At 14:10 – A French soldier killed and three injured in Lebanon, announced Emmanuel Macron
A French soldier was killed and three were injured on Saturday in southern Lebanon, during an attack on UN peacekeepers, announced Emmanuel Macron, stating that “everything suggests that the responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah.” The French soldier is said to have been killed by “direct fire” in “an ambush.”
“The Nation bows with respect and expresses its support to the families of our soldiers and to all our troops engaged for peace in Lebanon. Everything suggests that the responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately stop the perpetrators and take responsibility on the side of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon,” said the French Head of State on X.
Emmanuel Macron spoke on Saturday with the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asking them to “guarantee the security of the UNIFIL soldiers.”
At 14:00 – Attack on French peacekeepers in Lebanon
The Lebanese Prime Minister announced on Saturday that an attack had taken place on French peacekeepers in the south of the country, on the second day of the truce with Israel.
“I strongly condemn the aggression against members of the French contingent of the UN Interim Forces (UNIFIL),” said Nawaf Salam on X, saying he had ordered the opening of an immediate investigation to arrest those responsible.
A UNIFIL spokesperson confirmed to AFP that an “incident occurred” on Saturday morning in Ghandouriyeh in southern Lebanon and stated that an “investigation” had been opened, without more details immediately on the circumstances or any potential victims.
At 13:40 – The Israeli army announces establishing a demarcation “yellow line” in Lebanon
The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had established a “yellow line” demarcation in southern Lebanon, similar to the one in Gaza, and conducted strikes since the previous day against suspects approaching its troops.
“In the past 24 hours, the (Israeli) forces deployed south of the yellow line, in southern Lebanon, repelled terrorists violating the ceasefire arrangements and approaching the forces from the north of the yellow line in a manner constituting an immediate threat,” said a military statement on the second day of the truce with Lebanon, mentioning for the first time this “yellow line.”
“Immediately after their identification, and in order to eliminate this threat, the Air Force and the forces on the ground attacked the terrorists in several sectors of southern Lebanon,” the text added, also mentioning “Israeli artillery fire to support ground forces operating in the area.”
At 13:30 – Iranian boats open fire on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian speedboats fired on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, as reported by the British maritime security agency UKMTO, after the Iranian army reneged on its promise to keep the route open for navigation.
The tanker captain reported being approached 37 kilometers northeast of Oman by two boats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Without any radio warning, the boats “then opened fire on the tanker,” stated the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre in an online statement.
“The tanker and its crew are declared safe. Authorities are investigating,” according to the same source.
At 12:50 – The United States “cannot impose a siege on the Strait of Hormuz”
The United States “cannot impose a siege” on the Strait of Hormuz, declared the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh on Saturday, after Tehran stated that it had again closed the strait due to the American blockade.
“The Americans cannot impose their will to besiege Iran even as the latter, with good intentions, seeks to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh to journalists on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Antalya, in southern Turkey.
