Several explosions heard in Tehran: AFP
The journalist reported yellow flashes typical of Iranian air defenses in the sky over Tehran shortly before 9:00 pm (1730 GMT).
AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ya Libnan
5 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Israel eyes peace accords with Syria, Lebanon
Israel said Monday it is 'interested' in striking peace agreements with neighbouring Lebanon and Syria, a potentially historic shift in the region after decades of war and animosity. With Syria under new leadership after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement weakened, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told journalists his government wanted more normalisation agreements with Arab countries. 'Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords circle of peace and normalisation,' Saar said of the US-brokered deals that Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020, during US President Donald Trump's first term. 'We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors — to the circle of peace and normalisation while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests,' Saar told a news conference in Jerusalem alongside his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel's recent 'victory' in a 12-day war against Iran 'opens the path to dramatically enlarge the peace accords'. Control of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has long been a source of tension between Israel and Syria, which are technically still at war. Saar insisted that the strategic plateau, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognised by the United Nations, 'will remain part of the State of Israel' under any future peace agreement. Following Assad's overthrow in December, Israel moved forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone in the Golan, and has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria. In Lebanon, the clout of militant group Hezbollah has diminished after it had emerged bruised from a conflict with Israel last year, fuelled by Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel, however, has kept up strikes against Hezbollah despite a November ceasefire. There was no immediate response from Lebanese or Syrian officials to Saar's remarks. US officials say the end of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran with a ceasefire on June 24 has raised prospects for broader peace efforts in the region. On Sunday, a senior US diplomat called for peace agreements by Israel with Syria and Lebanon in the wake of the Iran-Israel ceasefire and expected there would be discussions about it. Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey who is also a special envoy to Syria, said Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa 'has indicated that he doesn't hate Israel and that he wants peace on that border,' Barrack told Turkish news agency Anadolu. 'I think that will also happen with Lebanon. It's a necessity to have an agreement with Israel,' he added. Pressure has risen on the Israeli government to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip, prompted by Hamas's deadly attack in October 2023. 'Everybody is starting to move back towards the Abraham Accords, especially as the Gaza situation dissipates,' Barrack said. 'What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: 'Time out. Let's create a new road',' he added. 'The Middle East is ready to have a new dialogue, people are tired of the same old story.' Advanced talks Israel and Syria are holding 'advanced talks' on a bilateral agreement halting hostilities between the countries, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Monday. The contacts are focused on coordination around security matters, said the official, who would not speculate on when a full peace deal between the two enemy states could turn into reality, The daily added Premature But a statement quoting unnamed Syrian official source says normalization not possible 'unless the occupation… withdraws from the areas it has penetrated,' adheres to 1970s armistice deal. FRANCE 24/NEWS AGENCIES
LBCI
17 hours ago
- LBCI
Lebanon's General Security moves to regulate Syrian entry through all crossings
The Lebanese General Security has announced exceptional measures to regulate the entry of Syrian citizens into Lebanon through all border offices and crossing points. For more details, click here.
LBCI
17 hours ago
- LBCI
Lebanon's banking association welcomes central bank decision enforcing equal treatment of depositors
The Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) on Wednesday expressed strong support for the central bank's new decision requiring all banks operating in Lebanon to strictly adhere to the principle of equal treatment of depositors. The statement came in response to Decision No. 13729, issued on July 1, 2025, under Circular No. 169 by the Governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL). The decision instructs banks to comply fully with equality principles set out in the central bank's circulars—measures that, according to BDL, aim to safeguard all depositors' rights pending a broader financial solution currently under development in coordination with relevant authorities. ABL welcomed the move, describing it not as a mechanism to shield banks—as alleged by critics—but rather as a protective step for all depositors, without discrimination or favoritism based on individual financial standing or influence. The association further described the decision as the first concrete step toward justice and equality in the context of Lebanon's ongoing systemic financial crisis.
