lebanese counterpart and leader of Amal, Nabih Berri, on “bilateral issues, and in particular the situation in Lebanon”, according to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, which did not provide further details.

This call comes two days after Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement aimed at achieving “lasting peace,” which was strongly criticized by Berri and Hezbollah. Two weeks ago, the Hezbollah-Amal duo had welcomed Iran’s success in securing a "cease-fire" in southern Lebanon, which has been regularly violated by the Israeli army. Hezbollah believes that an Israeli withdrawal can be achieved through the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, signed on June 17, which stipulates that the two powers undertake to “guarantee the territorial integrity” of Lebanon.

Iran warns that any interference in its management of Strait of Hormuz risks 'escalating tensions' in region

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned on Sunday that any interference in Tehran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz, outside the framework set out in the memorandum of understanding signed with Washington, risked “escalating tensions” in the region.

“No other institution or country” apart from Iran is “responsible” for the management of the strait, and “in accordance with the memorandum of understanding ... any interference in this matter, any attempt to adopt new or separate provisions” will lead “to delays in the reopening of the strait and will increase tensions,” said Araghchi, who is on an official visit to Baghdad, according to AFP.

“I urge all parties not to interfere in the management of the strait ... and not to allow this memorandum of understanding to be derailed,” he added, following an exchange of strikes with the United States since Friday.

Passage through the Strait of Hormuz still requires coordination with the Revolutionary Guards, according to Iranian media

Iranian state television claims that the safest transit route for ships entering the Gulf is south of the Iranian island of Hormuz, and south of the island of Larak for ships leaving the Gulf, according to Reuters.

Araghchi calls for the establishment of a security framework with the Gulf states

The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Sunday for the establishment of a security framework with the Gulf states, following further Iranian strikes against U.S. bases in the Gulf in retaliation for U.S. attacks.

“We should arrive at a new framework that includes all countries in the region and without the presence or interference of any country from outside the region,” Araghchi said at a press conference during a visit to the Iraqi capital, according to AFP.

Lebanon-Israel framework agreement: Hezbollah-Amal tandem officially rejects

The framework agreement reached on Friday between Lebanon and Israel at the end of the fifth round of negotiations in Washington has provoked strong reactions across the political spectrum, including a categorical and particularly vehement rejection by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem and other political camps.

The Amal Movement has issued an official statement announcing its rejection of the document: “The Movement considers this agreement to be unbalanced and, in most of its provisions, to enshrine realities that favor the enemy at the expense of the national interest. It entails political and sovereign risks and cannot be accepted, as it does not constitute a basis for a just agreement that safeguards Lebanon’s rights.”

For more detail on the different reactions from the official Lebanese parties, read here.

Israel announces death of soldier ‘killed in combat’ near Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon

Israel has announced the death of one of its soldiers who “was killed in action in southern Lebanon” on Sunday near Deir Siryan (Marjayoun), following a confrontation with “a Hezbollah fighter,” according to Israeli media reports. Another Israeli soldier was slightly injured in the same incident, the army said.

The soldier who died, identified as David Hazutt, aged 21, was a platoon commander in the 12th Battalion of the Golani Brigade.

Israel fires stun grenades near family inspecting their home in Braasheet

An Israeli drone fired two stun grenades into the courtyard of a house on the outskirts of the town of Braasheet (Bint Jbeil) while a family was inspecting their home in the area.

Meanwhile, at dawn, Israeli forces erected an earthen berm near a nature reserve on the town's southeastern outskirts.

Hezbollah MP says signing of agreement with Israeli is ‘major and dangerous downfall’

Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, said that the signing of the framework agreement and the negotiations with the Israeli enemy constituted "a major and dangerous downfall."

Hajj Hassan made these remarks during a Hezbollah ceremony held for the funeral of killed Hezbollah member, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeq Nasser, in the town of Tamnin al-Fawqa in the Bekaa, attended by municipal leaders, mukhtars, and local dignitaries.

He said that the authorities had signed, "with their American master and their new Israeli ally," what they called a framework agreement, describing it as "an agreement of surrender, shame, humiliation, and disgrace." He added: "We are not saying this out of anger. Israel's Channel 13 says it is a recipe for civil war in Lebanon. You committed yourselves with the Israelis to something you are incapable of implementing. This is related to the weapons of the resistance. You linked this agreement to Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction, and the return of displaced people on the condition that the resistance's weapons be withdrawn."

In conclusion, Hajj Hassan said that U.S. demands "will not stop." He asked: "Whom should we believe? Should we believe Netanyahu, who says there will be no withdrawal from the security zones and no return of the displaced unless his condition of disarming the resistance is fulfilled? This is something you will not be able to implement."

Iran’s Araghchi urges US to push Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says all parts of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the United States should be honored, including the clauses on Lebanon, during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq.

“Regrettably, the Zionist entity continues with its air strikes on Lebanon,” Araghchi said in a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad, adding that the MoU signed between the U.S. and Iran was also accepted by Israel.

He stressed that Washington “should live up to its responsibility and force” Israel to put an end to its attacks in Lebanon in order to end the war on the country.

Araghchi also called on Washington to push Israel to withdraw from the areas it has been occupying in Lebanon.

“This was the first clause of the MoU,” he said.

Iran warns of escalating tensions if its control of Hormuz challenged

Iran has warned that any challenge to its control over the Strait of Hormuz will “escalate tensions” in the region, reports AFP.

'We will not move into additional areas if Lebanese Army does not succeed,' Israeli official claims

The Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported, quoting an Israeli official: “We will not withdraw from any further areas [in southern Lebanon] if the Lebanese Army fails” to deploy in the place of Hezbollah.

“The [Israeli army] is also preparing for the possibility that Hezbollah will try to challenge the agreement by increasing attacks against forces on the ground,” Israeli Channel 12 reported.

“Among other things, the [Israeli army] is expected to withdraw from the Ali Taher Hill [Nabatieh] as part of the first 'pilot,' but only after confirmation that the move was successful and that the area is free of the organization's presence,” according to Channel 12.

Hezbollah to bury 68 fighters in various villages in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah is due to hold funerals today for 68 of its fighters killed by Israel during the latest re-escalation of the war. The funerals will be held in several villages in the districts of Sour and Bint Jbeil, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

In the district of Bint Jbeil, funerals are to be held in:

Yater: 27 fighters

Kfar Dounin: 16 fighters

Haris: 9 fighters

Aitit: 1 fighter

In the district of Sour, ceremonies are due to take place in:

Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain: 4 fighters.

Wadi Jilo: 4 fighters

Qleileh: 2 fighters

Al-Bayyad: 2 fighters

Tayr Debba: 2 fighters

Jannata: 1 fighter

Israel steps up its bombings on southern Lebanon

The precarious calm that prevailed in southern Lebanon since last night was disrupted by the sound of numerous explosions carried out by the Israeli army, according to our correspondent in the region.

Several explosions were heard in Khiam (Marjayoun), where houses were seen ablaze. Three explosions were also heard in Hadatha (Bint Jbeil), Deir Siryan, and Taybeh (Marjayoun).

One explosion, initially mistaken for an air strike between Deir Siryan and Taybeh, turned out to have been caused by a controlled demolition. Finally, the Israeli army shelled the Safeh area, on the outskirts of Shebaa (Hasbaya), with two phosphorus shells.

Aoun hopes US will pressure Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon

President Joseph Aoun told U.S. President Donald Trump that he hoped Washington would help prevent violations of a framework agreement with Israel and ensure agreed commitments are fulfilled, particularly by pressing Israel to withdraw from occupied areas in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese presidency said on Saturday.

Iran launches strikes on US military sites in Kuwait, Bahrain, in response to US attacks

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Sunday that its navy and aerospace forces had launched a joint missile and drone operation targeting the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and another military base in Kuwait in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes against Iran.

"Violating the cease-fire is contrary to Clause 1 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes," the Guards said in a statement, according to Press TV.

Iran said on Sunday it was determined to defend its sovereignty after the latest U.S. strikes on the country, as a fragile truce in the Middle East war hangs in the balance.

Read more here.

Israel strikes Nabatieh Fawqa, killing 1, injuring 3; releases 7 people held captive

An Israeli airstrike on Nabatieh Fawqa on Saturday killed one person and injured two others, according to the Health Ministry, despite a cease-fire that took effect last week and the signing of a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel a day earlier.

At around 1 p.m., an Israeli drone launched a sound bomb near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Nabatieh Fawqa before striking the same location, according to our correspondent in the South. About three hours later, Israel launched a second sound bomb in the area, and later in the early evening, an airstrike.

Meanwhile, Israel released overnight the seven people — Lebanese and Syrian nationals — it had captured the previous day in Ain Arab, in the Marjayoun district. The village's mokhtar, Mokhtar al-Ahmad, said the Lebanese Army had taken custody of the released individuals.

Read more here.

Hello and welcome to our live news blog

🗞️ Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events taking place in Lebanon, where people are reacting to the trilateral agreement signed between the U.S., Israel, and Lebanon on Friday.

We will also be monitoring the situation in the region, particularly in Iran and the Gulf states, as Tehran and Washington have been exchanging strikes over the past two days, jeopardizing the ongoing talks between the two countries.