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Israel defence minister says ‘no calm in Beirut’ unless Hezbollah stops attacks
Israel’s defence minister said there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks continued and vowed to establish a military-controlled zone in the area of south Lebanon’s Litani River.
“The Dahiyeh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel – if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Israel Katz said in a statement released by his office, referring to Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold where he and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier ordered strikes.
“At the same time, the IDF continues to operate with fire and manoeuvre against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Lebanon … in order to push threats away from IDF forces and from the residents of the State of Israel, and to turn the Litani area into a zone under IDF security control, free of weapons and terrorists,” Katz added.
Key events
French president Emmanuel Macron has said France is ready to support US-Iran ceasefire talks, following a phone call with US president Donald Trump last night.
In a post on X, the French president said: “Last night, I spoke with President Trump about the situation in the Middle East. I commended the determined efforts he is leading to quickly reach an agreement between the United States and Iran, which represents a unique opportunity to build a new security framework involving all concerned parties, in order to enable a lasting stabilization of the region.
“I indicated that we are ready to fully support these efforts and to take our full part in their implementation. This is the purpose of the international mission that we have built with the British and our partners, ready to be deployed as soon as an agreement is concluded in order to contribute to securing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are also prepared to bring our expertise and capabilities to the broader negotiations that must open, particularly on the nuclear aspect of an agreement. Finally, I commended President Trump’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, and emphasized the importance of a robust ceasefire and our collective support for the Lebanese authorities.”
Yesterday France called for an emergency UN security council meeting following Israel’s stepped up offensive in Lebanon. That will take place later today.
Israel defence minister says ‘no calm in Beirut’ unless Hezbollah stops attacks
Israel’s defence minister said there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks continued and vowed to establish a military-controlled zone in the area of south Lebanon’s Litani River.
“The Dahiyeh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel – if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Israel Katz said in a statement released by his office, referring to Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold where he and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier ordered strikes.
“At the same time, the IDF continues to operate with fire and manoeuvre against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Lebanon … in order to push threats away from IDF forces and from the residents of the State of Israel, and to turn the Litani area into a zone under IDF security control, free of weapons and terrorists,” Katz added.
An AFP correspondent saw families with small children packed onto scooters with just a bag or two leaving Beirut’s southern suburbs, while others fled in cars carrying belongings including pillows and bags, after Israel ordered strikes on the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s capital.
Hadi, a 24-year-old, said he had hoped for some stability in the area during the truce.
“That feeling did not last long … Our fears intensified this morning after I received a series of messages about orders to bomb the southern suburbs, which caused widespread panic, and we immediately left the area,” he told AFP over the phone.
Beirut’s southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, have been struck twice since 8 April, when a series of Israeli attacks across Lebanon killed hundreds.
The Israeli order comes a day after its troops seized the Beaufort castle, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as the military expands its ground operations.
Kuwait foreign ministry condemns Iran drone and missile attacks
Kuwait’s foreign ministry has condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks, as sirens sounded across the country earlier this morning. Kuwait is a US ally that hosts US bases and installations on its territory. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told state media they had targeted an airbase used by the US military from which attacks on Iran had originated.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the State of Kuwait’s condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the heinous and repeated Iranian attacks, which represent a dangerous escalation and a direct assault on the security and stability of the State of Kuwait, as well as a flagrant violation of the rules of international law, the United Nations Charter, and Security Council Resolution 2817 of 2026, not to mention the grave threat they pose to the safety of civilians and vital facilities in the country,” the ministry said in a post on X.
“The continuation and repetition of these aggressions undermine efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions and threaten security and stability in the region, emphasising the State of Kuwait’s categorical rejection of these aggressive practices.”
Iran’s chief negotiator has said the US are not complying with the ceasefire following US strikes strikes on Iran over the weekend.
“The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of US noncompliance with the ceasefire,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X. “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place.”
Iran responded to the US strikes by targeting Kuwait with drones and missiles.
Israeli airstrikes overnight on southern Lebanon left six people dead, including a Syrian citizen in a village near the city of Nabatiyeh, AP reports, citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
The Israeli military meanwhile said it had intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, as well as a suspicious aerial target in the area where Israeli soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported, the military said.
Hezbollah said it carried out rocket and missile attacks on northern Israel on Sunday.
Israel continued to strike the city of Tyre in the south of Lebanon over the weekend.
An Israeli strike near a hospital in the city wounded 13 staffers, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Israel put widespread evacuation warning in place in Lebanon, including for Tyre. A few thousand people remain in the small old city, with some sleeping in their cars.
Photos show the aftermath of strikes on the city after Israel stepped up its offensive over the weekend.
US forces have helped dozens of commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, according to the New York Times, citing US officials.
US Central Command has guided around 70 commercial ships through the strait over the last three weeks, one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The officials said that most of the vessels had turned off their transponders to avoid detection.
The officials declined to say what type of vessels were going through and what route they took. Ships passing near Iran without obtaining Iranian approval face the threat of attack. Shipping analysts said the US-guided crossings appear to follow routes that are closer to Oman.
Before the war, well over 100 commercial ships a day passed through the strait. Because US-guided crossings take place with transponders turned off, shipping analysts said they could not independently verify how many passages have taken place.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said there were currently no exchanges with the United States over the details of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“We know when it is necessary to act on nuclear matters. No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war,” foreign ministry spokesman Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing.
Iran foreign ministry says ceasefire in Lebanon remains condition for US deal
Iran’s foreign ministry said that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains a key condition for any deal with the United States.
“We insist that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing, as Israel expands its offensive in Lebanon.
A delay in the diplomatic process to end the US-Iran war can be explained by a lack of trust, Washington’s contradictory positions and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, Baqaei said.
“Negotiations have started amid severe suspicion and mistrust, and the exchange of messages is taking place in this atmosphere,” he said.
“The other party is constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands … it is natural that this situation will prolong negotiations,” he said, adding that Tehran viewed Israeli actions in the region, including in Lebanon, as inseparable from the US.
Referring to strikes by the US on Iran overnight, Baqaei said “US aggressive action” is a violation of the ceasefire and it led to Iran to target positions in Kuwait from which the US attack originated. He said Iran will “take whatever measures we deem necessary to defend Iran’s national security,” AFP reported.
Israel PM says strikes ordered on Beirut’s southern suburbs
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz on said they had ordered strikes on the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut. Dahiyah is Hezbollah’s stronghold in the Lebanese capital.
“In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and the attacks on our cities and citizens, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to strike terror targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut,” a joint statement from Netanyahu and Katz said.
As Iran struck Kuwait, it released a video showing footage of the ballistic missile launch.
The start of the video includes a close-up of what looks to be a sticker on the body of a missile depicting a bruised US president Donald Trump, on the phone asking for help, and overlaid on a “closed” Strait of Hormuz. The caption reads: “Until the last American soldier leaves the region.”
The video has been shared on channels affiliated with the Iranian regime, including on the official IRGC Telegram.
The UN security council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to address the fighting in Lebanon.
The meeting was requested by France, whose president Emmanuel Macron said “nothing justifies the major escalation under way in south Lebanon”, calling for an end to fighting.
Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on 2 March when Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader. A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on 17 April, but has never been observed. Both sides accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other’s alleged breaches.
Over the weekend, Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon and called Sunday’s operation a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah.
Multiple media outlets have reported that on Sunday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing diplomatic negotiations and asserted that Hezbollah must be the first to cease its attacks.
Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun has said that his country is facing “a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression”, after Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah with the capture of the medieval Beaufort Castle.
Aoun condemned the Israeli offensive in a post on X and pledged to “work to end the suffering of the Lebanese people, and people in the south in particular”.
European leaders have condemned Israel’s expanding incursion into Lebanon, after Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to push even deeper into the country.
Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, which has a strong political presence in southern Lebanon and has launched thousands of missiles and drones into northern Israel. Israel’s campaign has forced more than a million people from their homes, while 3,300 people, including dozens of children, have been killed.
Oil prices rose about 2% in Asia on Monday, as the lack of progress in negotiations between the US and Iran kept traders on edge.
The fresh attacks between the US and Iran nudged Brent up 2.1% to $93.02 a barrel, while US crude added 2.6% to $89.61.
Trump is under pressure to reopen the strait of Hormuz and get petrol prices down ahead of the November midterm elections, as US voters show increasing frustration over rising prices. At the same time, he faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran.
The two sides remain at odds on several other issues, such as Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.
Without a sustained diplomatic agreement – and with tensions in the strait of Hormuz still high – we’re likely to see continued violations of the ceasefire, says Danny Citrinowicz, the former head of an Iran branch of Israeli military intelligence.
Citrinowicz, now a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, says that neither the US, nor Iran, appear to be seeking a return to open war, but risk “a crisis neither side originally intended” if these confrontations and miscalculations continue.
In other words, the greatest danger may not be a deliberate decision to go to war, but a gradual escalation driven by recurring incidents in an increasingly volatile environment.”
