(AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Israeli soldier killed**
Israel’s military has reported that a soldier died during combat in southern Lebanon, where fighting has persisted despite a temporary ceasefire. This marks the second soldier’s death announced by Israel since the onset of a 10-day truce, which commenced with a U.S.-brokered agreement on Friday, aimed at achieving a permanent resolution to the Middle East conflict. According to an AFP tally based on military figures, the total death toll for the Israeli army in the six-week war against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon has now reached 15.
– **Hormuz closed**
On Sunday, the strategic Strait of Hormuz remained closed, following an announcement by Iran’s central military command regarding the closure in response to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Just a day earlier, Iran had declared the strait open after the ceasefire announcement between Israel and Lebanon, which caused oil prices to plummet amid optimism in global markets. However, President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. naval blockade would persist until a comprehensive agreement to end the wider war is reached, prompting Tehran to re-close the strait—an act Trump characterized as “blackmail.”
– **Iran says negotiations far from final**
Progress has been made in discussions with the United States to conclude the conflict, said Iran’s parliamentary speaker on Saturday, although he noted that substantial gaps remained between the two parties. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, one of Iran’s negotiators, stated in a televised broadcast, “We are still far from the final discussion. We made progress in the negotiations, but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”
– **Iran’s death toll**
According to the ISNA news agency, Iran’s state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs reported that the ongoing war with the United States and Israel has resulted in 3,468 fatalities within the country.
– **UN chief condemns peacekeeper death**
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon that resulted in the death of a French soldier and injuries to three others. France attributed the attack to Hezbollah, while Guterres indicated, through his spokesman, that an initial assessment by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) suggested the involvement of the Iran-backed group. Hezbollah has denied any connection to the attack.
– **Israel hits Lebanon**
On Saturday, the Israeli military announced that its air force had struck and eliminated a “terrorist cell” operating near its troops in southern Lebanon, despite the ongoing ceasefire. Reports from Lebanese state media indicated that Israeli forces also conducted demolitions in border towns, including Bint Jbeil, which had seen intense clashes with Hezbollah before the ceasefire.
– **Iran navy warning**
In a statement published on its official Sepah News website, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy issued a warning against ships departing from their positions in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. They stated, “Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.”
– **No one-sided truce**
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem emphasized on Saturday that the 10-day truce with Israel cannot be unilaterally observed, asserting that his fighters would retaliate against any Israeli attacks on Lebanon. “Because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their hands on the trigger, and they will respond to violations accordingly,” Qassem stated in a televised address. He concluded, “There is no ceasefire from the side of the resistance only; it must be from both sides.”
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© 2024 AFP
