United Nations, June 4 (IANS) India condemned on Thursday the attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon, which killed a Serbian soldier serving the UN. “India reiterates the fundamental importance of respecting the sanctity and inviolability of UN premises and personnel,” India’s UN Mission said in a statement that condemned the attack that occurred on Wednesday.Condemning the attack that resulted in the seventh fatality since March, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that it could amount …
Latest Beirut News & Updates
Tehran, June 4 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned that Iran would respond if Israel attacks Beirut, saying Tehran has informed all parties that it will not tolerate an assault on the Lebanese capital and that such a move could trigger a return to war.In an interview broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen on Wednesday (local time), Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces are prepared to respond and remain ready to strike Israel if Beirut comes under attack.Araghchi a…
Washington, June 2 (IANS) A new round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks has commenced here after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had secured commitments from Israel and Hezbollah aimed at easing regional tensions.Lebanese authorities have confirmed that Hezbollah has agreed to a U.S. proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks” with Israel, according to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on Monday, citing the Lebanese embassy in Washington, Xinhua news agency reported.Lebanese authorities h…
Beirut, June 2 (IANS) Lebanese authorities have confirmed that Hezbollah has agreed to a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks” with Israel, according to a statement by the Lebanese presidency, citing the Lebanese embassy in Washington. The statement, released on Monday (local time), said that the confirmation followed a phone call between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which the situation in Lebanon and efforts to de-escalate tensions were …
Washington, June 2 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a planned military operation in Beirut after a direct appeal from him, and claimed Hezbollah had also agreed to stop attacks on Israel.The assertions came in a pair of social media posts as fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group threatened to further destabilise the region and complicate US diplomacy with Iran.“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, as…
Jerusalem, June 1 (IANS) Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday vowed to turn the area of southern Lebanon’s Litani River into a military-controlled zone, and to continue striking Beirut until Hezbollah stops attacks.If there is no peace in northern Israel, “there will be no peace in Beirut,” Katz said in a statement released by his office.On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a videotaped statement that he had instructed the military to deepen and expand its grip …
Jerusalem, June 1 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday said in a joint statement that they had ordered the military to strike Beirut’s southern suburbs. According to the statement, the order was given following repeated Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, including rocket and drone attacks targeting northern Israeli cities.Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that the move came after the United States approved Israel’s requests to…
Nicosia, May 28 (IANS) The European Union is looking at possible European initiatives to stabilise southern Lebanon after the UN’s peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) ceases operations, said Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday. The mission ceases operations at the end of December and starts to withdraw its personnel over the following year.“We discussed this, but ultimately a decision will have to be made, and we will have to see if it can be implemente…
Beirut, May 28 (IANS) Israel’s military on Thursday issued an evacuation order for residents of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon. The military said it would operate against the “Iran-backed group” Hezbollah in the area. “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is compelled to take forceful action against it,” said the order.Residents of the zone around certain buildings should leave and travel north of the Zahrani River, it added. Meanwhile, at least two people were killed and another wounded in an …
United Nations, April 18 (IANS) Following the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, thousands of the 1.2 million people displaced in southern Lebanon are returning home despite warnings of unexploded ordnance, UN humanitarians said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday (local time) said its partners reported that displaced families are starting to return to Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, including parts of Nabatieh and Tyre.However, OCHA warned that ri…