War in the Middle East: the latest developments

Here are the latest developments related to the war in the Middle East, following the start of a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s decision to relock the Strait of Hormuz in response to the American blockade.

– The Lebanese army repairs bridges and roads damaged by strikes in the south The Lebanese army announced on Sunday that it had reopened a road and repaired bridges previously rendered impassable by Israeli strikes in the south of the country, on the third day of the ceasefire between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement and Israel. The army, which has been repairing several damaged roads since Friday, has “reopened the road between Khardali and Nabatieh,” “partially reopened the Bourj Rahal-Tyr bridge,” while “work is underway to restore the bridge between Tayr Falsay and Tyr,” according to a statement.

– An Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon The Israeli army announced on Sunday the death “in combat” of one of its soldiers in southern Lebanon, the second since the ceasefire went into effect on Friday, and the 15th since the start of hostilities against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement.

– “Progress” in negotiations, but “many divergences” persist, according to Iran Peace negotiations between Iran and the United States have “made progress,” but a final agreement is “still far off,” Iranian Parliament President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Saturday. “We have made progress in the negotiations, but there are still many divergences and some fundamental points remain unresolved,” he said in a lengthy interview on Iranian television.

– UN chief condemns attack on French peacekeepers UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemned” the attack that cost the life of a French peacekeeper in southern Lebanon and injured three others. “This is the third incident, in a matter of weeks, resulting in the death of peacekeepers” of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he denounced, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

– Shots and threats against ships – India summons Iranian ambassador The Revolutionary Guards warned that any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be “targeted” by Tehran. Several ships had previously come under fire and threats from Iranian forces while attempting to pass through. Among them were two Indian-flagged ships, according to New Delhi, which summoned the Iranian ambassador in response.

– Lebanon: Hezbollah promises to retaliate against Israeli attacks The leader of the pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah movement promised to retaliate against Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where a ceasefire is officially in effect. “A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities. As we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain on the ground, ready to respond to violations,” he said in a statement read on television.

– Hezbollah denies attacking French peacekeepers Hezbollah denied any involvement in the deadly attack on French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after France pointed the finger at them. “Hezbollah denies any connection to the incident that occurred with UNIFIL,” the pro-Iranian group said in a statement, calling for “caution (…) before attributing responsibilities.”

– Iran says it has received new proposals from Washington and is examining them Iran has received “new proposals” from the United States for talks to end the Middle East war permanently, the Supreme National Security Council said, adding that Iranian negotiators would make “no compromises.” “In recent days, in the presence of the Pakistani army commander acting as a mediator in Tehran, the Americans presented new proposals. Iran is currently examining them and has not yet responded,” the agency quoted by the official Irna news agency said.

– Trump denounces Iran’s “blackmail” over Hormuz Donald Trump denounced “blackmail” after Tehran announced the resumption of the blockade of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. “They cannot blackmail us,” he said. Earlier, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh had stated that the United States could not “impose a siege” on the Strait of Hormuz.