Hezbollah chief demands full timetabled Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon By AFP June 24, 2026 02:07 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from …
Audio By VocalizeHezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Tuesday demanded a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon as authorities said Israeli gunfire killed two people there despite a recent lull in fighting. …
… Earlier, a US diplomat involved in negotiations said discussions were focused on “clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran” on the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz and enforcing the ceasefire in Lebanon. …
… The negotiations opened against a backdrop of clashes in recent days between the Israeli army and Hezbollah -- a Tehran ally -- in southern Lebanon, threatening to derail the preliminary peace deal between Tehran and Washington. …
… eeing over Iran's claims that it had closed the vital Strait of Hormuz.The U.S. and Iran had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire for the negotiations, but Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday declared the Strait of Hormuz shut in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon …
Israeli strikes kill at least 20 in Lebanon hours after ceasefire By Reuters June 21, 2026 09:59 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Audio By Vocalize Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 20 people on Sat …
… er Audio By Vocalize A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off Sunday as Iranian negotiators and US Vice President JD Vance arrived in the Swiss host city, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon …
Audio By VocalizeA Lebanese first responder checks under the rubble for a survivor at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Qennarit on June 20, 2026. …
Israeli strikes kill 10 in Lebanon after truce, with prospect of U.S.-Iran talks unclear By AFP June 20, 2026 04:30 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Rescuers embrace as they work at the site of an Israeli ai …
Lebanon state media says five dead in fresh Israeli strikes on south By AFP June 20, 2026 09:29 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a p …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war began in late February, with the war expected to dominate discussions despite public disagreements between the two leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war began in late February, with the war expected to dominate discussions despite public disagreements between the two leaders.
Iran and the United States have halted missile strikes after fighting over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's UN envoy said the president is giving negotiations "a little bit of room" while forces remain ready, and Iran's army spokesman confirmed Tehran has halted retaliatory operations.
A white minivan struck people near Berlin's Christopher Street Day Pride event on Saturday evening, killing one woman and injuring 29 others. Police identified the chief suspect as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, a German citizen of Lebanese origin and alleged Islamic State supporter with a May criminal conviction.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday and attend the funeral service for Senator Lindsey Graham, according to Netanyahu's office. The visit comes amid occasional public disagreements between the two leaders over handling of the war with Iran.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday his government is working toward a "complete Israeli withdrawal" from areas Israel occupies. His statement came during a visit to a southern village where Lebanon's army recently deployed under a US-sponsored agreement that requires Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and Israel to withdraw from pilot zones.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards targeted US radar and air defence installations in the Gulf on Tuesday and warned of "more decisive and powerful" attacks to come, as Houthi rebels in Yemen blockaded Saudi ports and the conflict threatened to widen. The strikes followed US attacks on Iranian military positions and deaths of at least three US soldiers in recent days.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun departed Beirut for Washington to meet Donald Trump and discuss the situation in Lebanon, strengthening the ceasefire in the south, and Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese regions. This is the first trip to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman's visit in 2009.
UNESCO member states are to vote on adding new sites to its World Heritage and World Heritage in Danger lists at a meeting in Busan, South Korea. Sites under consideration include a Biblical location, Lebanese castles, an antelope migration path, and the world's deepest lake, threatened by conflict or climate change.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government had tried to influence U.S. public opinion to oppose a deal by the U.S. to end the war with Iran, in comments he made on a podcast with Joe Rogan posted Wednesday.
The United States launched a wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade, resuming fighting nearly a month after both sides had signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending Middle East conflict. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, while US President Donald Trump threatened to expand strikes next week to hit power plants and bridges unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
Lebanon and Israel concluded two days of Washington-mediated negotiations in Rome on Wednesday, agreeing to implement "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon under a recent framework deal. Participants agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck a U.S. air base in Jordan on Tuesday, while Jordan's armed forces reported intercepting four Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command completed a five-hour wave of strikes on Iran, the third consecutive night of attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, is Israel's longest-serving prime minister and has led multiple wars and outlasted several American presidents. He now faces an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a corruption trial, and a nearly three-year multi-front conflict including direct military confrontations with Iran, ahead of an election scheduled for October 27.
A US military delegation met with Lebanon's army in Beirut to discuss implementation of Israel's withdrawal from a "pilot zone" in southern Lebanon under a framework agreement reached on June 26. As part of the agreement, Israel will gradually withdraw from areas where it deployed troops to fight Hezbollah, and the Lebanese military will take full control of two small pilot zones.
The United States will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, with the first withdrawal to begin within days, according to Lebanese and US officials. A US military delegation will arrive in Beirut to determine implementation mechanisms, and new talks between Israel and Lebanon are scheduled for the following week.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a visit to Damascus that France will return more than 50 million euros confiscated from Rifaat al-Assad, the family of the former ruler, to finance development and reconstruction projects in Syria.
Eighteen Kenyan investors, led by energy and construction firms, are scouting Special Economic Zone opportunities in Zanzibar as part of an Equity Group trade mission that brought together 50 nationalities. The investors are visiting the Mangapwani Multi-Purpose Port and Fumba Free Economic Zone, with Equity Group facilitating regulatory engagement and business matchmaking through the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority.
Iran and the United States concluded a round of indirect talks in Doha on Wednesday, with mediators confirming the discussions as both nations work to advance negotiations and reduce tensions following recent military exchanges.
US President Donald Trump said indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Doha have made "very good" progress, as the sides negotiate a memorandum of understanding to end the Middle East war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Israel's defence minister said Israeli forces would remain in security zones established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza "until further notice" to protect Israel's residents from jihadist terrorists. Israeli officials have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, where forces continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters.
A 26-year-old woman was shot and killed in Marachi, Busia, during a crossfire between police and members of a youth group called JOBLESS. Her family is demanding accountability for what they describe as a death caused by being at the wrong place at the wrong time, amid ongoing political tensions in the border town.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday and said his country's forces would remain as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah posed a "threat". His comments followed a US-sponsored framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel designed to pave the way for peace and Hezbollah disarmament.
The US and Iran have agreed to "stand down" following an exchange of strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with vessels now able to move through the waterway "freely," according to a US official cited by media reports. The agreement comes after both nations conducted retaliatory strikes despite a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed on 17 June that included a commitment to immediate termination of military operations.
Iran accused the US of violating their deal to end the Middle East war after Washington launched strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran responded with attacks on US targets in the Gulf, following US accusations that Iran attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanon, Israel and the United States signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at brokering peace between the two adversaries. The agreement includes a pilot effort for Lebanese soldiers to take control of two Israeli-occupied areas and a process to disarm Hezbollah, following five rounds of talks in Washington.
Iran launched attacks on US sites in the Gulf in response to American strikes on Iranian missile, drone storage, and radar positions, after Washington accused Tehran of attacking a US cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The exchanges raised questions about efforts to maintain the waterway's openness while the countries negotiate a settlement to a war that began on February 28.
Iran accused the United States of violating a peace deal after Washington struck Iranian missile, drone storage, and radar sites in response to alleged Iranian attacks on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran's Revolutionary Guards retaliated with strikes on US targets in the Gulf region and warned of broader response if aggression continues.
An attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday prompted the UN to suspend evacuation efforts for trapped mariners. The Iranian authority regulating the strait warned that passage outside designated routes will not receive safe passage guarantees, as the US cautioned against Iran charging fees for transit through the vital waterway.
At least 172 vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the war, including 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler. The crossings remain below the pre-conflict average of 138 per day, though more than 200 tankers are waiting inside the strait, with at least 30 tankers departing from the Gulf laden with Iranian oil and petrochemicals since the deal was agreed.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem demanded a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon as Israeli gunfire killed two people despite a recent lull in fighting. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel's occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country's affairs as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington.