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

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.”

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.