LIVE – War in the Middle East: Hezbollah must stop shooting first, says US official

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on an Israeli target early Tuesday in southern Lebanon, as well as others Monday evening, after Donald Trump assured that the two sides would cease their clashes.

The official Lebanese Ani Agency also reported overnight that Israeli strikes had targeted the villages of Marwaniyeh, Sidiqine, Yater and Mansouri, in the south of the country, and that a «très violent détonation» had been heard in Debbine. Tuesday “At 01:00 (00:00 in Paris) Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a Merkava tank (…) with direct rocket fire”which led to its destruction, Hezbollah wrote on Telegram, ensuring that it fights against «The advance of the Israeli forces» in Hadatha, in southern Lebanon.

The Iranian-backed movement had previously indicated that its members had targeted three tanks there Monday after 11 p.m. (10 p.m. in Paris), as well as Israeli soldiers by “rocket barrages and artillery fire”. Hezbollah also said it had targeted a tank in Bayada “with a guided missile”.

The Israeli army announced Monday the death of two soldiers in southern Lebanon, killed by Hezbollah explosive drones, including one near the Beaufort Fortress. Doctor Ori Yossef Silvester, 30 years old, “fell in combat in southern Lebanon”indicated the army in a brief press release.

In the morning, she announced the death of senior sergeant Adam Tzarfati, 20, also killed in southern Lebanon. A military source told AFP that the two soldiers had each been killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone.

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Donald Trump a assuré que “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 UN, very concerned about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon where Israel is intensifying its offensive, called on Monday all parties to respect the ceasefire and avoid a “new escalation”.

“We are very concerned about the escalation in military activities in southern Lebanon and beyond”a déclaré Stéphane Dujarric, porte-parole du secrétaire général. “We call on all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities and to avoid further escalation”.

An Israeli strike on Monday near a hospital in Tire, southern Lebanon, damaged the building and injured several people, according to the National Information Agency and the Health Ministry.

The strike targeted an intersection near the Jabal Amel hospital “hitting a building and a parking lot, causing several injuries”indicated the National Information Agency (Ani, official).

The Ministry of Health released videos showing damage inside a hospital ward, with the floor strewn with rubble and stained with blood, and the ceilings blown away.

The German and Norwegian ministers on their way to Beirut to express their solidarity with the Lebanese population had to turn back and cancel their trip on Monday in the face of the risk of Israeli strikes, their respective services announced.

German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan and her Norwegian counterpart Smund Aukrust interrupted their trip as they approached Beirut “for military reasons” due to the “rapidly worsening situation”indicated a spokesperson for the German ministry to AFP.

In Oslo, a spokesperson for the Norwegian government confirmed to AFP the cancellation of the trip. The two officials who were on board a German military plane finally landed in Cyprus and the plane is due to return to Berlin, according to the Norwegian newspaper VG.

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 cities, the army will respond by targeting targets in the south.” from Beirut, warned in a message published on Telegram Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-speaking military spokesperson, calling on residents to leave the area.

Oil prices soar on Monday, boosted by renewed tensions between the United States and Iran, the two countries showing differences on the conditions of an agreement to end the war, and after reciprocal attacks this weekend.

Around 1:30 p.m. GMT (3:30 p.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in August, which is the first day of use as a reference contract, rose 4.92% to $95.60, after briefly rising above of 5%. Its American equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, for delivery in July, gained 5.94% to $92.55.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian assured Monday that his country would facilitate passage for Japanese ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been virtually blocked by Iran since the outbreak of war by the United States and Israel on February 28.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is fully prepared to facilitate maritime traffic” in the past of Ormuz, to declare Massoud Pezeshkian is the first Japanese 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 Monday it continued to fight Israeli forces near the Beaufort Fortress in southern Lebanon, a strategic medieval site that Israel announced it had occupied.

The Israeli army has been trying since dawn on Sunday “with great difficulty consolidating its presence in the surroundings of the fortress”affirmed the pro-Iranian group in a press release. Hezbollah did not have a military presence in the citadel when Israeli forces entered, he assured.

Hamas will participate in a new series of discussions in Egypt on Wednesday aimed at implementing the fragile ceasefire agreement with Israel in Gaza, officials of the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP on Monday.

According to these officials, the delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, chief negotiator, is due to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday with representatives of other Palestinian movements for discussions planned in El Alamein (north).

The Qatari and Turkish mediators, who will be on site, presented “a new amended proposal, (…) acceptable” for Hamas and Israel, one of the movement’s leaders told AFP.

“Hamas believes that a breakthrough is possible if Israel does not create new obstacles and if there is an Israeli will to reach a solution.”he added.

Last week, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he had ordered the army to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, ignoring the terms of the ceasefire.

The Palestinian territory remains the scene of violence, with Israeli strikes almost daily.

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The ceasefire already in place between Iran and the United States is “unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon”declared the head of Iranian diplomacy on Monday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah.

“Any violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The United States and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violations.”wrote Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X.

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Britain’s competition authority said on Monday it had found no evidence that retailers had changed their fuel pricing strategies to take advantage of the crisis in the Middle East.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement that its analysis showed that rising wholesale prices still explained most of the increase in pump prices in March and April.

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Israel must stop its “military escalation” in Lebanon and respect “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. He did not choose this war, and this war is not his.”affirmed this spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni.

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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that there would be no “no calm” in Beirut without stopping the attacks of pro-Iranian Hezbollah, also saying they want to establish a zone under military control in a large part of southern Lebanon.

“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. We will not allow a situation in which our localities and citizens are attacked while calm is maintained in Beirut.”assured Mr. Katz in a video released by his office.

He added that the army continued its operations against Hezbollah “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), cleared of weapons and terrorists”.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards assure that 15 ships, including four oil tankers, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours after obtaining authorization from Tehran, reports the Iranian news agency Fars.

Oil prices rose sharply on Monday, driven by renewed tensions this weekend between the United States and Iran with reciprocal attacks and differences displayed between the two countries on the conditions of an agreement to end the war. Around 09:05 GMT (11:05 a.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in August, of which this is the first day of use as a reference contract, rose 3.22% to 94.05 dollars.

Its American equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, for delivery in July, gained 3.80% to 90.68 dollars. Last week, however, prices fell sharply due to the market’s expectation of an imminent agreement between Tehran and Washington. But “oil is resurfacing among the subjects of concern, while the hopes of a decisive advance between the United States and Iran come up against new uncertainties”, explains Matt Britzman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

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Iran reiterated on Monday that its nuclear program was not at this stage on the menu 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 point, our priority is to end the war.”declared the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy Esmaïl Baghaï, while American President Donald Trump affirmed that Iran was committed not to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran reaffirmed Monday that any agreement with the United States to end the war in the Middle East was conditional on a ceasefire in Lebanon where the Israeli army is striking positions of Hezbollah, Tehran’s ally.

“We insist that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any agreement to end the war.” with the United States, declared the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaïl Baghaï, during a press conference in Tehran in which AFP participated.

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 announced Monday 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 years old, “fell in combat in southern Lebanon”indicated the army in a brief press release.

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. In total, 26 Israelis have been killed, including 25 soldiers and a civilian contractor, since the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, when the Shiite movement reopened a front in support of Iran after the Israeli-American offensive targeting it.

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 be, taking into account this unpleasant surprise in the first quarter, revised downward compared to that which we published in March”which was 0.9%, declared on Radio Classique Mr. Villeroy de Galhau.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran really wanted to reach an agreement with the United States and that it would be beneficial for Washington and its allies.

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good deal for the United States and for those who are on our side.”a écrit Donald Trump sur son réseau social Truth Social.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced Monday that they had targeted a base used by the American army for strikes against its territory.

The location of this base was not specified in the Guardians’ press release distributed by state media. The Kuwaiti army had announced shortly before that it was facing a drone and missile attack.

The United States announced that it 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 just over a week, targeted the town of Goruk and the island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz.

Ces opérations ont été menées «Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive actions by Iran, including the destruction of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters“, specified a source to AFP, at a time when negotiations are slipping between Washington and Tehran.

The Kuwaiti army announced on Monday that it was facing a “hostile attack» missiles and drones, the second in less than a week targeting this Gulf monarchy. HAS”Any explosion noise is the result of air defense systems intercepting these hostile attacks“, specified the army on X, without specifying its 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 barrel of American oil started to rise again on Monday when the markets reopened, after reports of a hardening of the position of the United States in negotiations with Iran to end the war in the Middle East.

A barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in July gained around 2.5% overnight from Sunday to Monday (shortly after 10:00 p.m. GMT), to around 89.6 dollars. Crude oil had lost more than 11% last week, with markets betting on an upcoming agreement likely to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a bottleneck of 20% of the global supply of hydrocarbons since the start of the war on February 28.

A barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in August, was trading at the same time around 93.16 dollars, up around 2.2% compared to the close on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he wanted to intensify his offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon where he described the capture of the Beaufort fortress as “decisive turning point».

This announcement prompted France to request an emergency meeting of the Security Council. HAS”Nothing justifies the major escalation underway in South Lebanon», said Emmanuel Macron.

An Israeli strike carried out at dawn on Sunday on the town of Deir Zahrani, in the district of Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, left eight dead, including three women, and 19 injured, including five children and six women, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.

For its part, Iran has made any agreement with the United States conditional on the guarantee of its “rights“, emphasizing that he did not believe “neither to words nor to promises» Americans in the laborious negotiations underway to end the war in the Middle East which is extending into southern Lebanon.

While the two countries seemed to be getting closer to an agreement in recent days, 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.

«Discussions and message exchanges are still ongoingandeverything currently being said is speculation and should not be taken seriously“, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, quoted by state television.