Israel bombs Yemeni port of Hodeida, newly rebuilt dock destroyed, Houthis say
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the strikes targeted "terrorist targets" of the Houthi rebels in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
"As I have made clear, the fate of Yemen is the same as that of Tehran. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for the missile attacks on the State of Israel," he stated.
11:32 Beirut Time
Iran accuses Europeans of not respecting the 2015 agreement
Iran blamed European countries for the failure of the 2015 nuclear deal and accused them of failing to keep their commitments, a foreign ministry spokesperson said ahead of talks in Istanbul on Friday with France, the United Kingdom and Germany, AFP reported.
"The European parties were at fault and negligent in implementing" the nuclear deal, said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai. Paris, London and Berlin are threatening to reinstate U.N. sanctions against Iran as permitted by the deal, accusing Tehran of failing to respect its nuclear commitments.
11:32 Beirut Time
Israeli army claims to have struck Houthi 'military targets' in Hodeida port
In a statement published by its Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army claimed to have carried out strikes on Houthi "military targets" in the port of Hodeida.
"The targeted infrastructure included engineering machinery used for the reconstruction of port structures, fuel barrels, ships used for military activities, ships near the port, and other infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime," the army said.
11:09 Beirut Time
Authorities evacuate Bedouin families from Sweida
Syrian authorities are evacuating Bedouin families from the predominantly Druze town of Sweida, thanks to a cease-fire that ended bloody clashes between the two communities, according to AFP correspondents and state media.
An AFP correspondent on the outskirts of the devastated city saw a convoy of four buses and cars entering and leaving Sweida, loaded with civilians, including women and children. They were taken to reception centers in Daraa, further south, and in Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Red Crescent, the equivalent of the Red Cross, he said.
According to the state-run Syrian news agency SANA, 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes are to be evacuated.
10:22 Beirut Time
'Massive' Israeli offensive on Deir al-Balah
Israeli airstrikes have intensified on Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, and the al-Bureij refugee camp in recent hours, according to several Palestinian media outlets and Al Jazeera. Witnesses also told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the strikes on Deir al-Balah are "massive." The city had so far been relatively spared, unlike other areas.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli army units are also mobilized in eastern Deir al-Balah.
09:42 Beirut Time
Good morning! Thank you for joining us for our live coverage. Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.
At least nine Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since dawn
According to Al Jazeera, citing sources in various Gaza hospitals, at least nine Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn.
Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported that five people from the same family were killed in the bombing of a tent in the so-called "humanitarian" area of al-Mawassi, in the south of the city. Another strike on Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, left two dead, according to sources at al-Shifa Hospital. In Deir al-Balah, a town in the center of the besieged territory for which the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order on Sunday, artillery fire killed two Palestinians, according to the Wafa news agency, cited by Al Jazeera.
Around 1,000 families have already evacuated Deir al-Balah, threatened by an Israeli offensive
The U.N. humanitarian agency (OCHA) estimated that around 1,000 families evacuated Deir al-Balah after the Israeli army called for them to leave, prefacing an offensive on the city. OCHA said that around 50,000 to 80,000 people lived in the area affected by the evacuation call, which includes "numerous warehouses, four first aid clinics, four medical centers, and crucial water infrastructure."
The damage that could be caused to this infrastructure "will have deadly consequences," according to OCHA, which announced that its staff would remain in Deir al-Balah. The agency's director, Tom Fletcher, indicated on X that U.N. employees would remain "to help" in Deir al-Balah.
Initially located in Rafah, U.N. personnel relocated their operations to the central city after the ground invasion of that city in mid-2024.
09:42 Beirut Time
Death toll from inter-communal fighting rises to more than 1,100
Intercommunal violence in the Druze-majority province of Sweida in southern Syria has left more than 1,100 dead in one week, according to a new report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Among the dead were 427 Druze fighters and 298 civilians, 194 of whom were "summarily executed by members of the Defense and Interior Ministries." On the other side, 354 government forces and 21 Sunni Bedouins were killed, including three civilians "executed by Druze fighters," according to the London-based NGO, which relies on a vast network of sources across the country. 15 government forces were also killed in Israeli strikes, according to the NGO.
09:42 Beirut Time
Talks between Iran and Europeans to resume Friday
Iran will hold new talks on its nuclear program with Germany, France and the United Kingdom on Friday in Istanbul, a month after the 12-day war between it and Israel and the United States.
"In response to the request of European countries, Iran has agreed to hold a new round of talks," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai said, according to state television, which added that the meeting will take place in Istanbul.
09:42 Beirut Time
US envoy Tom Barrack tours Lebanese officials
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who arrived in Beirut on Sunday, traveled this morning to Baabda Palace, where he is scheduled to be met by President Joseph Aoun. He will then meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail.
This visit is part of the follow-up to efforts to implement a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. This is the diplomat's second visit in two weeks. During his previous visit, he received the Lebanese response to a U.S. proposal aimed at restoring stability to southern Lebanon and the region, including the disarmament of Hezbollah.
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Salam says he feels 'reassured' after meeting Macron in Paris
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, as part of the premier's first official visit to France since his appointment in January. In a message posted on X following the meeting, Salam said he felt "reassured" by his exchanges with the French president. "I thank France for its constant support for Lebanon, its security, its sovereignty and its prosperity. I am returning to Beirut reassured by President Macron's commitments on aid to Lebanon, the renewal of UNIFIL, and the strengthening of our bilateral ties in the areas of security, the economy, education and culture," he wrote. According to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent, discussions focused on bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and France in administrative, financial and judicial matters, as well as on reforms undertaken by Beirut in these sectors. The ongoing institutional crisis in Lebanon, as well as security tensions in the south of the country, were at the heart of the talks, in particular coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, in a context in which Israeli strikes and incursions have continued on an almost daily basis in southern Lebanon, despite the cease-fire that came into effect in Lebanon on Nov. 24, 2024, ending the war between Hezbollah and Israel. The effects of a recent episode of intercommunal violence in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria were also discussed. Relations between Beirut and Damascus, with an emphasis on ongoing efforts to encourage the return of Syrian refugees to their country, were also addressed. Salam confirmed during an exchange with journalists at the Lebanese embassy that a new Franco-Lebanese conference is to be held soon, ahead of future international meetings aimed at mobilizing aid for Lebanon. An international aid conference for Lebanon was organized in Paris in October 2024 during the previous autumn war. According to a statement issued the previous day by the French presidency, the "strengthening of the Lebanese armed forces" as well as "the consequences of the war in Iran" and the situation in the Gaza Strip were also on the agenda. The Élysée referred to "the imperative of a complete cessation of hostilities in the region to protect civilians and the absolute urgency of massive, unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip." Meanwhile, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer was also in Paris on Thursday to meet French officials and discuss, among other topics, the Iranian issue, according to four sources cited by Reuters. American envoy Tom Barrack concluded his visit to Beirut on Wednesday by calling on Lebanese authorities to fully assume their responsibilities on the Hezbollah disarmament issue. Since the cease-fire, which went into effect last Nov. 27, the Israeli army has carried out almost daily strikes against Lebanon, mainly in the south and the Bekaa. These attacks have so far killed more than 270 people.
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Series of Israeli airstrikes in south Lebanon
The Israeli army carried out around 11 airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday evening, in a new escalation that comes a day after the departure of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, without any breakthrough in the negotiations. According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, at least 20 missiles were dropped within the space of 20 minutes on targets located north of the Litani River. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said that the air force had targeted "weapons facilities" and a "rocket launcher." The strikes targeted the villages of Mahmoudieh, Zoughrin, the outskirts of Sajjad, the mountains of Reihan (Jezzine), as well as an area between Ansar and Zrarieh, and the bed of the Litani River, between the Nabatieh and Saida districts. Strikes also hit the outskirts of Barghouz, Meidoun and Jbour. Earlier in the day, a drone targeted a pickup truck in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), killing one person. According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, his name was Moustafa Harissi and he worked collecting scrap metal. After dropping his children off at home, he went to a grocery store to buy a few items when he was targeted by a missile. A drone also carried out a strike with two missiles on a wooded area on the outskirts of Beit Lif, causing a fire. Also on Thursday, the Israeli army carried out two explosions around the occupied Hamames hills near Khiam (Marjayoun), to fortify them from inside. In addition, it launched flares from Israeli territory to start fires, according to local sources. The Israeli army also infiltrated Lebanese territory at dawn for several hundred meters, near Houla (Marjayoun), and blew up a house in the village. The home was completely destroyed.
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MPs seek to limit tuk-tuk traffic in Lebanon
The Parliamentary Committee for Public Works, Energy, Transport and Water dedicated a meeting on Thursday to several subjects, including tuk-tuks — small three-wheeled vehicles, open on the sides and used as cheap taxis for short distances — as well as the issue of Syrian drivers working in Lebanon. It also approved a proposal extending the deadlines for regularizing building permits granted to displaced people. Regarding the first issue, the committee recommended tightening regulations by prohibiting tuk-tuks from traveling on main roads and highways and limiting their use to villages and rural areas, according to the report presented by its chairman, Sajih Atieh. Over a year ago, the committee recommended "reducing, or even banning, the importation of these vehicles because of the risks they pose to public safety and the lack of registration procedures," the MP recalled. The committee now wants to impose registration fees on tuk-tuk owners. Several protests by tuk-tuk drivers recently took place in Lebanon, notably in the North and the Bekaa, to protest a decision by the Interior Ministry banning this mode of transport. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar argued that these vehicles "operate without proper licenses and represent a significant risk to public safety." The Public Works Committee also examined the situation of Syrian taxi, bus or truck drivers, who reportedly make up "the majority" of those working in Lebanon. "The majority of drivers are Syrians, while there are about 50,000 registered drivers in Lebanon, including 5,000 truck drivers. This creates a serious imbalance, with Lebanese drivers unemployed, while some companies prefer to hire Syrians, who cost them less," the MP lamented. The committee therefore called on the Labor Ministry and the General Security Directorate to "set up a clear register or a dedicated office for Lebanese drivers, and to impose a maximum quota on Syrian drivers, given their high number." Finally, the committee addressed a third issue: the regularization of illegal constructions built by displaced Lebanese. This issue covers homes erected without authorization during various periods of the Lebanese civil war. MPs approved a draft law extending by one or two years the deadline to regularize these constructions, "either by closing the files or by carrying out the necessary reconciliation procedures in the relevant localities, when these have not yet taken place." "Several requests for regularization are still pending," the MP said.
