Middle East: “Cessation of attacks” between Israel and Hezbollah, discussions with Tehran… the summary of Monday June 1 | TF1 Info

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Hezbollah and Israel have reportedly agreed to a plan for a “mutual cessation of attacks”. Explanations. ⬇ï¸

Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have warned Donald Trump that the Israeli army would strike Beirut in the event of Hezbollah firing against Israeli targets. The American president had assured earlier that both parties had promised appeasement at his request.

“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement. “Our position on this remains unchanged. At the same time, the army will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”

The US Embassy in Lebanon said Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks” with Israel, which had earlier threatened to strike the southern suburbs of Beirut on the eve of Israeli-Lebanese negotiations.

“The Lebanese authorities have received confirmation of Hezbollah’s acceptance of the American proposal providing for a mutual cessation of attacks,” indicates an embassy press release released by the office of the Lebanese presidency.

“Under the proposed arrangement, Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh (the southern suburbs of Beirut) would cease in exchange for Hezbollah’s commitment to refrain from launching attacks against Israel, with the ceasefire framework to be expanded to cover the entire Lebanese territory.”

Donald Trump assured that “discussions continued at a rapid pace with the Islamic Republic of Iran”, in a message published Monday on his Truth Social network.

The American president’s assertion contradicts the announcement by the Iranian press agency Tasnim, according to which Tehran has broken off indirect dialogue with Washington, in particular because of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

The American president claims on his Truth Social platform to have succeeded in dissuading Benjamin Netanyahu from sending troops to Beirut, and convinced Hezbollah to stop its fire towards Israel.

Hezbollah will not stop bombing northern Israel, said a source close to the pro-Iranian group, in reaction to Israel’s threats to attack the southern suburbs of Beirut if it does not stop its attacks. “Hezbollah will not commit to stopping bombing the north” of Israel, said this source who requested anonymity. “Why stop these strikes which hurt Israel while it is bombing Lebanon?”

The National Information Agency and the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirm an Israeli strike near a hospital in Tire, which damaged the building and left several injured.

The strike targeted an intersection near the Jabal Amel hospital “hitting a building and a parking lot, and leaving several injured”, indicated the National Information Agency (Ani, official). The Ministry of Health released videos showing damage inside a hospital department, with the floor strewn with rubble and stained with blood, and ceilings blown away. HAS

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have threatened to open “new fronts” in the face of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, Iranian state television said, with an adviser to the Supreme Guide, Mohsen Rezaee, warning that Tehran was losing “patience”.

“Iran considers that crossing the red lines in Lebanon and Gaza amounts to direct war”, and “in response, is determined to carry out defensive operations” and “open new fronts”, declared the Guardians, in reference to Israel’s operations in the Palestinian territory and its offensive in the neighboring country. “The patience of the Iranian armed forces has its limits,” M.Razaee said on X.

An airstrike took place near the Jabal Amel hospital in Tyre, reports the local correspondent of the Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour.

Sardar Azmoun, nicknamed the “Iranian Messi”, will not be part of the World Cup adventure, as confirmed by the publication of the official list of players selected. An exclusion which owes nothing to sporting criteria, explains the TF1info article below. ⬇ï¸

Denis Bauchard, former diplomat and advisor at Ifri, explains to TF1info why, according to him, Israel is in “an impasse” in Lebanon. ⬇ï¸

What do we know about the American strikes in the south of Iran, followed by Iranian retaliations towards an American base? Update on cards with Sylvia Amicone on the LCI set. ⬇ï¸

The stock markets fell into the red under the combined effects of the announcement of a suspension of negotiations between Iran and the United States and the sharp rise in oil prices. In Europe, all the indices which were sailing in positive territory changed mood with the announcement from an Iranian media indicating that Tehran was suspending negotiations with Washington.

The index of the 50 largest European capitalizations Euro Stoxx 50 fell (-0.64%), reflecting the decline in Paris (-0.79%), Frankfurt (-0.80%) and Milan (-0.81%). London did not benefit from the rise in oil prices (-0.87%). The decline was less marked on Wall Street at the opening. The Nasdaq of technology stocks (0.00%) and the S&P 500 (-0.01%) remained in balance, and held up better than the Dow Jones (-0.10%).

While Israel has just called on the residents of southern Beirut to evacuate, are we witnessing a new turning point in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah? Analysis by Thomas Misrachi, special correspondent for TF1-LCI in Lebanon. ⬇ï¸

The Israeli army on Monday called on residents of the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, to evacuate, in anticipation of strikes against the pro-Iranian movement.

“If the ‘terrorist’ organization Hezbollah continues to fire rockets towards Israeli towns and localities, the army will respond by targeting objectives in the south” of Beirut, Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-speaking military spokesperson, warned in a message published on Telegram, calling on residents to leave the premises.

After American strikes on the south of Iran, and Iranian shots towards an American base, where is the negotiation process? The analysis of Siavosh Ghazi in Tehran. ⬇ï¸

Kuwaiti anti-aircraft defense intercepted “hostile” missiles and drones, the army announced, with Washington declaring for its part that it had shot down two Iranian missiles targeting American forces in the Gulf country.

“Any explosion noise is the result of anti-aircraft defense systems intercepting these hostile attacks,” the Kuwaiti military said in a message posted on its official X account. The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry later said in a communicated that he “holds Iran fully responsible for these heinous attacks.”

“The Iranian negotiating team suspends dialogues and exchanges of texts through mediators,” says the Iranian Tasnim news agency. Tehran justifies this breakdown in dialogue by the continuation of Israeli operations in Lebanon, seeing it as a “violation of the ceasefire”.

The Iranian president assured that his country would facilitate passage for Japanese ships through the Strait of Hormuz. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is fully prepared to facilitate maritime traffic” in the Strait of Hormuz, declared Massoud Pezeshkian to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

“We will endeavor to ensure easy and unhindered passage for Japanese ships,” added Mr. Pezeshkian, according to comments reported by the presidency while Japan depends very largely on the Strait of Hormuz for its oil imports.

Hezbollah said it continued to fight Israeli forces near the Beaufort Fortress in southern Lebanon, a strategic medieval site that Israel announced it would occupy yesterday. The Israeli army has been trying since dawn on Sunday “with great difficulty to consolidate its presence in the vicinity of the fortress”, said the pro-Iranian group in a press release. Hezbollah did not have a military presence in the citadel when Israeli forces entered, he assured.

The Israeli army seized a strategic fortress in southern Lebanon, a scene filmed by a camera, fixed on the helmet of a soldier, the storming of the Beaufort fortress. In ruins for centuries, this medieval citadel is a strategic conquest. Most of the surrounding residents have already fled.

In a video broadcast by his services, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that he had given the order to his army to strike the southern suburbs of Beirut. “There will be no question of letting Hezbollah attack our cities and our citizens without its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, being targeted,” he declared, promising at the same time to “intensify our operations on the ground in southern Lebanon”.

“Hezbollah is in disarray. We are determined to restore security for the inhabitants of the north, just as we did for those in the south” of Israel, he further affirmed.

In the wake of statements by a spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted on X that the current truce with Washington “is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon”. “Its violation on a single front constitutes a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” and the United States and its Israeli ally are “responsible for the consequences of any violation,” he added. HAS

Beyond threats of attacks against the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Israeli army also continued its strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, according to the National Information Agency, the official Lebanese agency. She ordered the evacuation of around fifteen villages, according to an Arabic-speaking army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.

On the Lebanese front, Beirut had been relatively spared in recent weeks by Israeli strikes, since a particularly bloody day: more than 350 people (nouvelle fenêtre) had been killed on April 8 in massive offensives on Lebanon, the majority of them in the capital region. In May, however, two strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut and the south of the capital, with Israel claiming that they were directed against Hezbollah officials. A truce is supposed to have been in effect since April 17.

Israel must stop its “military escalation” in Lebanon and respect “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of this country, where the Israeli authorities plan to establish a zone under military control in the south, a spokesperson for the European Union said on Monday. “The Lebanese people have already endured immense ordeals. They did not choose this war, and this war is not theirs,” said Anouar El Anouni.

Israel’s attorney general has warned of a democratic backsliding in Israel, where Parliament is considering a dissolution plan that could lead to early elections. Since Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was established at the end of 2022, Gali Baharav-Miara has contested the legality of some of his decisions, and has consequently been the subject of impeachment proceedings initiated by the executive.

“As the end of the mandate of the current Knesset approaches, a race has begun to dismantle democratic institutions,” she said with alarm at a conference of the Israeli Bar Association in Eilat (south). She pointed to two bills, starting with a text aimed at reducing the powers of the attorney general, by creating a similar position but appointed exclusively by the Minister of Justice. The second would grant more powers to the far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir.

The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, also affirmed that there would be “no calm” in Beirut without stopping the attacks by pro-Iranian Hezbollah. “The southern suburbs of Beirut are no different from the northern locations of Israel: if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” he said in a video released by his office.

“We will not allow a situation in which our localities and citizens are attacked while calm is maintained in Beirut,” he added.

Israel says it wants to establish a zone under military control in the Litani River region. The army thus intensified its land operations in the south. The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, indicated that it was operating “in order to ward off threats (…) and to make the Litani River area an area placed under the security control of the IDF (the army, editor’s note), rid of weapons and terrorists.”

The Litani River is located about thirty km from the border with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that the army had crossed it, after declaring that a large part of southern Lebanon was now considered a “combat zone”, despite a ceasefire in force on April 17.

In a sharp message against adversaries who criticize his strategy, American President Donald Trump assured on his social network Truth Social (nouvelle fenêtre) that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a deal that is beneficial to the United States and those who are on our side.” “But don’t the ‘Dumocrats’ and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans understand that it is MUCH harder for me to do my job properly and negotiate when low-level politicians are constantly ‘chirping’ negatively,” he wrote. “Sit back and relax, everything will work out in the end – it always does!”, concluded the White House tenant.

Numerous evacuations are underway in Beirut, where the southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, have once again been threatened with strikes by Israel. Hundreds of families have left the area on foot or in cars, and traffic jams are already building up in the capital, as our special correspondent Thomas Misrachi explains.

The head of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf condemned the continuation of the American blockade and the Israeli offensives in Lebanon, promising to make the two allies “pay the bill”. “The naval blockade and the escalation of war crimes in Lebanon perpetrated by the genocidal Zionist regime constitute clear evidence of the non-compliance with the ceasefire by the United States,” he accused on X. “Every choice has a price, and the time to pay the bill will come. make arrangements.”

French President Emmanuel Macron indicated on security involving all the actors concerned.”

He added that he had “indicated that we were ready to fully support these efforts and to take our full part in their implementation”, via the “international mission” carried out with London and many other partners, “ready to be deployed as soon as an agreement is concluded in order to contribute to the securing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.” “We are also prepared to bring our expertise and our capabilities to the broader negotiations which must open, in particular on the nuclear aspect of an agreement”, he added.

Emmanuel Macron also indicated that he “welcomed President Trump’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, and underlined the importance of a robust ceasefire and our collective support for the Lebanese authorities.”

Iran has also reiterated that its nuclear program is not at this stage on the agenda of ongoing discussions with the United States to put a lasting end to the war in the Middle East. “No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear issue. At this stage, our priority is to end the war,” declared the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy Esmaïl Baghaï, while American President Donald Trump affirmed that Iran had pledged not to acquire nuclear weapons.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of continuing to violate the fragile ceasefire with Iran, after American strikes against its territory which led to Iranian military retaliations. “The United States is also violating the ceasefire, including this morning,” declared the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaïl Baghaï, after denouncing a violation of the truce in Lebanon by Israel.

“We will not hesitate to take all measures that we deem necessary to defend Iran’s national security,” he added, during a press conference attended by AFP.

Iran repeats again that an agreement with the United States must, according to it, be conditional on a cease-fire in Lebanon, where a truce is in theory in force but where Israel and Hezbollah continue hostilities in practice. “We insist on the fact that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any agreement aimed at ending the war” with Washington, declared the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaïl Baghaï, during a press conference in Tehran in which AFP participated.

“I ordered the Israeli army, in collaboration with Defense Minister Israel Katz, to strike terrorist targets in the Dahier district of Beirut”, in the south of the capital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on X. The cause, according to him, are “repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and attacks against our cities and our citizens.”

The Israeli army was ordered to strike the southern suburbs of Beirut, stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, after expanding its operations in southern Lebanon.

“In light of repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and attacks against our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the IDF (army, editor’s note) to strike terrorist targets” in the southern suburbs of Beirut, indicates an official press release.

The Israeli army seized the medieval fortress of Beaufort on Sunday, raising its flag on this strategic site where it had established a base during the two decades of the Israeli occupation, which ended in 2000. A capture fraught with challenges, explains the LCI journalist Guillaume Auda.Â

Iranian justice announced the hanging at dawn of two men presented as those responsible for the ransacking and burning of a mosque during the anti-government demonstrations which shook the country in December and January. “Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, main perpetrators of the arson and destruction of a mosque (in central Tehran, editor’s note) were hanged this morning,” wrote Mizan, the judiciary agency. The press release does not specify the date of their arrest or that of their trial.

Since the start of the conflict with Washington at the end of February, arrests and executions have increased in the country, linked to the conflict but also to the demonstrations at the start of the year. According to NGOs including Amnesty International, Iran is the country that uses the death penalty the most after China.

The Banque de France will lower its growth forecasts for 2026 in mid-June, after INSEE indicated on Friday that the French gross domestic product (GDP) had fallen by 0.1% in the first quarter, its governor François Villeroy de Galhau announced on Monday.

“There will be several scenarios but the 2026 growth forecasts will, taking into account this unpleasant surprise in the first quarter, be revised downward compared to that which we published in March”, which was 0.9%, he declared on Radio Classique.

The Israeli army announced that one of its soldiers had been killed during fighting in southern Lebanon, bringing to 26 the number of deaths in its ranks since the beginning of March. Master Sergeant Adam Tzarfati, 20, “fell in combat in southern Lebanon,” the army said in a brief statement.

A military source told AFP that he had been killed by a Hezbollah drone. On Sunday, the army announced the death of another soldier in Lebanon, also killed by an explosive drone from the pro-Iranian movement, according to it.

On the occasion of a tribute to former Prime Minister Rachid Karamé, the President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun affirmed that his country was facing “a ferocious and reprehensible aggression from Israel” which is intensifying its offensive against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

He also promised to “work to put an end to the suffering of the Lebanese in general, and of the population of the South in particular” while the UN Security Council must meet urgently on Monday about Lebanon, at the request of France. He promised to “put an end to their torments, as well as to “Work for state building, reform and justice.” “We will not deviate from our path and we will not go back,” he further assured.

Iran will not approve any agreement with the United States until its rights are fully guaranteed. This was stated on Sunday May 31 by the President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. “The soldiers have no confidence in the words and promises of the enemy,” he said.

The head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about ongoing negotiations, an American official said Sunday evening, affirming that it is up to Hezbollah to stop the shooting first.

“In order to move these talks forward, the United States has proposed a clear plan: Hezbollah must end all its attacks against Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from any escalation in Beirut,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On the Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he wanted to intensify his offensive against Hezbollah, calling the capture of the Beaufort fortress (nouvelle fenêtre) of “decisive turning point”. In response, the head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, of which France is one of the five permanent members. According to diplomatic sources at AFP, it was set for Monday.

Washington and Tehran had already accused each other on Thursday of violating the ceasefire in force since April 8, after American strikes on southern Iran followed by an attack on Kuwait. Then American media reports over the weekend reporting new American demands on Tehran dampened hopes of an imminent agreement, fueled by Donald Trump himself.

The New York Times reported on Saturday, without further details, that the American president had toughened his proposal and sent a new version of a possible memorandum of understanding to Tehran. According to the American site Axios, Donald Trump wants more firmness from Washington negotiators. The CBS channel reported Sunday evening that the new American proposal provides for an extension of the ceasefire by 60 days with clauses providing for the reopening of Hormuz and a framework for a resumption of nuclear negotiations.

The Revolutionary Guards say they targeted a base used for American strikes. The location of this base was not specified in the Guardians’ press release distributed by state media.

The Kuwaiti army announced this morning that it was facing a “hostile attack” of missiles and drones, the second in less than a week targeting this Gulf monarchy. “Any explosion noise results from anti-aircraft defense systems intercepting these hostile attacks,” the army said on X, without specifying the origin.

On Thursday, Kuwait reported a similar attack which it then attributed to Iran, where the Revolutionary Guards indicated having targeted an American base in retaliation for new strikes by the United States on its territory.

The United States announced this Monday morning that it had carried out strikes over the weekend in southern Iran, targeting radar and drone control systems, despite the ceasefire in force between the two countries.

This wave of American strikes, the third in a little over a week, targeted the town of Goruk and the island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz, the US Middle East Command (Centcom) said on X.

These operations were carried out “Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive actions by Iran, including the destruction of an American MQ-1 drone which was operating above international waters”, added the same source, at a time when negotiations are slipping between Washington and Tehran to end the war started on February 28.