Israeli occupation army claims it struck 3 Hezbollah positions in Nabatieh, Mayfadoun on Sunday
The Israeli occupation army claimed responsibility for strikes carried out Sunday against three Hezbollah positions in Nabatieh and Mayfadoun, in southern Lebanon.
According to the Israeli occupation army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, the strikes were conducted in response to Hezbollah's continued attacks against its forces operating in the "buffer zone."
The statement added that another strike, carried out earlier Sunday, targeted a Hezbollah launch site without specifying its location.
In a statement released overnight, Hezbollah said it "respects" the cease-fire and reserves the right to "defend its homeland."
Salam and Berry reject any attempt at 'national division'
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri reaffirmed Sunday evening their rejection of "any form of discord" among the Lebanese and of any "attempt at national division," two days after the signing, under U.S. auspices, of a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
The agreement, reached at the end of the fifth round of negotiations between the two countries in Washington, was categorically rejected by the Amal-Hezbollah alliance.
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CENTCOM chief expected in Lebanon today, according to media reports
The commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Brad Cooper, is expected to arrive in Lebanon today after a visit to Israel, according to the daily al-Joumhouria and MTV.
According to the newspaper, Gen. Cooper is scheduled to present in Beirut the "implementation mechanism" for the Israeli withdrawal from the "pilot zones" in south Lebanon and to "support the initial stages of implementing the agreement."
US, Iran suspend hostilities 'for time being'
The United States and Iran will suspend their recent mutual attacks, which marked a resumption of hostilities after the signing of their memorandum of understanding, a U.S. official announced overnight.
"Technical discussions are expected to continue on all points of the memorandum of understanding. Both sides will cease [their attacks] for the time being, and ships can move freely" in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the official said in an email to AFP.
The two sides had accused each other of violating the cease-fire in recent days, amid renewed tensions following the signing of their memorandum of understanding on June 17.
The U.S. official did not, however, confirm reports in U.S. media that Iranian and U.S. officials are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Qatar, with the Strait of Hormuz on the agenda.
Sealed by the Islamic Republic during the war launched on Feb. 28 by Israel and the United States, which destabilized global hydrocarbon trade and sent oil prices soaring, the strait reopened last week.
Tehran, however, only allows passage through a single corridor along its coastline and has threatened to attack any vessel that violates the closure.
Since Thursday, two ships have been hit by projectiles of unknown origin — attacks the U.S. military has attributed to Tehran, prompting two consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran.
Tehran, for its part, responded by firing missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors, including Kuwait and Bahrain.
Hezbollah says reserves right to 'defend its homeland' after Israeli attacks in south Lebanon
Hezbollah says it reserves the right to "defend its homeland" following renewed Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, despite the framework agreement signed Friday aimed at a "lasting peace" between the two countries.
In a statement released overnight from Sunday to Monday, the group "reaffirms that what the enemy has done is a flagrant violation of the cease-fire to which it had adhered until now, and that it is monitoring and documenting these violations, reserving the right to defend its homeland and its people."
The group refers to several attacks reported over the weekend, including an Israeli strike on a residential building in Nabatieh, another targeting a residential building in Mayfadoun, in the Nabatieh district, and a drone strike in Froun, in the Bint Jbeil district.
Hezbollah says these attacks constitute a "clear violation" of the cease-fire, which it says it continues to "comply" with.
South Lebanon: Israeli strike overnight in Nabatieh
While a fragile calm prevails this morning across various areas of southern Lebanon, the night was marked by a series of Israeli attacks.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Israeli occupation aircraft struck a building in the al-Maslakh neighborhood of Nabatieh, prompting residents to flee to Sidon, according to our correspondent.
Israeli gunfire was reported in the Hujeir Valley, in the Bint Jbeil district, while Israeli occupation military vehicles were seen operating in the area.
Large-scale overnight blast in Majdal Zoun, Sour district; Israel claims destroyed Hezbollah tunnel
Overnight between Sunday and Monday, Israeli occupation forces carried out a major blasting operation in Majdal Zoun, in the Sour district, where the area was seen ablaze, reports our correspondent in the South.
The explosions were so powerful that residents of Mansouri, Haniyeh and neighboring villages felt a tremor before the blast, which was also heard near Ansar, Doueir and the villages of Zahrani.
Shortly beforehand, the Lebanese Army ordered Mansouri residents to evacuate the town in anticipation of the Israeli blasting operation in the neighboring village.
The Israeli occupation army claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying it had "destroyed a tunnel containing hundreds of weapons and four launch ramps aimed at Israeli territory."
It also claimed the discovery of the tunnel a week ago and organized a tour of the site for journalists.
"This tunnel was built using technologies and know-how attributed to the Iranian regime," the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote in a post on X, adding that it was more than 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep.
The village of Haddatha, in the Bint Jbeil district, was also targeted by demolition operations targeting homes.
For more on the Majdal Zoun tunnel, (re-)read Layal Dagher's article on the subject here.
?️Catch up on our Morning Brief
Our Morning Brief brings you an extensive roundup of the weekend's news so you're all caught up before today's live updates.
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Good morning. We are now launching our live coverage of the region.
We are now launching our live coverage of the situation in Lebanon, following the signing Friday evening of a framework agreement with Israel that has caused internal divisions.
We will also be following the situation in the region, particularly in Iran and the Gulf states, after two exchanges of airstrikes between Tehran and Washington over the weekend.
Find our live coverage from yesterday here.
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