WorldResidents of Zawtar al Gharbieh in southern Lebanon are trying to rebuild their lives while a planned phased Israeli withdrawal remains stalled. Israeli troops have left the town but remain nearby, and residents report gunfire, drone surveillance and destruction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hezbollah must be fully disarmed before further withdrawals and accuses the Lebanese government of failing to meet its obligations.
WorldThe future of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon is uncertain as its mandate approaches its December 31, 2026 expiry, with the United States and Israel opposing renewal. Lebanon wants an international peacekeeping presence to remain, warning that a withdrawal could create a security vacuum and hinder efforts to extend state authority in the south.
WorldTwo months after residents were permitted to return to Zawtar al-Gharbieh, they are rebuilding amid destroyed homes, Israeli surveillance drones and fears that violence could resume. The village is part of Lebanon’s first “pilot zone,” intended to help displaced families come home and test a possible path forward for southern Lebanon.
WorldLebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is urging Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon, warning that the fragile ceasefire can still hold if the escalation ends.
WorldLebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the UN General Assembly that Israeli strikes were continuing in the south, where more than 60 towns remained under occupation despite a ceasefire framework based on Resolution 1701 and a June agreement. He called for an end to the war, an Israeli withdrawal and a clear, verifiable timetable.
WorldIsrael’s army is reportedly occupying more than 60 villages along Lebanon’s southern border, including Meiss el-Jabal, Houla and Tallousah. Residents can only watch and record from afar as land is burned and homes are destroyed. A large fire was filmed near a hospital in Meiss el-Jabal, though the extent of damage remains unclear. Hundreds of thousands are displaced.
WorldLebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Saturday that Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa.
The Associated Press
WorldFrench President Emmanuel Macron hosted talks in Paris on securing southern Lebanon as UNIFIL’s mandate approaches its end. Lebanon wants a multinational force to prevent a security vacuum near the Israeli border, but opposition from Washington and Israel complicates efforts to replace the mission.
WorldDr Filippo Dionigi of the University of Bristol says the main barrier to Hezbollah disarming is not only the Lebanese state's military capacity, but the lack of a political settlement that could make disarmament legitimate and lasting. More funding and weapons for the Lebanese Armed Forces would not address that fundamental problem.
WorldLebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron, while many people in Lebanon express little hope after months of war with Israel, the continued occupation of parts of the south and uncertainty over regional tensions. The talks aim to build international support and a framework to stabilise the country.
WorldEmmanuel Macron is hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Paris for talks on Lebanon’s security and international backing for the Lebanese army. France is seeking to avert a security vacuum ahead of UNIFIL’s planned withdrawal at the end of 2026, as Israeli strikes continue in southern Lebanon and concern grows over who will secure the border.
WorldFrench President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Paris for discussions on Lebanon’s security and broader tensions in the Middle East. Jordan’s King Abdullah II is also taking part.
WorldFrench President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s security and international support for its army. The talks take place amid growing concern over continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the possible end of the UNIFIL mission. France is seeking a “clear, credible and realistic” plan involving funding, equipment and military training.
WorldUS-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel on a proposed “pilot zone” have stalled. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are expanding their presence in southern Lebanon, demolishing homes and moving tanks and bulldozers beyond the “yellow line,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports.
World1:42Israel’s military says it has destroyed a series of tunnels used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The IDF says it will continue occupying the area to prevent Hezbollah from targeting northern Israel. Israel and Lebanon reached ceasefire deals earlier this year, but Hezbollah never signed the agreement.
Global News
WorldIsrael said Thursday that it had demolished key tunnels dug by Iran-backed Hezbollah beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. The explosions were powerful enough to cause a 4.1-magnitude tremor. Israel had claimed days earlier that it controlled the ridge and that Hezbollah had built numerous tunnels there to attack Israel.
WorldIsraeli forces continue attacking Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh district, triggering a new wave of displacement in a city once regarded as the region’s main economic and commercial centre. Nearly 30 people, including children, have been killed in recent days.
WorldAt least 12 people were killed in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, raising fears that Israel could renew its military campaign there. The attacks came after several days of exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire agreed in June to halt hostilities. Wadie Said of the University of Colorado commented on the situation.
WorldLebanon’s Health Ministry says Israel’s air force conducted two strikes early Monday on a village in southern Lebanon, killing at least 12 people and injuring others, including children.
The Associated Press
WorldIsraeli air strikes killed 12 people in southern Lebanon in what was described as the latest breach of a US-brokered ceasefire reached in June. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says ambulance crews have come under attack at least 179 times since March and more than 135 health workers have been killed. Criminal justice and human rights analyst Omar Nashabe comments.
WorldIsraeli attacks in southern Lebanon have killed at least 11 people, including two infants. Nine died when a residential building in Kfar Rumman was hit, while another strike on a car carrying rescuers killed two of them. Sami Nader of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs offers further analysis.
WorldIsraeli forces have carried out attacks across southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire. An air strike in Kfar Roummane killed three generations of one family, including a two-month-old baby, as fear and displacement return to the area.
WorldIsraeli air attacks have escalated across southern Lebanon in recent weeks, reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble as civilian deaths rise. The report examines why the situation worsened despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect in June.
WorldIsraeli airstrikes overnight killed 11 people in a village in southern Lebanon, including two infants, according to Lebanese state media. The strikes came a day after separate raids killed seven people.