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
Ceasefire falters as US, Iran exchange attacks on each other’s military sites; Kuwait, Bahrain targeted in retaliation
Qatar has condemned an attack that targeted a post belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) in southern Lebanon, and resulted in the death of a Serbian soldier and injuries to two others from El Salvador and Spain.
“Qatar considers the attack a serious violation of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” a statement from the foreign ministry says.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates Qatar’s complete rejection of any attack targeting Unifil, which plays a vital role in maintaining security and stability in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon,” it adds, stressing the need for an immediate investigation into the attack.
The ministry also expresses Qatar’s condolences to the family of the peacekeeper and the government and people of Serbia, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.
US Democratic Congressman Richard Neal has slammed the Trump administration amid soaring prices spurred by the US-Israel war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, Neal says US households are each paying an additional $750 due to the conflict.
“The price of a tank of gasoline in many places has gone up by almost 50 per cent. That’s a staggering amount,” Neal stated. “The administration continues to argue that down is up, and to convince people that their pain should be subjugated to patriotic causes.”
Hezbollah claims it has struck and destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank in the vicinity of Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle with a missile, Al Jazeera reports.
Israeli forces captured Beaufort Castle, located near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, three days ago, viewing it as a symbolic site in its military assault against Hezbollah. However, several Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah fighters and drones near the castle since then.
Hezbollah also says it targeted a newly established Israeli army logistical support centre on the outskirts of the town of Qalaat al-Shaqif, where Beaufort Castle is located.
The United States State Department has issued a security alert for Kuwait, advising American citizens to exercise caution following reported drone and missile attacks near Kuwait International Airport, a Dawn correspondent reports.
In its advisory, the State Department said it is closely monitoring the situation after the incidents, which have raised concerns about air safety and potential disruptions at the airport.
Travellers have been urged to remain vigilant, follow instructions from local authorities and airport officials, and check with airlines directly for updates on flight schedules and possible delays or cancellations.
The alert also advises American citizens in Kuwait to stay informed through communications from the US Embassy and to heed civil defence warnings, including sirens and emergency alerts.
The situation remains fluid, with authorities continuing to assess the impact of the reported attacks on airport operations and regional security, the statement adds.
Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a first since April 15 and the US blockade of Iranian ports, AFP reports citing maritime tracking firm Kpler.
Data from the firm detected the passage of the Hilda I, the Amber, the Silvia 1, and the Happiness I, which were carrying a total of 7 million barrels of oil.
They all loaded their cargo in mid-April on Kharg Island, the country’s main oil terminal, through which 90 per cent of the Islamic republic’s crude oil normally transits.
The ships crossed the strait on Monday with their AIS (automatic identification system) transponders turned off. Kpler relies primarily on satellite imagery to track ships transporting raw materials.
Four foreign nationals — two Syrians and two Bangladeshis — have been wounded in an Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports citing the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
NNA reports that an Israeli warplane carried out a two-wave air strike on the al-Mashal area in Wata Abba, between the towns of Abba and al-Duwair, in the Nabatieh district.
It also reports that Israeli air strikes and bombings took place in the towns of Jebchit and Arnoun, also in the Nabatieh district.
At least 3,526 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, Al Jazeera reports citing the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Another 10,733 people have also been wounded since that date, the ministry says.
The European Union’s (EU) top diplomat Kaja Kallas says the organisation would provide an extra €100 million to Lebanon’s armed forces in an effort to strengthen the Lebanese state.
In a post on X, Kallas — who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy — has stated that the latest ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon can help prevent a return to full-scale hostilities.
“But the death of a Unifil peacekeeper and continued skirmishes underscore the tenuous nature of what was agreed,” Kallas writes.
To respond to the Hezbollah threat, Kallas says, Lebanon needs to “empower its institutions, and restore its monopoly on the use of force.”
The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sent a report to member states repeating its calls for Iran to urgently inform the agency of the fate of its enriched uranium since its atomic sites were bombed a year ago and let inspections resume fully.
“The [IAEA] director general has emphasised to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement effectively the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Safeguards Agreement … and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances,” the confidential report seen by Reuters says.
A Hezbollah official tells AFP that the group has informed Lebanese authorities that it rejects a ceasefire announced after Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington a day earlier.
The official, on condition of anonymity, says that the position, announced by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in a televised message, was passed on “to parliament speaker Nabih Berri”, who is acting as an intermediary and “shares this position”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says there will be “no peace in the region” without Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory, Al Jazeera reports.
“Our initial condition for accepting a ceasefire in the regional war has been a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon,” the IRGC says in a statement shared by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
“The enemy must urgently stop its attacks on the Lebanese people, and immediately withdraw behind international borders by evacuating the occupied territories of Lebanon, and recognise the territorial integrity of Lebanon.”
Pakistan has condemned the recent attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, urging parties to exercise “maximum restraint” and avoid further escalation.
Responding to a question during a weekly press briefing, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi noted that the recent escalation was “worrisome”.
“Pakistan condemns this drone and missile attack that targeted the state of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain also,” he said.
“We hope that the parties will adhere to the ceasefire understanding — that the ceasefire will continue and hostilities will cease. These are definitely major obstacles towards reaching a settlement. When hostilities take place, the window for dialogue and diplomacy shrinks,” he noted.
Stating that Islamabad’s channels of communication remained open, Andrabi said Pakistan urged “exercising maximum restraint, avoiding further escalation, refraining from any action that undermine the safety and well-being of civilians, protecting civilian infrastructure, and pursuing dialogue and diplomacy”.
“We condemn attack on all sides, these hostilities shrink the space for dialogue and diplomacy. Any armed attack, any hostility, which shrink the dialogue space is indeed condemnable,” he reiterated.
Lebanese army soldiers have begun entering the southern town of Dibbine on Thursday following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, Anadolu reports citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
NNA reports that Lebanese army units have moved into the town, in the Marjayoun district, shortly after Israeli forces pulled out.
French President Emmanuel Macron says his country is backing the ceasefire in Lebanon after the announcement of an agreement in Washington, AFP reports.
The French president tells reporters on a visit to Montenegro: “We support the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and everything that helps restore peace, combat terrorist activities, and fully establish Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“France is, of course, as we have always been, available to move forward along this path. A coordination mechanism has been put in place where the United States and France are working together,” he adds.
“If the ceasefire is serious, this is the mechanism that must be reactivated, so that we can follow up and verify its implementation,” Macron states.
Italy supports the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and stands ready to help strengthen Lebanese state institutions and its regular armed forces, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has said, according to Al Jazeera.
In a post on X following a call with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, Tajani says Hezbollah must cease any military action against Israel and accept the decisions of Lebanon’s legitimate government to uphold the truce.
“We are convinced that Israel, too, must renounce military escalation,” he stressed. “The path of diplomacy is the only way to achieve peace.”
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has called the Lebanese government’s negotiations with Israel “shameless” in a much-anticipated address, according to Al Jazeera.
He said the truce deal between Israel and Lebanon amounts to “surrender and defeat”.
Oil prices have fallen by more than 3 per cent after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon boosted hopes for a broader agreement to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, which could lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.
Brent futures are down $3.05, or 3.1 per cent, at $94.76 a barrel as of 1224 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude is down $3.24, or 3.4pc, at $92.78.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has sharply criticised the latest ceasefire announcement with Israel, describing it as a “roadmap to annihilate part of the Lebanese people”, Al Jazeera reports.
Qassem has also underlined the group’s core demands, saying Hezbollah cares only about a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says that as long as Lebanese villages are being bombed and people are being killed, “northern Israel will not be safe”, according to Reuters.
