Israeli drone targets car in Nabatieh as strikes on Ali Taher continue overnight | LIVE

Israeli tanks move between Haddatha and Aita al-Jabal

Israeli tanks advanced from Haddatha toward the outskirts of Aita al-Jabal (Bint Jbeil), accompanied by automatic weapons fire in the area, our correspondent in south Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah, reports.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army fired a stun grenade toward Syrian workers in Kafra (Bint Jbeil), causing no injuries. Another Israeli demolition was reported in Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh).

Trump says US has swept the Strait of Hormuz for mines

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States controlled the Strait of Hormuz and had cleared it of mines, Reuters reported.

“The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that's been infallible,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Al-Rissala rescuers escape Israeli strike while responding to incident in Nabatieh

Rescuers from the Al-Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, were targeted by a drone strike while treating four people wounded in an earlier drone strike on a vehicle in Nabatieh.

The attack damaged an ambulance but caused no casualties among the rescuers, our correspondent reports.

Israeli drone strikes car in Nabatieh

An Israeli drone targeted a car on the outskirts of Nabatieh city this morning, wounding several people, according to our correspondent in south Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah. Civil Defense vehicles and ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

Israeli artillery also struck the outskirts of Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh). A fire also spread on the outskirts of Nabatieh Fawqa, below the Tallet al-Debesh area, following Israeli artillery fire.

South Lebanon: Israel targets Ali Taher

The Israeli army continued its escalation in south Lebanon overnight from Monday into Tuesday, particularly around the strategic Ali Taher hill in the Nabatieh district, our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah reports.

On Monday evening, Israeli artillery fired several missiles at Ali Taher, which is surrounded by the Israeli army and where it could launch a battle in the near future if the Lebanese Army does not agree to enter the area, take control of it and dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

Missiles also struck Mansouri (Sour), and explosions were reported in the town’s jointly owned lands, followed by two Israeli fighter jet strikes that destroyed houses in the area. The Israeli army also blew up homes in the towns of Qantara and Adsheet Qsair (Marjayoun).

Later in the night, further strikes targeted Ali Taher, while two demolitions were reported in Taybeh (Marjayoun). The sound of the explosions and strikes was heard in villages across the Sour and Nabatieh districts.

After 1 a.m., Israeli artillery struck Wadi Hujeir from the Qantara side (Marjayoun), while artillery fire also targeted the Ali Taher forest.

Trump says relationship with Netanyahu is 'very good' despite disagreements over Gaza

Donald Trump said Monday that his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu remained “very good,” after the latter rejected the latest U.S. roadmap for Gaza. The Israeli prime minister had already expressed reservations about the text, which is intended to launch the second phase of the peace plan.

“The Israeli army will carry out no withdrawal as long as Hamas has not been genuinely disarmed,” Benjamin Netanyahu said, as he seeks to reassure his far-right allies ahead of delicate legislative elections in September.

He described the U.S. president as “Israel’s greatest friend in the White House,” while making clear that he was prepared to stand up to him: “They have ideas, some suit us and others do not, and we know how to defend our positions on these issues.”

Relations between the two leaders came under strain in the spring. Donald Trump, in strongly worded remarks, accused Benjamin Netanyahu in April of undermining negotiations aimed at securing a cease-fire with Iran.

Trump again extends maritime waiver in bid to ease oil prices

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again extended, for an additional three months, a waiver allowing foreign-flagged vessels to transport goods between U.S. ports, in another attempt to ease oil prices.

According to Bloomberg, the extension comes with new restrictions, including case-by-case reviews of requests submitted by foreign shipping companies. The vessels concerned must also limit their cargo to energy products.

Donald Trump suspended the Jones Act on March 18, a more than century-old law that generally requires shipping companies to use U.S.-built and U.S.-owned vessels when transporting goods between two U.S. ports.

The measure was intended in particular to facilitate deliveries between oil-producing areas in the Gulf of Mexico and refineries on the East Coast.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East, one month after hostilities resumed between Washington and Tehran.

We will also follow developments in south Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues to occupy several hundred square kilometers along the border.