Israeli Strikes Across Lebanon Kill at Least 19 in a Single Day
Israeli strikes across Lebanon killed at least 19 people on Saturday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, which reported dozens more wounded. The day marked the bloodiest 24 hours since the Hezbollah ceasefire was brokered.
Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Saturday across the south, the Bekaa valley and southern suburbs of Beirut killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens more. The toll is the highest in any single day since the Hezbollah ceasefire deal was reached last year.
The Israel Defence Forces said the targets were Hezbollah command centres and weapons depots. Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem said the strikes proved that an open state of war remains in place. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.
US-mediated talks on Hezbollah disarmament are deadlocked again. The White House urged both sides to step back immediately. Beirut's bourse fell, with the tourism index off 3% and banking off 2%. The Lebanese pound hit new black-market lows on the same day.
More from Middle East
Iran Calls Hormuz Closure 'On Level of Atomic Bomb' Amid US Talks
A senior Iranian security official has described any decision to close the Strait of Hormuz as comparable to the use of an atomic bomb. The remark sharpens Tehran's leverage as US-Iran talks advance and oil markets stay on edge.
Bahrain detains dozens over alleged links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Bahrain's interior ministry said it has detained 47 people allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, marking the largest such crackdown in years and deepening the US-Iran war's spillover into the Gulf.
Bowen: Strait of Hormuz standoff raises risk of sliding back into all-out war
BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen warns that the US and Iran's mutual pressure in the Strait of Hormuz has put the fragile ceasefire at serious jeopardy, risking a return to full-scale conflict.