Here are the latest events related to the war in the Middle East on Monday, the 31st day after the outbreak of the conflict:
1. Lebanon: UNIFIL announces the death of two peacekeepers in the south The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced the death on Monday of two additional peacekeepers in “an explosion of unknown origin” in southern Lebanon. Two soldiers of UNIFIL were tragically killed in southern Lebanon by an explosion of unknown origin that destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan. A third was seriously injured, and a fourth was affected, said a UNIFIL statement, which stated that it was conducting an investigation into the incident. This is the second fatal incident in the last 24 hours, following the death of an Indonesian peacekeeper on Sunday in an explosion of unknown origin on the border.
2. Iranian general praises “new regional order” established by Tehran and its allies General Esma’il Qaani, a senior Iranian military official, praised in a rare message broadcast on Monday the “new regional order” resulting from the actions of armed groups supported by Tehran, including the Lebanese Hezbollah fighting the Israeli army. “Get used to the new regional order,” wrote General Qaani, commander of the Al-Qods Force attached to the Revolutionary Guards.
3. Turkey announces interception of fourth missile fired from Iran Turkey announced on Monday the interception of a fourth missile targeted at its territory, attributed to Iran according to the Ministry of Defense. A ballistic munition, established to have been fired from Iran and entered Turkish airspace, was neutralized by the Turkish air defense and NATO anti-missile means deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, the ministry said in a statement. NATO confirmed, stating it would always do what is necessary to defend all Allies.
4. G7 pledges to take all necessary measures for energy market stability The G7 Finance and Energy Ministers said on Monday they are prepared to take all necessary measures to ensure the stability of the energy market, a statement from the French presidency of the group of seven leading economies reported. “We are ready to take all necessary measures, in close coordination with our partners, to preserve the stability and security of the energy market destabilized by the war in the Middle East,” the statement said after a virtual meeting.
5. Wall Street opens slightly higher amid hopes for US-Iran discussions The New York Stock Exchange was trading slightly higher on Monday as investors hoped for “serious discussions” between Donald Trump and Iran to end the war in the Gulf. Around 14:00 GMT, the Dow Jones was up 0.44% and the S&P 500 gained 0.22%, while the Nasdaq was close to balance (+0.02%). Recent statements by the American president brought “morning optimism” to the American market, analysts summarized.
6. Egyptian president al-Sissi appeals to Trump: “Help us stop the war” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi called on Donald Trump on Monday to “stop the war” in the Middle East during a speech in Cairo. “I address President Trump to tell him: + no one but you can stop the war in the Gulf (…). Please, help us stop the war, you are capable of it,” he said during a conference dedicated to energy alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
7. Israel claims to have struck a university in Tehran run by the Revolutionary Guards “These last days, one of the main military infrastructure sites of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was struck. It is located on the premises of Imam Hossein University, the main military university institution of the IRGC, which also serves as an emergency resource for the regime’s military organs,” stated the army in a communiqué. “Under the guise of civilian activities, research and development activities on advanced weapons were being conducted within the university,” the text added.
8. Trump threatens to “annihilate” Kharg rule if talks with Iran do not conclude “quickly” Continuing to fluctuate on the Middle East war, Donald Trump on Monday threatened Iran with “annihilating” the Kharg rule, an essential oil site for Iran, if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened and if discussions with Tehran, which he described as “serious,” do not conclude “quickly.” “Significant progress has been made, but if for any reason an agreement is not reached quickly, which will likely be the case, and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately ‘open for business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘day trip’ in Iran by blowing up and completely annihilating all their power plants, oil wells, and the Kharg rule (and perhaps all desalination plants!),” wrote the American president on his Truth Social network.
