Christian villages in Marjayoun receive Israeli warnings against hosting displaced people | LIVE

Israeli forces blow up houses in Haddatha, south Lebanon

The Israeli army demolished houses in Haddatha, according to our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Iran: Khamenei's body arrives in Qom ahead of Tuesday procession

The body of Iran's former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, arrived Monday evening in the holy city of Qom ahead of a funeral procession scheduled for Tuesday, Iranian state television reported.

"The body of the martyred leader has arrived in Qom," state television said on social media, broadcasting footage of the helicopter carrying Khamenei's body landing in the city south of Tehran.

Israel-Lebanon talks to be held in Rome on July 15-16; possible Aoun-Trump meeting on July 21, Israeli envoy says

Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington that the next round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations will take place in Rome on July 15 and 16, according to Ynet.

The talks will be held at the ambassadorial level. He also said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on July 21.

Bassil slams authorities' 'powerlessness' over agreement he says harms Lebanon

On X, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil sharply criticized the situation in south Lebanon, saying the authorities were "powerless" in the face of an agreement that he argued had left the country exposed.

"Three scenes in the South: One heartwarming scene, as the residents of our border villages hold on to Lebanon's 10,452 square kilometers. One tragic scene, as Israel targets a school principal along with her family. One worrying scene, as the authorities stand powerless before an agreement that has exposed Lebanon, given Israel cover for attacks and occupation, prevented us from even filing a complaint, and left us even more concerned for Lebanon," he wrote.

An Israeli drone strike targeted Nabatieh Fawqa on Monday. According to our correspondent, three women were killed in the strike, which hit a car, including the principal of a local kindergarten.

Salam, army chief discuss implementation of Washington framework agreement

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Army Commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal, the Grand Serail said on X.

Discussions focused on preparations for implementing the framework agreement reached in Washington, including the launch of Israel's withdrawal from the designated pilot areas, according to the same source.

Mayors of Christian villages in Marjayoun receive text messages from Israeli side, warning them against allowing displaced residents to return

Mayors of Christian villages in Marjayoun have received text messages from Israel at 5 pm warning them against allowing displaced residents to return to their towns, according to our correspondent in the south.

The mayor of Qlayaa, Hanna Daher, told our correspondent that the message may be linked to the return of some displaced people to the village of Jdeideh Marjayoun, who are believed to be residents of the nearby towns of Dibbin and Blat.

Regarding Qlayaa, Daher confirmed that there are currently no displaced persons in the town.

He added that such messages keep residents in a constant state of anxiety and tension.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Burj al-Molouk, Elie Sleiman, told our correspond that he received the message on his phone, confirming that there are currently no displaced persons in the town. He explained that the municipality sought today, through the “mechanism,” to obtain approval for the return of 16 Christian families from the town, noting that the request was rejected.

Kan says communications channel between Lebanese and Israeli armies has been established, security source denies

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority, also known as Kan, reported last night that officers from the Israeli and Lebanese armies have opened a communications channel in recent days, mediated by the United States.

According to the station, the communication channel is intended to establish clear criteria that will define what a "Hezbollah-free zone" is, before the start of the pilot withdrawal from two villages in southern Lebanon.

However, in a call with our publication, a security source denied this information.

Kan also reported that Israel passed on a list of Lebanese officers, some of them relatively senior, who they suspect had passed information they got through the cease-fire mechanism committee to Hezbollah. According to the channel, Israel demanded for those officers not to be part of the new mechanism.

Israeli army comments on Nabatieh Fawqa strike, saying it killed '4 suspects'

The Israeli army said that it struck four suspects who "were identified approaching the security zone" in the al-Aqida neighborhood in Nabatieh Fawqa, noting that the suspects "posed a threat to [its] forces."

According to the health ministry, the four people killed in the Israeli drone strike in Nabatieh Fawqa were a woman, her mother, and foreign workers.

"Following the identification, the Air Force carried out a targeted strike against the suspects to eliminate the threat," reads the Israeli army statement.

The Israeli army calls "security zone" the dozens villages it occupied in southern Lebanon in recent months.

The Israeli army claimed a strike in the same area yesterday against what it described as a "cell of saboteurs affiliated with Hezbollah."

Israeli artillery shelling targets several villages in south Lebanon

Israeli artillery shelling has targeted the villages of Kounine (Bint Jbeil district), Qabrikha, Qantara, and the area of Wadi Slouqi (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent in the south.

UN human rights body ​says Israel's detention of Gazan ‌doctor is arbitrary

A U.N. human rights body ​called Israel's detention of Gazan ‌doctor Hussam Abu Safiya arbitrary and sought his immediate release as ​rights groups and his ​lawyer warned that his life ⁠was in imminent danger, Reuters reported.

In ​its finding, the U.N. Working Group ​on Arbitrary Detention said that Israel's actions contravened multiple articles of ​the Universal Declaration of Human ​Rights as well as the International ‌Covenant ⁠on Civil and Political Rights.

Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service has rejected allegations that Abu Safiya and ​other ​doctors have ⁠been mistreated in prison.

Israeli vehicles moving near Beaufort Castle

Israeli vehicles were observed moving in the vicinity of the Beaufort Castle in the Nabatieh district, our correspondent in the south reports.

Debris clearing from four buildings destroyed by previous Israeli strikes begins in Sour

The Council for the South began this morning removing debris from four buildings destroyed by previous Israeli strikes in the city of Sour, according to a statement relayed by our correspondent in the region. The work is being carried out in coordination with the Sour municipality.

The concerned buildings are the following: Sawt al-Farah, al-Souki, al-Araj, and Bouzet Crete.

A number of apartment owners and local residents arrived at the work sites, in a scene where feelings of pain and hope were intertwined, as they searched for any remaining personal belongings or items carrying memories from their homes destroyed in the attacks.

The municipality has prepared lists of the destroyed buildings and obtained the signatures of residential and commercial unit owners to facilitate the debris removal process, which will continue in the coming days to include all destroyed buildings.

South Lebanon: More Israeli attacks in Bint Jbeil

Several Israeli attacks have struck the Bint Jbeil region of southern Lebanon in recent hours, according to our corresponden.

An Israeli drone targeted a house in Braasheet, which also came under artillery fire.

Israeli machine gun fire targeted Haddatha, where an Israeli force advanced to the outskirts of the cemetery and opened fire again.

In Kounin, the Israeli army detonated several buildings.

Israel has killed at least 4,319 people, wounded 12,203 others across Lebanon since March 2

Israeli bombings have killed at least 4,319 people and wounded 12,203 others across Lebanon since the resumption of the war on March 2, the Health Ministry said in its latest official toll.

The Ministry recorded 15 more deaths than in its previous report published Sunday and also announced that it had counted four people killed in the Israeli drone strike that targeted Nabatieh Fawqa on Monday.

According to information from our correspondent, three women were killed in the strike, which targeted a car, including the principal of a local kindergarten.

🔗More information here.

Hezbollah organizes funeral for 19 fighters in Kafra

Hezbollah and its supporters held a funeral in Kafra, in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, for 19 fighters killed in action, our correspondent in the South reported.

The crowd accompanying the funeral procession through the town chanted slogans hostile to the United States and Israel before funeral prayers were recited and the bodies were buried.

Israeli drone strike on Kfar Tibnit, explosion in Kounin

An explosion attributed to the Israeli army was reported in Kounin, in the Bint Jbeil district, according to our correspondent, while an Israeli drone fired a missile at Kfar Tibnit, in the Nabatieh district.

Teachers' association pays tribute to school principal killed in Nabatieh Fawqa

The Association of Primary School Teachers in Lebanon issued a statement paying tribute to Esperanza Fakhri Ghandour, principal of the Salman Chamoun Public Kindergarten in Nabatieh Fawqa, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike earlier today.

Honoring the memory of a "dedicated and generous" colleague, "committed to her country and her students," the association condemned the Israeli attack as "despicable and inhumane."

Hezbollah MP denounces Lebanese authorities' silence after Netanyahu's remarks on border villages

Following Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks that southern border villages had requested to be "annexed" by Israel, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah criticized Lebanese authorities for "daring not to respond" to the claims. He added that Netanyahu's remarks are "suspicious and reveal Israeli plans against our homeland."

According to Fadlallah, the Christian villages in the South, among the few still inhabited within the Israeli "buffer zone" in Lebanese territory, "just like the Muslim villages, remain attached to their belonging to the homeland, which is the ultimate homeland of all its citizens." The villages "are an integral part of the national and social fabric of southern Lebanon."

"As for the occupation and its collaborators, they will leave and will have no role in the future of our country," he added.

After Netanyahu's remarks, Berri praises response by south Lebanon mayors, local leaders

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri praised the response of municipal officials and religious leaders in border villages who rejected allegations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claimed Sunday that some of the villages had requested annexation by Israel.

The positions taken by residents and officials in the inhabited and uninhabited villages along the border, and their "resilience and attachment to their land and identity, reflect the authenticity of their national identity, which they will not compromise under any circumstances," Berri said.

He also warned against "the lies and rumors spread by Israeli political figures, who are pursuing agendas aimed at sowing division among the inhabitants of the border areas."

Berri also called on the Lebanese state and the international community to "act to stop the systematic destruction" of villages in the border region. The demolitions "reveal Israel's true intentions to render large areas of southern Lebanon uninhabitable," he said.

Israeli strike on Nabatieh Fawqa: School principal, her mother and housekeeper killed, according to new reports

Sources working with our correspondent in the South have provided updated details on the three people killed in the Israeli drone strike on Nabatieh Fawqa.

Contrary to earlier reports, the victims were Esperanza Fakhri Ghandour, principal of the Salman Chamoun Public Kindergarten in the village where the strike took place, her mother and her housekeeper.

No men were in the vehicle.

Israeli strike in Nabatieh Fawqa has killed 3 people

(Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)

The three people wounded in the Israeli strike on Nabatieh Fawqa in southern Lebanon have died from their injuries, according to our correspondent.

South Lebanon: Israeli army purports it is prepaing to withdraw from 2 'pilot zones' for handover to Lebanese Army

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting Sunday to oversee preparations for the Israeli army's upcoming withdrawal from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, as stipulated in the framework agreement signed June 26 between Lebanon and Israel, according to the Israeli news outlet Ynet.

According to Ynet, Israel is allegedly waiting for the Lebanese Army to announce its readiness to enter the zones before proceeding, as well as for approval from U.S. Central Command, which is to coordinate between the two parties.

The gradual withdrawal, for which no timetable has been set, is to be followed by the dismantling of Hezbollah infrastructure in the transferred villages by the Lebanese Army.

Last week, the Israeli press reported that the launch of the withdrawal would be postponed until an agreement is reached on a new "joint supervision mechanism" between the two armies to replace the one established under the previous agreement of Nov. 27, 2024.

The two "pilot zones" agreed upon by Lebanon and Israel during the latest negotiations in Washington are Zawatr Gharbieh and Zawtar Sharqieh, in the Nabatieh district north of the Litani River, and Froun, in the Bint Jbeil district south of the river.

On the ground, the Israeli army continues to occupy a "buffer zone" of more than 600 square kilometers in southern Lebanon, extending up to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory.

South Lebanon: 3 seriously injured in 2 Israeli strikes on Nabatieh Fawqa; explosion in Bint Jbeil

Israeli army drones fired missiles twice at Nabatieh Fawqa, including at a Jeep-type vehicle in the al-Deir neighborhood. According to preliminary information from our correspondent, three people were seriously injured: a couple and an immigrant worker.

At the same time, the Israeli army carried out an explosion in the town of Bint Jbeil, while a drone dropped a stun grenade in Mansouri (Sour).

Israeli army claims found more than 150 weapons in Haddatha over past month

The Israeli army claimed its forces found "more than 150 weapons" in the village of Haddatha over the past month, claiming the locality had served as a "base" for Hezbollah operations. The village is one of dozens in southern Lebanon still occupied by Israel, where Israeli forces regularly demolish homes and infrastructure.

"Over the past month, forces from the 401st Armored Brigade, under the command of the 91st Division, established operational control over Haddatha," the army alleged in a statement.

It added that more than 90 structures it described as "terrorist" had been destroyed, more than 20 fighters killed, and more than 150 weapons seized, including RPG launchers, anti-tank missiles, machine guns and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

In late May, fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army lasted several days in Haddatha before the village, located north of Bint Jbeil and about 11 kilometers from the border, was captured.

Fifteen south Lebanon villages categorically deny Netanyahu's claims they 'request annexation by Israel'

The municipalities, mokhtars and local leaders of about 15 predominantly Christian villages in southern Lebanon have categorically denied allegations made Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claimed that residents of the villages had asked to be "annexed to Israel."

The signatories described reports carried by some media outlets, claiming local officials had "contacted Israeli authorities to request the annexation of their villages to Israel and the granting of Israeli citizenship," as "completely fabricated and without any basis in reality."

"The residents of the Christian border villages are proud of their national identity and consider Lebanon their permanent homeland."

"We remain committed to the Lebanese state and its legitimacy, having never deviated from this position despite the extremely difficult conditions imposed by the war, and we reject any attempt to distort our positions or exploit our suffering to serve agendas that are foreign to us," the statement said.

The previous day, Netanyahu told Fox News that several Christian villages in southern Lebanon had appealed to Israel to be "rid of Hezbollah." "Some Christian villages in Lebanon have even asked to be annexed to Israel because we protect them from Hezbollah, these Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same with Christians all over the world," he said.

The villages that signed the joint statement, which also include Druze and Sunni minorities, are Abu Qamha, Ain Ibl, Alma al-Shaab, Burj al-Muluk, Buwaida, Dibil, Deir Mimas, Ibl al-Saqi, Jdeidet Marjayoun, Kawkaba, Qlayaa, Qouzah, Rashaya al-Foukhar, Rmeish and Sarda.

Several of the villages have been isolated from the rest of Lebanon for several months because they fall within the occupation zone declared by the Israeli army, covering more than 600 square kilometers in southern Lebanon.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the occupying forces would remain "indefinitely" in the "security zone" established in southern Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

South Lebanon: Another Israeli bombing in Aitaroun

Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon carried out a fourth bombing operation near the border village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district), following similar demolitions reported in Haddatha (Bint Jbeil), Houla (Marjayoun) and Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent in the South.

Khamenei's funeral procession begins through Tehran

The funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began this morning through the streets of Tehran, according to state television, on the third day of national mourning, which Iranian authorities have framed as a demonstration of strength and unity.

The coffin had been on display for two days at the Great Mosque, a religious and political site in the capital, where Iranians gathered to bid farewell to the leader killed in Israeli-American airstrikes on Feb. 28.

The procession is expected to last 10 to 12 hours and pass through, among other places, the iconic Enghelab (Revolution) Street, according to authorities, who expect millions of people.

"We ask the public to peacefully gather in Azadi [Freedom] Square," where the procession is expected, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh said, according to state television.

Photos taken by AFP on Monday morning showed hundreds of people, many dressed in black, some waving Iranian flags or holding portraits of the late supreme leader. One person held a sign reading "Down with the USA," while another displayed an image of U.S. President Donald Trump with a target superimposed over it.

People gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran "symbolically hanged Trump," state television reported, sharing a video showing a mannequin hanging from a makeshift gallows.

🔗More information on the funeral here.

About 100 Israeli settlers cross into Syria in attempt to establish outpost

About 100 Israeli settlers, members of the "Pioneers of Bashan" movement, crossed the border into Syria on Sunday beyond the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel annexed, in the Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh) region.

Reported by several local media outlets, the crossing prompted an intervention by the Israeli army, which said Monday morning that it had "intervened on the ground to prevent their crossing [of the border]." "The detained citizens were transferred for further processing by the Israeli police," the statement added.

On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an Israeli outpost had been established last week in the part of the Syrian Golan Heights invaded by Israel following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, beyond the demarcation line established by the 1974 armistice between Syria and Israel.

Israeli demolitions in Houla, Kfar Tibnit, Haddatha

Overnight and into this morning, the Israeli army carried out large-scale demolitions in Houla (Marjayoun district), Kfar Tibnit (Nabatieh district) and Haddatha (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent in the South.

Two Israeli Merkava tanks and an armored bulldozer also advanced this morning from the vicinity of Haddatha Stadium to the center of the town.

'No village in the South' has asked to be annexed by Israel, Rmeish mayor says after Netanyahu's remarks

The head of the Rmeish municipality, Hanna al-Amil, denied statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day, in which he claimed that Christian villages in occupied southern Lebanon had asked to be "annexed" by Israel, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

"No village in the South has made such a request," said Amil, mayor of one of the largest still-inhabited villages in the border strip, where the Israeli army has established an occupied "buffer zone" of approximately 620 square kilometers. What Netanyahu claimed is "completely unfounded," and such an idea is "absolutely unthinkable," he said. He added that about 15 villages had already denied similar allegations.

Netanyahu alleged to Fox News that villages in the South, which he did not name, had made such a request in order to "protect themselves against Hezbollah."

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.

🔗Find it here.

Good morning. We are now launching our LIVE coverage of the region for today.

We are now launching our live coverage of the situation in Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues its systematic destruction of villages in the South, within whose "buffer zone" it operates, and carries out daily attacks despite a cease-fire that has been in effect since June 20.

We will also follow developments in the region, particularly in Iran, where the funeral procession for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, assassinated on Feb. 28 in Israeli-American airstrikes, has begun in Tehran.

Find our live coverage of yesterday's developments here.