(AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
Iran FM back in Pakistan
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan following a brief visit to Oman, Iranian state news agency IRNA said. Araghchi had left Islamabad the day before, leading US President Donald Trump to cancel a planned trip to Pakistan by his own envoys, leaving the prospect of talks in limbo.
Netanyahu accuses Hezbollah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah’s actions were threatening the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, as he pledged to “vigorously” target the Iran-backed group. “It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,” he said.
Israeli strikes
Lebanese official media said Israel’s military began striking the country’s south on Sunday after issuing an evacuation warning for seven locations, despite a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. “Israeli warplanes launched a strike” in Kfar Tibnit — one of the locations included in the warning — the state-run National News Agency said, adding that there were reports of casualties.
Trump undeterred by shooting
Trump said a shooting at a Washington media dinner on Saturday would not divert him from the Iran war. “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump told reporters at the White House after the incident.
Iran executions
Iran on Sunday executed a man convicted of membership in the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and involvement in attacks on security forces in the southeast, the judiciary said. On Saturday, it announced the execution of a man accused of passing intelligence to Israel.
Pakistan ‘committed’ to role
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad were called off. “Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator – working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region,” Sharif wrote on X.
© 2024 AFP
