Israel

Israel insists on troops in Lebanon; Rubio defends Iran deal in W Asia

Israel says troops will stay in southern Lebanon despite US-backed talks, complicating Iran-US peace efforts as disputes over nuclear inspections persist

Israel, Lebanon discuss plan for transfer of some land to Lebanese army

The Israeli officials said the Lebanese troops involved would undergo US training and vetting to ensure they are not linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah

At least five killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire on Friday following an escalation in hostilities in Lebanon

Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire in Lebanon starting Friday

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire after renewed fighting threatened wider US-Iran efforts to secure a lasting West Asia peace deal

Trump says he urged Israel to back Hezbollah ceasefire, hails US-Iran MoU

Trump said he had been in contact with Israel earlier in the day and encouraged its leadership to support the ceasefire effort

Why is the US publicly criticising Israel? | JD Vance | US-Iran peace deal | US-Israel ties | Trump

US Vice President JD Vance has sharply criticised Israeli critics of the US-Iran peace agreement while defending the deal.

Won't withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, Gaza: Israeli defence min

Israel's defence minister said Monday that Israel won't withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal between Iran and the United States is pending. Israel Katz's remarks were the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the interim deal. The two sides plan to meet Friday in Geneva to sign it, Pakistan has said. Katz said Israel plans to stay "indefinitely" in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Iran has tied the interim deal over the war to halting Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will strike Iran with "great force." Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometres of territory - an area that is slightly smaller than New York City.

Israel strikes Beirut suburbs in the lead-up to anticipated US-Iran deal

The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Beirut on Sunday targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, despite ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war. Smoke could be seen rising over the Lebanese capital. The strikes threatened to hamper negotiations over a deal, which in its current form is a deep disappointment to Israel's government. The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation of fighting between Iran and Israel since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country. Israel's military said earlier in the day that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles into northern Israel, releasing footage where an audible boom was followed by a column of smoke rising above the tree line. An Associated Press photographer at the scene in Beirut said the building struck was a five-story apartment .

Iran's foreign minister says Islamabad memorandum has 'never been closer'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says negotiations on an Islamabad-backed understanding have entered the final stages.

Yemen's Houthis to impose ban on Israeli maritime navigation in Red Sea

They ‌also said ‌in ‌a statement that they had attacked Israel

Israel activates air defence systems to intercept missiles from Yemen

The development occurs against the backdrop of sharply rising friction across West Asia following the recent cross-border missile strikes exchanged between Iran and Israel

Israel announces closure of Gaza crossings amid tensions with Iran

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the move is part of 'necessary security measures'

Israel strikes Beirut despite truce, Iranian lawmker threatens to retaliate

Israel's strike on Beirut's outskirts and Iran's retaliation threat have raised fresh doubts over efforts to secure a broader US-Iran peace agreement

Israeli airstrike kills Lebanese soldiers days after ceasefire deal

An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon Saturday killed several members of the Lebanese military, including a senior officer, the Lebanese army said, days after the two sides reached a new ceasefire deal. The airstrike on the road linking the city of Nabatiyeh with the town of Marjayoun occurred in the morning. The army did not give further details or release the names or ranks of the troops killed. Local TV stations reported that two members of the military were killed in the airstrike, including a brigadier general. The latest declared ceasefire came about through US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon's government, which accuses Hezbollah of dragging the country into war and had made efforts to disarm it before the latest hostilities. The Lebanese militant group has refused the truce. The war began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, two days after Israel and the US began their attacks on Iran. Israel has since launched a ground invasion of Lebanon

Israel, Lebanon renew ceasefire, agree to Hezbollah-free security zones

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and create a number of "pilot" security zones inside Lebanon from which Hezbollah militants would be banned. In a joint statement released after a fourth round of US-mediated talks at the State Department, the two sides said the ceasefire "is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives" from areas south of the Litani River. It was not immediately clear how the security zones would be established but the agreement calls for the Lebanese army to take full control of those areas. "These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement," the statement said. "All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments. They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon's future hostage." The latter is a reference to Iran, which supports

What is Beaufort Castle, Lebanon's Crusade-era fortress seized by Israel

Perched above the Litani gorge, the 12th-century fortress played a key role during the Crusades and has remained strategically important through successive conflicts in southern Lebanon

'Everybody hates Israel now': Trump tells Netanyahu in call over Lebanon

According to a US official cited by Axios, Trump expressed immense frustration over what he perceived as a disproportionate military response to Hezbollah's strikes on Israel

Lebanon announces partial Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire as fighting continues

Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said that it intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, and that no injuries were reported

Will strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks persist: Netanyahu tells Trump

The precise parameters of the tentative truce publicised by Trump continue to be shrouded in ambiguity, driven by contrasting signals emerging from Washington, Jerusalem, Hezbollah, and Beirut

US proposes new plan to ease Israel-Lebanon tensions amid fighting

In the latest advance, Israeli troops seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said earlier on Sunday