'Massive explosion' in southern Iran port: State TV
"The explosion occurred in a part of the Shahid Rajaee port dock, and we are extinguishing the fire," state television quoted senior Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Administration official Esmaeil Malekizadeh as saying.
AFP
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L'Orient-Le Jour
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Monopoly on weapons: No one wants a confrontation with the Lebanese Army, Mitri says
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Sunday in an interview with Al Jazeera that the government is working towards having only state authorities to control weapons, but disagreements remain on how to achieve the goal. He also urged avoiding 'accusations of treason, intimidation and threats.' His remarks followed a speech Friday by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, who escalated threats against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government, warning that Hezbollah was ready for confrontation if forced to disarm. Mitri said all ministers agreed on the state's monopoly over weapons, but differed on how to implement and manage the issue. He stressed that discussions were ongoing on how to approach Hezbollah's disarmament, according to Al Jazeera. He added that the government wanted to safeguard civil peace and that no one sought a confrontation with the Lebanese Army, which is due to present its weapons control plan to Cabinet at the end of August. Addressing the wider political debate, Mitri said, 'We should instead discuss how to put an end to Israeli aggressions and avoid internal divisions.' Qassem's remarks Friday — in which he declared Hezbollah would not surrender its weapons and was prepared for confrontation if forced to do so — drew sharp reactions from across the political spectrum. Seeking to temper the rhetoric, Hezbollah political council deputy chief Mahmoud Qomati said Saturday that the party was not 'in an internal Lebanese confrontation,' but insisted that 'the weapons of the resistance cannot be handed over during an occupation.' At the beginning of August, Salam's government adopted the roadmap of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which calls for the disarmament of armed groups, mainly Hezbollah, by the end of the year. The Israeli army, meanwhile, continues to occupy five hills in southern Lebanon and carries out near-daily strikes despite the cease-fire that took effect Nov. 27, 2024. Iranian pressure Mitri said implementation of the disarmament plan is hampered by both internal and external pressures. He noted that Iran is pushing for Hezbollah to retain its weapons, while Western countries are pressing for disarmament. He urged that Lebanon's interests be safeguarded and called for wisdom in handling the issue. He recalled that the previous government approved security arrangements under French and U.S. auspices on Nov. 27, 2024, to end the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. Those measures, he said, were endorsed by all ministers, including Hezbollah and Amal representatives. Mitri added that the American roadmap recently adopted by the Cabinet reaffirmed the cessation of hostilities.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
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Gaza civil defense says Israeli attacks kill 18
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, including seven people shot dead while waiting to collect food aid. Civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that seven people were killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a hospital courtyard in Gaza City, in the territory's north. Witnesses said the victims were members of a Hamas unit, which a source from the Palestinian militant group described as responsible for distributing aid and "fighting thieves." There was no comment from the Israeli military, which is preparing a broader offensive in Gaza City and has sent ground forces to the city's Zeitoun neighborhood in recent days. After more than 22 months of war, U.N.-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in and convoys have been repeatedly looted. Witnesses on Sunday reported Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into the morning. Bassal said four people were killed in a strike that hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the southern area of Khan Younis. The civil defense spokesperson said Israel continues its intense bombardment of Gaza City's Zeitoun, where troops have carried out a ground operation for the past week. He said there were many casualties, but civil defense crews were facing "enormous difficulties reaching those trapped under the rubble" due to the ongoing violence and lack of equipment. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Israel on Saturday hinted at an approaching call to push civilians from Gaza City ahead of the new offensive demanded by the security cabinet. A defence ministry statement said that "as part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume." Hamas later slammed the move, saying the announcement was part of a "brutal assault to occupy Gaza City." On the ground on Sunday, Bassal said six people were killed by Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution point in the south. Another person was killed near an aid site in central Gaza, Bassal added, with a nearby hospital saying the body had been taken there. The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.
L'Orient-Le Jour
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After Israeli strikes near Sanaa, Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel
Creation of a 'coalition of residents of southern border villages,' requesting state aid for reconstruction and compensation for families Presenting itself as "neither affiliated nor opposed to any political party," a "coalition of residents of southern border villages," formed for the occasion, organized a press conference at 11 a.m. in Kfar Jouz (Nabatieh). "We reject all rumors about buffer zones being emptied of their inhabitants, because this land has owners who will not abandon it." Denouncing the fact that "tens of thousands of displaced people are still scattered across the country, some still sheltering in schools," and that the "return rate does not exceed 10 percent of the pre-war population," the "coalition" addressed fourteen demands to the Lebanese state "and to all parties concerned," including the reconstruction of destroyed areas, the payment of compensation to victims, medical care and free education, the withdrawal of deposits blocked in banks, and the payment of a monthly amount of at least $300 per family as a housing allowance. "We will knock on every door and carry out all possible and available forms of mobilization, in a democratic, legal, positive and peaceful manner," the statement said. 14:36 Beirut Time Protests to end Gaza war strengthen Hamas's position Demonstrations in Israel demanding an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and the negotiated release of hostages are strengthening Hamas's position, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Those who call today for an end to the war without a defeat for Hamas not only strengthen Hamas's position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of Oct. 7 will happen again and again, and that we will have to fight a war without end," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting. Thousands of people took to the streets in Israel on Sunday to demand a ceasefire agreement guaranteeing the release of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, on Israeli soil, which triggered the war. 18 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombings and gunfire The Civil Defense in Gaza said 18 people were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday in Israeli shelling and gunfire. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told AFP that the dead included seven Palestinians killed at dawn by a drone strike in the courtyard of al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza City, in the starving northern territory. According to witnesses, the victims were members of the Hamas-affiliated "Sahm Unit." This unit includes hundreds of security personnel and volunteers tasked with "providing aid and combating looters," according to Hamas sources. 13:25 Beirut Time 'For every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die ... They need a Nakba from time to time,' says former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva. In a series of undated recordings broadcast Friday evening by Israel's Channel 12 prime time network, former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, who resigned his post in April 2024, said that "the fact that there are already 50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary and required for future generations," Israeli media reported. "For everything that happened on Oct. 7, for every person killed on Oct. 7, 50 Palestinians must die," he said. "I don't say this out of revenge, but as a message to future generations." "They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences. There is no alternative in this disturbed neighborhood," he added. 12:00 Beirut Time Israeli army announces bombing of Houthi 'energy site' The Israeli army announced this morning that it struck "an energy site" in the Sanaa region, used by Houthi rebels. The Israeli army "carried out this strike at a distance of some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, in the heart of Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site used by the terrorist Houthi regime," the army said in a statement. 12:00 Beirut Time Houthis announce 'complete air blockade' of Israel Shortly after the Israeli strike on Sanaa, the Houthi military spokesperson announced "the imposition of a complete air blockade of Israel," saying it was acting "in response to the intensification of operations in Gaza." "We will act to enforce this blockade by repeatedly targeting airports, particularly Lod Airport, known as Ben-Gurion," the spokesperson said, in comments reported by Al Jazeera. Following the threats, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Air Europa, Spain's third-largest airline, canceled all of its flights scheduled for Monday between Madrid and Tel Aviv. Protests in Israel demand the release of Gaza hostages Demonstrations have begun in several Israeli cities calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in the Gaza Strip and secure an agreement for the release of the hostages held there. A huge Israeli flag, adorned with portraits of the kidnapped, was unfurled in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," which has become iconic since the start of the war. Sunday's demonstration comes as Israel announced it was preparing to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps with the stated goal of defeating the Palestinian movement and freeing the hostages. This announcement has sparked fears among hostage families in Israel, who fear the operation could result in the deaths of their loved ones. US suspends humanitarian visas for Gazans The State Department announced yesterday that it was suspending medical visas for Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip pending an investigation, after a far-right influencer, who has Donald Trump's ear, denounced this humanitarian policy. "All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are suspended while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used in recent days to grant a small number of temporary medical and humanitarian visas," the State Department said on X. This announcement by the State Department, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, follows social media posts by Laura Loomer, a far-right journalist and influencer. She announced Friday that she complained to Republican congressmen about the arrival of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States who "work for pro-Hamas Islamic organizations ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar." 12:00 Beirut Time Sharaa meets Patriarch Yazigi In Syria, President Ahmad al-Sharaa met the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, in Damascus yesterday, the presidency reported on Telegram. The two men discussed the "role of the Church" in consolidating national unity in Syria and preserving civil peace. This meeting took place nearly two months after the attack on the Saint Elijah Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus on June 22, which left 25 dead and 63 injured. The attack was claimed a few days later by a mysterious Syrian jihadist group calling itself "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" ("Brigade of Supporters of the Sunnis"). Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State.
