The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
Islamabad stays in frame for hosting US-Iran deal signing ceremony
US President Donald Trump says “all shooting will stop” between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding in a Truth Social post that he has spoken with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” he writes.
Trump says he spoke to Hezbollah through “highly placed representatives” and that the group agreed that “all shooting will stop — that Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel”.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s military incursion into Lebanon, denouncing strikes as a “flagrant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, international law, and international humanitarian law”.
“The [OIC] General Secretariat expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the continued attacks by Israeli occupation forces on Lebanon, which constitute a serious threat to security and stability in the region,” a statement reads.
“Reaffirming the OIC’s unwavering support for and solidarity with Lebanon, its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, the General Secretariat calls upon the international community to take immediate action to halt this aggression.”
An Israeli attack on the buildings located opposite Jabal Amel University Hospital in Lebanon’s Tyre has killed two people and wounded 23, Al Jazeera reports citing the Lebanese National News Agency.
The United Nations has expressed alarm and called for all sides to respect the ceasefire as Israel expands its offensive into Lebanon, while negotiations to end the US-Iran war appear imperilled, according to AFP.
“We are deeply alarmed by the escalation in military activities across southern Lebanon and beyond,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, says. “We urge all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities and avoid further escalation.”
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and branded its incursion into Lebanese territory a violation of sovereignty.
“The kingdom calls on the international community to assume its responsibility in putting an end to this aggression and halting Israeli military movements that aim to expand incursion into Lebanese territory,” the Saudi foreign ministry says in a statement.
Riyadh also stresses the importance of safeguarding Lebanese sovereignty and the safety of the public in accordance with the relevant international agreements.
“In this regard, the Kingdom reaffirms the importance of adhering to the Taif Agreement in a manner that ensures extending the Lebanese state’s authority over all its territory, and compliance with the decisions of the Lebanese government to restrict arms exclusively to the state and its legitimate institutions, thereby guaranteeing the restoration of security and stability for Lebanon and its brotherly people,” the statement adds.
A source close to Hezbollah tells AFP that the group will not stop targeting northern Israel, after Israeli threats to bomb Beirut’s southern suburbs if the fighters kept up attacks.
Hezbollah “has not committed to stop attacking” northern Israel, the source says, requesting anonymity and adding: “Why stop these attacks that hurt Israel while it is bombarding Lebanon?”
US President Donald Trump says he had not heard from Iran about their suspending talks with Washington, but he believes there has been too much talking and some silence would be good, according to Reuters.
“I think we’ve been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time,” Trump says in an interview with NBC News.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, has stressed the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire with the US is “sustained”.
“FM Araghchi expressed serious concern over recent developments in the region, including ceasefire violations in Lebanon by Israel and the orders by the Israeli government regarding [a] potential attack in parts of Beirut,” the Foreign Office has said on X.
It adds that Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s “constructive role in regional diplomacy” and requested Islamabad to continue its efforts to help facilitate de-escalation in the region and maintain the ceasefire.
“DPM/FM (Dar) conveyed Pakistan’s serious concern and emphasised the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire is sustained in order to prevent any breakdown of existing understandings,” the FO states.
Iran’s central military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya, has issued a warning to people living in northern Israel to evacuate the area “if they do not wish to be harmed”, according to semi-official news agency Tasnim.
The outlet quotes Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi, who has said, “In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire by the regime, we warn the residents of the northern sectors and military settlements in the occupied territories that, should this threat be carried out, if they do not wish to be harmed, they should evacuate the area,” referring to the threat of Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Iranian politician and senior military officer Mohsen Rezaee has warned that military escalation in Lebanon will not be tolerated and that “The patience of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran has its limits.”
He adds that the Strait of Hormuz is under “Iran’s management” and that Tehran will not allow the continuation of the US maritime blockade.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Egyptian counterpart, Dr Badr Abdelatty, have both stressed the need for sustained diplomacy in the Middle East during a phone conversation.
According to the Foreign Office (FO), the top diplomats discussed the latest regional developments and “emphasised the need for sustained diplomatic engagement to promote peace and stability, particularly at this stage”.
Ministers from Germany and Norway have called off a trip to Beirut as Israel continues its assault on the city, according to the ministers’ press services.
German Minister for International Development Reem Alabali Radovan and Norwegian counterpart Asmund Aukrust had to abort and head back to Berlin “for military reasons” as they approached Beirut airport owing to a “rapidly worsening situation,” a spokesperson for Alabali Radovan tells AFP.
The ministers had hoped to visit to show solidarity with the Lebanese people, but their German military aircraft finally had to land in Cyprus ahead of a return to Berlin, Norwegian daily VG reports.
A Norwegian government spokesman has confirmed to AFP that the trip had been scrapped.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) has reported an incident southeast of Umm Qasr in Iraq.
“A cargo vessel was transiting in the Arabian Gulf when a large explosion [occurred] following a hit from an unknown projectile on the starboard side,” the agency says in a statement, noting that it is “unaware of any environmental impact at this time” and that the incident is under investigation.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it adds.
Israel’s military has warned residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs of imminent strikes and called for them to evacuate, AFP reports.
“The Israel Defence Forces warns residents of the Dahiyeh area in Beirut and calls on them to evacuate to preserve their safety,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee says on X.
“If the terrorist Hezbollah continues launching rockets toward Israeli cities and towns, the IDF will respond by targeting objectives in the southern Dahiyeh.”
Oil prices have surged after Iran said it suspended all exchanges with Washington following days of inconclusive talks to end the war, and the two nations again traded strikes, AFP reports.
At around 1330 GMT, the price of Brent North Sea Crude for August delivery was up 4.9 per cent at $95.60 a barrel, after briefly rising above 5pc. Its US counterpart, West Texas Intermediate crude for July delivery, was up 5.9pc at $92.55.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency says that Iran’s negotiating team is stopping the exchange of messages with the United States over attacks on Lebanon, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military claims it has intercepted three more projectiles launched from Lebanon towards Israeli territory, Al Jazeera reports.
In a post on Telegram, the army claims the interceptions followed the activation of sirens across northern Israel. Israeli forces also identified two “suspicious aerial targets” in northern Israel, including the Metula area.
Sirens have been triggered at least six times in northern Israel so far today.
Qatar has strongly condemned Iran’s “repeated attacks on the sisterly state of Kuwait”, deeming them a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a blatant breach of the rules of international law”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasises the necessity of sparing the region the consequences of these unjustified attacks, and working to de-escalate to restore security and stability regionally and internationally,” the Qatari statement reads.
“The Ministry renews the State of Qatar’s full solidarity with the State of Kuwait and its support for all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty and security.”
Jordan has condemned Iranian attacks on Kuwait, which reportedly targeted a US base, as a violation of Kuwaiti sovereignty and international law.
In its statement, Amman slammed “Iran’s repeated and blatant attacks against the sisterly state of Kuwait”, adding that the attacks “constitute a flagrant violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, a threat to its security, stability, and territorial integrity, a clear breach of international law and the United Nations Charter, and a dangerous escalation that undermines efforts aimed at restoring security and stability in the region”.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Affairs has reaffirmed the kingdom’s full solidarity and support for Kuwait ad its actions taken to protect its sovereignty, security and the safety of its citizens and residents.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has promised to Japan that it will enable the passage of its ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been mostly closed since the start of the Middle East war in February, AFP reports.
“We will try to provide a smooth and easy passage for Japanese ships,” Pezeshkian has told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a phone conversation, according to the presidency.
Lebanese parliamentarian Fouad Makhzoumi says that the situation in the country is the result of Hezbollah’s actions and has called for their immediate disarmament.
In a post on X, Makhzoumi says the public has “long called” for the capital, Beirut, to be a safe city with the Lebanese army deployed throughout.
“What is happening today is the direct result of Hezbollah’s insistence on retaining its weapons and its power to decide war and peace outside the framework of state legitimacy, while at the same time participating in government as though it were committed to the principles of the state,” he writes.
“The cabinet must act immediately to enforce state authority and ensure that all weapons are exclusively under the control of the Lebanese Army, starting with administrative Beirut and extending to Greater Beirut and all Lebanese territory.”
Makhzoumi adds that Hezbollah ministers cannot participate in a government “whose decisions their party refuses to respect and whose authority it refuses to recognise”.
Hezbollah claims its fighters are still battling Israeli troops near south Lebanon’s Beaufort castle, a day after Tel Aviv said it seized the strategic fortress and troops raised the Israeli flag there, AFP reports.
In a statement issued by Hezbollah’s operations room, the group says its fighters are in a “battle of attrition against forces of the Israeli enemy army who are present in the area”.
