Oman issues warning to ships after suspected naval mine spotted in Strait of Hormuz
Oman’s Maritime Safety Center has urged ships to exercise caution following the sighting of a floating object suspected to be a naval mine west of the coastal traffic zone in the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters.
Israeli troops push deeper into Lebanon, crossing the Litani river, as talks expected
In Lebanon, Israeli forces have advanced further north. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they have crossed the Litani river, a key reference point in Southern Lebanon marking the limit of a UN-monitored zone. Despite a ceasefire, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have continued to fight for weeks.
FRANCE 24’s correspondant in Beirut Renée Davis has more.
Lebanon army says ‘targeted’ Israeli strike wounds two soldiers
Lebanon’s military said on Saturday that a “targeted” Israeli strike wounded two soldiers in southern Lebanon, a day after military delegations from the two countries met in Washington.
In a statement, the Lebanese army said “two soldiers were seriously wounded as a result of being targeted inside a vehicle by a hostile Israeli drone” near the southern city of Nabatieh.
Israel crosses the Litani River in Lebanon: What it means and why it matters
Khamenei adviser says Trump ‘betraying diplomacy’ with blockade and excessive demands
Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Saturday that US President Donald Trump was “betraying diplomacy for the third time” by continuing a naval blockade imposed on Iran and making what he described as excessive demands in negotiations.
Hezbollah says fired rockets at north Israel town
Hezbollah said on Saturday it fired rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, as exchanges of fire between the two sides have intensified despite Lebanon-Israel negotiations.
In at least two statements, the Iran-backed group said it launched a “rocket barrage” at the town “in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire”.
Israeli army issues evacuation orders for seven south Lebanon villages
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings on Saturday for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, saying it was about to strike Hezbollah targets there.
“In light of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is compelled to take decisive action against it,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X in two separate statements, naming seven villages in Lebanon’s south, including some near Nabatieh.
Israeli army crosses southern Lebanon’s Litani River
The Israeli army crossed the Litani River in southern Lebanon, about 30 kilometres north of the border with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as part of the intensification of operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
Visiting soldiers near the border in northern Israel on Friday, he praised the army’s advance in strategic sectors, saying that Israeli forces had “crossed the Litani,” according to a video released by his office.
US hails ‘productive’ talks between Israel, Lebanon military officials
Military officials from Israel and Lebanon held “productive” talks in Washington on Friday, a US official said, adding that the meeting will complement upcoming diplomatic discussions.
“Today at the Pentagon, I hosted military delegations from Israel and Lebanon for the security track supporting the ongoing peace talks between their two countries,” Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s second-in-command, said on X.
“We held productive military-to-military discussions which will inform the Department of State-led political track next week,” he said.
It was the first meeting between Israeli and Lebanese military officials in decades.
Lebanon says rescuer among 11 killed in Israeli strikes
Israeli strikes in three areas of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Friday killed 11 people including a rescuer and a Syrian national, the health ministry said.
Eight people were wounded, including another rescuer, the ministry said, slamming the attacks as a “flagrant violation of humanitarian law”.
Israeli military says projectiles launched from Lebanon at Israel
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had intercepted several projectiles launched from Lebanon, where it is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah, but that one had hit near a town in northern Israel.
“Several projectiles launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory were identified,” the military said in a statement, adding no injuries had been reported.
“The majority of the projectiles were intercepted, and a hit was identified in the area of Kiryat Shmona,” it said.
US ‘more than capable’ of resuming war with Iran, says Hegseth
The United States has more than sufficient stockpiles of weapons and is “more than capable” of resuming the war with Iran, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said in Singapore on Saturday.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary is (that) we are more than capable, our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions,” Hegseth told Asia’s premier defence summit.
Trump will only accept Iran deal that ‘satisfies his red lines’
President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all his conditions, a White House official told AFP after the US leader huddled with aides to discuss a possible agreement.
“The Situation Room meeting has concluded and lasted approximately two hours. President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” the White House official said on condition of anonymity.
Welcome to France 24’s liveblog covering events in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
