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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