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The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday over Israel’s expansion of its offensive in Lebanon, following the capture of the medieval castle of Beaufort, diplomatic sources have told AFP.
The meeting was requested by France and will take place immediately after an emergency meeting over the crash of a Russian drone into a Romanian apartment building, which is scheduled for 1900 GMT, the sources said.
Qatar has condemned Israel’s continuing attacks on Lebanon and the expansion of its ground offensive in the south, describing the campaign as a serious escalation and violation of international law.
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says he can “guarantee a full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire” by Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reports, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency.
But, he added, “the question is, who will compel Israel to stop its aggression, by land, sea and air, and its demolition of villages and homes?” he was quoted as saying.
French President Emmanuel Macron has maintained that “nothing justifies the major escalation underway in south Lebanon,” where Israeli forces have launched a new offensive against Hezbollah, AFP reports.
In a message on X after speaking with regional leaders, Macron said it was “essential” for an agreement to be reached quickly between the United States and Iran.
“France will continue to support the Lebanese authorities in their efforts to restore the sovereignty of the state and the country’s territorial integrity,” Macron wrote.
Regional stability “must begin with Lebanon, where it is urgent that all weapons fall silent, for good.” More broadly, he said a ceasefire must be a “priority” between the United States and Iran, and called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “without any conditions and in accordance with international law”.
“Talks must then continue in order to reach a comprehensive and robust agreement on other issues, particularly the nuclear and ballistic programmes and regional stability,” he added. “France stands ready to fully play its part by helping to restore maritime traffic through the independent multinational mission set up with the United Kingdom,” he said.
Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh says the country has been undergoing reconstruction efforts following the destruction from the US-Israeli war on Iran, AL Jazeera reports.
She said more than 50 points of road and rail routes – including highways, tunnels and bridges – were targeted during the military operation.
“We are facing a war of corridors, and under such conditions, plans were made to ensure that the import and export process would not stop. Additionally, collaborations were held with some neighbouring countries to expand the transport fleet,” said Sadegh.
Jordan has condemned the continuation of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, urging the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and adopt a firm position that obliges Israel to cease its violation.
In a statement, the foreign ministry also stressed support for the Lebanese government’s efforts to impose its sovereignty over all its territories
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has discussed diplomatic efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and international trade in a telephonic call with the French President Emmanuel Macron
In a statement, Oman’s foreign ministry said, “In a telephone call with President Macron, Sultan Haitham reviewed the latest developments in the region.
“During the call, the two leaders discussed diplomatic efforts to bridge differences in order to support security and stability and ensure freedom of navigation and international trade,” it stated.
Israeli warplanes and drones have carried out a series of attacks across southern Lebanon throughout the day, targeting several towns, AL Jazeera reports, citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Israeli airstrikes hit the towns of Deir Kifa in the Bint Jbeil district and Seddiqine in the Tyre district.
A separate Israeli drone strike targeted a motorcycle in Haris, also in the Bint Jbeil district, injuring several people.
Elsewhere, Israeli warplanes launched two consecutive air strikes on the town of Dbayn in the Marjayoun district.
Residents of the city of Tyre and surrounding areas also reported Israeli aircraft conducting low-altitude mock raids, circling overhead and leaving trails of white smoke.
Egyptian foreign ministry has condemned the Israeli military escalation against Lebanon in the “strongest terms”, urging the United Nations Security Council and international parties to fulfil their responsibilities “urgently and decisively” to stop the Israeli aggression immediately.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the death toll from Israel’s military campaign has risen to 3,412 people killed, with 10,269 others wounded since March 2, Al Jazeera reports.
The ministry’s cumulative toll covers casualties recorded between March 2 and May 31.
US Senator Lindsey Graham has affirmed support for President Donald Trump’s demand to open the Strait of Hormuz and start negotiations for ending Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, says that the “shadow of war still exists” and the country’s armed forces are on alert, Iran’s IRNA news agency reports.
During an interview, she said that the continued presence of Iranians on the streets boosts the morale of diplomatic and defensive apparatuses in safeguarding the national interests and sovereignty.
Mohajerani called people’s presence “the fuel for Iranian missiles.”
She noted that the management of the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations to end the war were ongoing, with the active public voice in the streets.
State media in Iran say the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched attacks on bases used by armed separatist groups in northern Iraq, Al Jazeera reports.
The operation was carried out by the IRGC’s ground forces, but the reports did not specify which groups were targeted or provide details on locations hit.
Esmaeil Kousari, an Iranian parliamentarian and member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, has said that the nuclear file has been removed from the negotiating table with the United States, Iran’s ISNA news agency reports.
“Negotiations are ongoing, but we have not reached a final agreement,” he stated.
“Current negotiations are focused on completely ending the war.”
Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, has stated that planning for the coming months should be based on the assumption that the siege will continue and should not be affected by possible partial openings by the enemy, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
He said: “We are encircling the enemy’s economic siege, and we must vigorously pursue and activate alternative routes and land corridors.”
An Israeli strike near a hospital in Tyre, south Lebanon wounded 13 staffers, the Lebanese health ministry has said, as Israel pushes forward its offensive deeper into the country, AFP reports.
“The Israeli enemy launched an airstrike in the vicinity of Hiram Hospital in Tyre, injuring 13 hospital staff members and causing significant damage,” the ministry said in a statement, urging “the international community to put an end to the escalating and expanding Israeli attacks”.
Iran has restored gas production at three offshore platforms in the South Pars gas field that had been forced to halt output after Israeli attacks disrupted processing capacity at some onshore facilities, the chief executive of the Pars Oil and Gas Company told state media, Reuters reports.
Touraj Dehqani said the platforms had not been damaged. He said production from the three platforms was being routed to other processing plants in the region while repairs continue at damaged facilities, including the Phase 14 refinery.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the Israeli forces’ capture of Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon marked a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, AFP reports.
“Today, we have returned to Beaufort in a different way. We have returned united, determined, and stronger than ever,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
“The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading. We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating on all fronts — in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon.”
France has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Israeli forces seized the medieval Beaufort castle in Lebanon, AFP quotes the French foreign minister as saying.
“I have requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council because, while we recognise Israel’s right, like that of all countries, to self-defence… nothing can justify the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its ever-deeper occupation of Lebanese territory,” Jean-Noel Barrot said on the BFMTV channel.
The European Union is considering a temporary freeze to its price cap on Russian oil amid the Middle East crisis, Bloomberg Newsreports, citing people familiar with the matter.
