U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio receiving Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the State Department in Washington, on Sept. 28, 2026. (Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP)
Today's top story
Nawaf Salam urges Washington for 'clear timeline'
During a meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the prime minister called for the principles of the framework agreement reached in June between Lebanon and Israel, under U.S. mediation, to be translated into "concrete measures" and "tangible outcomes," to achieve a "full Israeli withdrawal" from Lebanese territory and to place all weapons "under state authority" throughout the country.
He also called for a "credible verification mechanism" to monitor the implementation of commitments. For his part, Rubio reaffirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Lebanon and its legitimate institutions, as well as its ongoing support for the Lebanese Army and efforts to enhance its capabilities. He also emphasized the importance of continued implementation of the framework agreement to achieve stability and security.
Why it matters
The Lebanese-Israeli framework agreement signed on June 26 in Washington, under U.S. mediation, has not been progressing adequately. The seventh round of negotiations, held in early August in Rome, failed to solve the main points of disagreement, notably as Israel refuses to withdraw, and a mechanism responsible for verifying the commitments remains undecided. The eighth round could take place in early October, also in Rome.
Rubio said on June 26 that the agreement was a first step toward restoring Lebanese sovereignty. It also comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran.
What to watch
- Qatari mediation to try to revive dialogue between Washington and Tehran. Qatari mediators are set to meet separately with Iranian and American representatives on Monday or Tuesday, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York, to discuss an amended version of the Iranian seven-day truce plan. Tehran is conditioning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on a cessation of hostilities and several American concessions.
- Intensification of Israeli strikes in south Lebanon, spy camera dismantled by the army. Dozens of Israeli strikes and artillery shells hit the districts of Sour, Bint Jbeil and Marjayoun, with Israel firing nearly 70 shells within an hour on the Zebqine valley. In the same area, the Lebanese Army dismantled an Israeli spy camera equipped with a solar power system. Israeli forces continued demolition operations and gunfire in several southern towns, notably in Mansouri, where more than nine artillery shells were fired in the afternoon.
- Over 1,700 Israelis at al-Aqsa, Ben-Gvir claims Israel is now 'master of the Temple Mount.' For the third consecutive day, hundreds of Israelis entered al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem to pray on the Jewish festival of Sukkot, escorted by Israeli security forces and far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Ben-Gvir declared that Israel was now "master of the Temple Mount," while Smotrich called to "go to war in Judea-Samaria [occupied West Bank]" and to "dismantle the Palestinian Authority."
In other news
- Netanyahu asks MBZ to deny warning him before Oct. 7. The Israeli prime minister secretly traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to meet with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, reportedly asking him to deny warning him of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, according to the Associated Press. The meeting had not been announced by either side.
- Iranian flights to Iraq expected to resume within 24 hours. Najaf International Airport will welcome flights from Iran again within the next 24 hours, Iraq's ambassador to Tehran, Yasser Abdel Zahra al-Hajjaj, announced Monday. According to him, Baghdad did not decide to suspend air connections with Iran: foreign ground services companies had stopped operations for fear of U.S. sanctions.
- Four-year sentence sought against Carlos Ghosn: France's national financial prosecutor's office on Monday requested four years in prison for former Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, tried in absentia for corruption and influence-peddling in the case involving Rachida Dati. Four years in prison, including two years of required actual jail time that could be adjusted, were also requested against the former minister, who is suspected of receiving 900,000 euros from Renault-Nissan in exchange for lobbying in the European Parliament.
Major escalation of Israeli attacks at dawn on Sour, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun