English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News
& Editorials
For June 08/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
But now I am
going to him who sent me; and not one of you says to me, Where are you going
John 16/04-11: I have said these things to you so that when the
time comes, what I have said may come to your mind. I did not say them to you at
the first, because then I was still with you. But now I am going to him who sent
me; and not one of you says to me, Where are you going? But your hearts are full
of sorrow because I have said these things. But what I am saying is true: my
going is for your good: for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to
you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will make the
world conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged: Of sin,
because they have not faith in me; Of righteousness, because I go to the Father
and you will see me no more; Of being judged, because the ruler of this world
has been judged.
Titles For Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related
News & Editorials published on 07-08 June/2026
The terrorist group Hezbollah and its demented mullah masters understand
only the language of force/Elias Bejjani/June 07/2026
Rudolf Heikal's visit to Pakistan: A huge bundle of questions and doubts/Elias
Bejjani/June 06/2026
Aoun's anti Hezbollah stances: it's all just talk/Elias Bejjani/June 05/2026
Elias Bejjani/My audio personal analysis with the Hebrew "Makan" radio station
addressed peace between Lebanon and Israel and Hezbollah's occupation/June
02/2026
Israeli Military Issues Evacuation Warning to Residents of Lebanon’s Tyre
Trump tells Axios he will ask Netanyahu not to strike back at Iran
Israel Army Says Intercepted Two Projectiles Fired from Lebanon
Lebanese Officials Slam Iran FM’s Remarks against Aoun, Back Negotiations
Total Toll of the War Caused by the Terrorist Hezbollah
An Agreement Between Israel and Lebanon... Is It Close?
Trump supports an operation against Hezbollah and speaks of US support or
coordination with Syria for its execution.
Rezaei after the bombing of the southern suburbs: Watch the skies over the
occupied territories tonight.
Trump calls on Israel to be “more precise” in its strikes on Hezbollah... He
stressed that he will not lift the freeze on Iranian assets within any
agreement... and he may resort to the military option to obtain uranium.
Two killed, 20 wounded in Israeli airstrike on Beirut suburb
Israel: Hezbollah Tunnel Network Found Under Beaufort Castle
Iran Vows to Target US Interests Over Escalation in Lebanon
Qalibaf: US and Israel Have Shown They Only Understand the Language of Force
Three Options Facing Lebanon/Dr. Nassif Hitti/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/2026
Lebanon and the Mines of Negotiation/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/June
07/2026
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published
on 07-08 June/2026
Israel Intercepts Missiles Fired from Iran... Sirens Sound in Several
Areas
Revolutionary Guard: Missile barrage against Israel could last a week… First
shelling since a fragile ceasefire came into effect at the beginning of April
Iran Launches Missile Attacks Against Israel
Pakistani Interior Minister Holds Talks in Iran to Promote Dialogue with the US
/ Mohsen Naqvi to Deliver Message from Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir to
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
One person killed in attack in central Israel
Israel reports incoming Iranian missiles in first since Mideast war ceasefire
Trump to Iran: You launched your missiles... return to negotiations and I will
ask Netanyahu not to retaliate
Trump: I am not happy about the Israeli strike on Beirut
Trump says he would not unfreeze Iran’s assets before peace deal is done
Pentagon Raises Threat of Israeli Spying to 'Critical', According to US Media
More sanctions could be imposed on Israeli settlers in ‘coming days,’ France
says
New Round of Talks in Cairo Seek to Push Forward Stalled Gaza Ceasefire
Israel military opens probe into West Bank baby’s killing
Iraqi Faction Warns against Dismantling of the PMF
Over 1.2 Million People Attend Pope's Mass in Madrid
Russian Drone Hits Nuclear-Fuel Storage Facility Near Chornobyl, Ukraine Says
Zelenskyy meets allies in UK after strike hits Ukraine nuclear site
Russian drone hits nuclear-fuel storage facility near Chornobyl, Ukraine says
US resolution draft at IAEA demands Iran open up on sites, uranium stocks
Titles For The Latest
English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on 07-08 June/2026
Is Saving Europe Still Possible?/Guy Millière/ Gatestone Institute/June
07/2026
True strategic wisdom for Iran is restraint toward the Gulf states/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/AlArabiya/June 08/2026
Trump and Iran’s proxies: Transitional deals and risk of legitimizing the proxy
doctrine/Raghida Dergham/AlArabiya/June 07/2026
The founding king’s advice to the Tunisian leader/Mohamed Hadi Hannachi/AlArabiya/June
08/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on 07 June/2026
on 07-08 June/2026
The terrorist group Hezbollah and its
demented mullah masters understand only the language of force.
Elias Bejjani/June 07/2026
The demented rulers of Iran understand only
Netanyahu's language: force, humiliation, and assassinations. Trump remains
ignorant of Iran's culture of delusions, fantasies, and empty bravado.
Rudolf Heikal's visit to Pakistan: A
huge bundle of questions and doubts
Elias Bejjani/June 06/2026
Rudolf Heikal's surprise visit to
Pakistan to appease Iran and its Hezbollah terrorist gang undermines Aoun's
statements with CNN and raises many doubts and questions.
Aoun's anti Hezbollah stances:
it's all just talk
Elias Bejjani/June 05/2026
Aoun's stances are excellent, but they haven't
translated into action yet. He needs to move from words to deeds, fire his
Hezbollah advisors, purge the army of agents, issue arrest warrants for
Hezbollah leaders, and dismiss the duo's ministers... otherwise, it's all just
talk.
Elias Bejjani/My audio personal analysis
with the Hebrew "Makan" radio station addressed peace between Lebanon and Israel
and Hezbollah's occupation
June 02/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/06/155042/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAyK3MmY45U
Elias Bejjani/My audio intervention
by phone on June 01 with the Hebrew "Makan" radio station, as part of the
"Morning Tour" program, addressed the latest military developments in southern
Lebanon following the Israeli army's liberation of the Beaufort Citadel (Castle
of the High Rocks) from the terrorist and Persian Hezbollah. It also covered my
stance regarding the State of Israel, the aspirations of the majority of
Lebanese for peace with it, ending the state of absurd conflict, closing the
Lebanese arena to the impostors, hypocrites, and merchants of the so-called
"resistance," and achieving salvation from the Iranian occupation.
Israeli Military Issues
Evacuation Warning to Residents of Lebanon’s Tyre
Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to the residents of the
southern Lebanese city of Tyre and its surrounding areas on Sunday ahead of
possible strikes as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continue. The military
said earlier it had intercepted two projectiles that crossed into Israeli
territory from Lebanon, after sirens sounded in the areas of Yiftah and Ramot
Naftali. Lebanese group Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for the
launches. The Iran-backed group rejected proposals linking a ceasefire to its
disarmament, saying Israel must first halt its attacks and withdraw its
forces from southern Lebanon. Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon between its
close ally and Israel a condition for any peace deal with the United States.
Hezbollah entered the war on March 2, saying it was retaliating for the killing
of Iran's Supreme Leader at the start of a conflict that has since killed
thousands in Lebanon and displaced more than a million people. Israel continued
to carry out strikes in Lebanon even before March 2, despite a US-brokered
ceasefire that took effect in November 2024. It said its attacks are aimed at
Hezbollah members and infrastructure.
Trump tells Axios he will ask Netanyahu not to strike back at Iran
Barak Ravid/Axios/June 07/2026
President Trump will call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and press
him not to retaliate for Iran's missile attack, Trump tells Axios.
"I am going to call
Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel
had its strike, and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one," Trump said.
Why it matters: The
ceasefire in the Middle East is teetering after Israel struck Beirut and Iran
fired multiple waves of missiles in response.
Trump is racing to
stop the escalations from killing his hopes at a lasting deal with Iran.
Netanyahu's answer will measure how much sway the American president still holds
over Israel.
Driving the news: Iran
fired missiles at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the Israeli strike on
Beirut's southern suburbs. It's Iran's first direct attack since the April 8
ceasefire.
Israel says it has
intercepted the missiles.
Trump's demand that Israel
not retaliate is highly unusual. Without U.S. support, any Israeli strike in
Iran will be much more difficult and risky.
A U.S. official
told Axios: "We are not part of this," but it is unclear whether Trump will
order the U.S. military not to assist Israel in a strike in Iran, especially
when it comes to air refueling and other kinds of military coordination.
What he's saying: Trump played down the Iranian strikes.
"The Iranian strikes didn't hurt anybody," Trump tells Axios. "Hopefully Israel
is not going to retaliate. If Bibi strikes them back, it's just gonna keep going
like the last 47 years — or the last 3,000 years."Trump added: "We are very
close to a final deal with Iran. It is going to be a good deal. I don't want it
to blow up because of what is happening now."
The other side: The
Israel Defense Forces chief of staff "is approving military plans right now,"
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a statement.
"The Iranian regime
has made a grave mistake," Defrin said. "… We will not allow the Iranian regime
to establish a new equation. We will continue striking Hezbollah targets in
Beirut."
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Israel Army Says Intercepted
Two Projectiles Fired from Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
20Israel's military said Sunday that it had intercepted two projectiles launched
from Lebanon into Israeli territory, despite a new ceasefire agreement announced
this week aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. "Following
the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the areas of Yiftah and Ramot
Naftali, two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were
intercepted," the military reported. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a new
US-brokered ceasefire on Wednesday. However, Hezbollah has rejected the
agreement.
Lebanese Officials Slam Iran FM’s Remarks against Aoun,
Back Negotiations
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
Lebanese officials slammed on Saturday Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
for criticizing President Joseph Aoun’s comments against Tehran and its meddling
in his country.
Aoun, in an interview broadcast Friday by CNN, called on Iran to stop
"interfering" in Lebanon's affairs following the collapse of a new truce
announced by Washington between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
"This is not your country. It is our country, our responsibility, and your role
is not to interfere in our affairs," Aoun said. "It is our people who are being
killed, and our homes that are being destroyed."Araghchi on Saturday urged Aoun
to save Lebanon from its "real foe," Israel. "Based on Mr. Aoun's comments, one
would think it's Iran that has occupied one-fifth of Lebanon, displaced
one-quarter of its population and is bombing the country on a daily basis,"
Araghchi wrote on X. "If Lebanon were a bargaining chip for Iran, we would have
reached an agreement long ago. Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President,"
he added. Aoun has faced fierce opposition from Hezbollah since the launch of
direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel that are the first in decades
between the countries that have no diplomatic ties.
Lebanese officials were quick to condemn Araghchi and throw their backing behind
Aoun and the negotiations. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said: "Aoun’s
stances, which reject Iran’s continued use of Lebanon as a bargaining chip in
its negotiations with the US so that it can remain an open arena for conflict,
underscore the president’s clear will to end this flawed situation that has
caused turmoil in Lebanon for decades."In a statement, he added that Aoun’s
stance reflects the position of the majority of the Lebanese people who want the
establishment of a capable state.
"His stance is directed primarily at the two parties who are treating Lebanon as
an open arena for their own agendas against the will of the Lebanese people:
Iran and Hezbollah," he stressed.
"The Lebanese and Iranian people never had any problems between them, but the
Iranian regime, since the revolution, has sought to use Lebanon as a card in its
regional agenda. So, it armed a military proxy for it on Lebanese soil that
operates outside the constitution, laws and national will.""This has caused
grave harm to Lebanon, its people, economy and stability and kept the country an
open ground for conflicts and war," Geagea remarked. On Hezbollah’s criticism
against Aoun, he noted that the president’s statements again "highlight that the
existence of weapons outside state control is a flagrant violation of the
constitution and law.""His latest stance is decisive in saying that this deadly
situation in Lebanon can no longer continue," he said. "Therefore, Iran must
once and for all cease interfering in Lebanon’s affairs and respect its
sovereignty and independent decision-making. Hezbollah must also immediately
comply with the decision of the state and hand over its weapons, end its armed
project and dismantle its military and security wings," he demanded. "Should
Iran refuse to comply, then the Lebanese government must execute its own orders,
starting with physically removing the Iranian ambassador for Lebanon," who has
continued to defy his expulsion order from months ago. This must culminate in
the state imposing monopoly over arms, Geagea stressed. Head of the Kataeb party
MP Sami Gemayel slammed Iranian officials, demanding that they "take their hands
off Lebanon. Lebanon is not an Iranian province.""Our president does not ask for
permission to defend our sovereignty," he added in a post on X.
"The period of hegemony is over. Our decisions are made in Beirut, not Tehran,"
he declared.
Israel strikes Beirut despite truce, Iran threatens to retaliate
Reuters/07 June ,2026
Israel struck the outskirts of Beirut on Sunday for the first time since the US
announced a truce plan for Lebanon last week, and an Iranian lawmaker threatened
to retaliate, putting talks to end the wider war into new jeopardy. Iran has
long said any peace deal with the United States would depend on a ceasefire also
holding in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March in pursuit of Iran-backed
Hezbollah fighters who fired across the border in solidarity with Tehran. Iran’s
chief negotiator, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, said US bases
and Israeli assets were legitimate targets because of hostile acts including the
“violation of agreements over Lebanon.”“They showed that they only understand
the language of power,” he wrote on X. Influential hardline Iranian lawmaker
Ebrahim Rezaei posted on X that Iran would deliver a “decisive and painful
response.” “Look at the sky of the occupied territories tonight,” wrote Rezaei,
who serves as the spokesperson for parliament’s national security committee.
Washington and Tehran have shown little progress in reaching a deal to end the
war that President Donald Trump launched in February with a campaign of
airstrikes alongside Israel against Iran. Trump has repeatedly threatened to
restart the strikes unless there is an agreement soon.“We’re very close to a
deal, or I’m going to blow the hell out of them,” Trump told NBC News in an
interview, broadcast to mark 100 days of the conflict. The comments were
recorded on Friday and broadcast on Sunday as Trump visited his New Jersey golf
course.
Trump leans on Netanyahu
Trump has leaned on Israel to scale back its campaign in Lebanon to allow room
for a peace deal with Iran, including rebuking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
with obscenities in a phone call last week. After the call, Netanyahu called off
airstrikes on Beirut and agreed the latest truce plan with the Lebanese
government. But Israel has never fully halted its campaign in Lebanon, which has
killed thousands of people and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Hezbollah, which was not party to the truce and would be dismantled under its
terms, has also continued attacks and says it will not give up its weapons
unless Israel halts fighting and withdraws. Netanyahu said Sunday’s strike on
Beirut’s southern outskirts, a district known as Dahiyeh that has long been a
Hezbollah stronghold, was ordered in response to Hezbollah firing toward Israel.
The Israeli military had earlier said it had intercepted two projectiles fired
over the border. It issued an evacuation order for the southern Lebanese city of
Tyre and surrounding areas ahead of possible strikes there. Elsewhere in Beirut
on Sunday, mourners held a military funeral for Brigadier General Wissam Sabra,
a senior military officer killed in a strike on his vehicle in the south the
previous day. The wider war has been stalemated since the United States and
Israel paused their attacks on Iran in early April, with Tehran blocking most
shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the main transit route for Middle East
oil. Washington has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. Though the sides
have both said they are close to a preliminary agreement that would reopen the
strait, they have repeatedly traded strikes, with escalations in recent days
that have included attacks on nearby Arab states hosting US bases. US forces
struck Iranian coastal radar sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, both in the Strait
of Hormuz, early on Saturday after shooting down drones launched by Iran that US
Central Command (CENTCOM) said posed a threat to maritime traffic. Two more
Iranian attack drones that were threatening shipping in the strait were shot
down, the US military said late on Saturday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) said it retaliated against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait’s
army said it engaged seven ballistic missiles that passed over residential
areas, resulting in material damage but no casualties.
Total Toll of the War Caused by the Terrorist Hezbollah
Coordination/June 7, 2026
The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the number of victims has reached
1,316 dead and 11,072 wounded.
An Agreement Between Israel and Lebanon... Is It Close?
Central/June 7, 2026
The newspaper "Israel Hayom" quoted a diplomatic source as saying that "reaching
an agreement between Israel and Lebanon is close." The newspaper added: "The
Lebanese leadership has passed the point of no return and is committed to
reaching an agreement, and understands that rebuilding the state requires ending
Hezbollah's influence."
Video link: Commentary by journalist Ali Hamada from his
YouTube channel / Israeli media reports movements of missile platforms in Iran /
Battle of Jabal Ali al-Taher - Nabatieh looms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11NhRFEg1sI
June 7, 2026
Iran, through its National Security Committee in Parliament, announced that it
will respond decisively and painfully to Israel's bombing of Beirut's southern
suburbs. Committee spokesman Ibrahim Rezaei said, "This rabid dog must be
disciplined and put back in its place. Watch the skies over the occupied
territories tonight." In response to rocket fire towards the north, Israel
launched an attack on the Hawta al-Ghadir area in the southern suburbs,
resulting in three deaths and several injuries. President Donald Trump: We
support further surgical strikes against Hezbollah. Israeli media: Missile
platforms spotted moving in Iran. Battle of Jabal Ali al-Taher - Nabatieh looms.
The Israeli army announces the discovery of a massive Hezbollah military
infrastructure near Beaufort Castle. Trump: I want a better life for Lebanon.
Trump supports an operation against Hezbollah and speaks of
US support or coordination with Syria for its execution.
Al-Markazia/June 7, 2026
US President Donald Trump said he supports Israel carrying out a precise
military operation targeting Hezbollah, adding that the United States might
provide the necessary support for such an operation, or that coordination with
Syria would take place.
Trump added: I want a better life for Lebanon.
Rezaei after the bombing of the southern suburbs: Watch the
skies over the occupied territories tonight.
Al-Markazia/June 7, 2026
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the National Security Committee in the Iranian
Parliament, announced that the Islamic Republic would not hesitate to respond to
any Zionist aggression against the southern suburbs, stressing that the response
would be "decisive and painful," and emphasizing the need to "discipline this
rabid dog and put it back in its place." He added: Watch the skies over the
occupied territories tonight.
Trump calls on Israel to be “more precise” in its strikes
on Hezbollah... He stressed that he will not lift the freeze on Iranian assets
within any agreement... and he may resort to the military option to obtain
uranium.
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net and agencies/June 7, 2026
President Donald Trump called on Israel to be more precise in its strikes that
it says target Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" program, in an interview recorded Friday and
broadcast Sunday, "I would like to see Lebanon have a better life. I would like
to see a more precise attack on Hezbollah," expressing his belief that this
attack should be "more surgical." The US President stressed that he does not
demand that Lebanon be part of a short-term agreement with Iran. He added in his
statements to NBC that he would not lift the freeze on Iranian assets or any
sanctions in advance within any agreement with Tehran. Trump stressed that "if
Iran behaves well, and if it does a good job, then we will start talking,"
noting that he wants "a clause that guarantees that Iran will not circumvent the
potential agreement." Trump expressed his desire for Iran to give up its nuclear
ambitions and “for Iran to pledge not to develop or purchase nuclear weapons,”
stressing that Iran has agreed not to develop nuclear weapons, “but I want a
clause that guarantees that,” as he put it. He added, "Iran has no choice but to
agree and deliver enriched uranium." He said in his interview: “We will weaken
the Iranian army until we obtain the uranium safely if the agreement fails. We
may resort to the military option to obtain Iranian uranium if it refuses to
cooperate.” The Trump administration has been seeking for weeks to negotiate a
possible peace agreement. “We are very close to reaching an agreement, or I will
destroy them,” Trump told the network. Trump also expressed his willingness to
speak to Iranian Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since
he was injured in US raids at the beginning of the conflict. He said: "I don't
want to say whether I know where he is or not, but there is a high probability
that I know him." The war in Iran entered its 100th day today, Sunday, in light
of escalating tensions and exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran, and
in light of a stalemate prevailing in the negotiations. Since the ceasefire on
April 8, the United States and Iran have been engaged in Pakistani-brokered
talks that have been the subject of debate and mutual threats, in addition to
intermittent military skirmishes, without the two parties succeeding in reaching
an understanding to end the war that Washington and Israel launched against the
Islamic Republic on February 28. Iran War: A report reveals Iran’s readiness for
the post-war phase...a collapse that threatens a widespread social explosion
Today, Sunday, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, whose country is
leading the mediation between the two parties in this war, handed officials in
Tehran a message from Islamabad to the Iranian leadership. A diplomatic source
told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that the Pakistani Interior Minister, Mohsen Naqvi,
carried a message to Iran regarding America’s agreement to ease sanctions. In a
related matter, Reuters quoted sources that the United States would allow the
use of Iranian assets to rebuild the damage caused by Tehran in the Gulf. The
source added that Washington is also examining the possibility of using the
assets to support the repair of any future damage. The agency said that US
Treasury Secretary Scott Besent directed a team to assess the costs of the
damage that Iran has already inflicted on allies in the Gulf. Although those
concerned confirm that the discussions have achieved progress recently, many
points of disagreement remain between Washington and Tehran, including the issue
of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program, and Israel's continuation of
the war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, Iran's ally.
Two killed, 20 wounded in Israeli airstrike on Beirut suburb
Beirut: Asharq Al-Awsat / June 7, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said
in a joint statement that the Israeli army launched an attack today (Sunday) on
a "terrorist" headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs in response to
Hezbollah's firing toward Israel. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that
two people were killed and 20 others wounded in the airstrike. The ministry
stated: "The Israeli enemy's airstrike on the Marjeyoun area in Beirut's
southern suburbs resulted in two martyrs and 20 wounded, including four children
and four women." The southern suburbs are considered a stronghold of the group,
according to Reuters. The Israeli army spokesperson announced via the social
media platform X that the IDF was attacking Hezbollah infrastructure. This comes
a day after the US-brokered Lebanese-Israeli agreement in Washington, which
stipulated a gradual Israeli withdrawal from areas in southern Lebanon and the
deployment of the Lebanese army to play a key role in maintaining security and
implementing deployment arrangements in the border areas.
Israel: Hezbollah Tunnel Network Found Under Beaufort
Castle
Tel Aviv: Asharq Al-Awsat/June 7, 2026
The Israeli army announced today (Sunday) that it had discovered a network of
Hezbollah tunnels under Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. The army indicated
that the tunnels were built to provide the group with capabilities to target
Israeli forces and Israel. Israeli forces entered Beaufort Castle in the early
hours of May 31, after having evacuated it following their withdrawal from
Lebanon in 2000. This followed a battle between them and Hezbollah, which had
been entrenched in the area. An Israeli military statement read: “The tunnel
network was constructed within a civilian area, in a location that allows for
operational control over the Galilee Panhandle, and is no more than 6 kilometers
from the town of Metula. It served as a major hub for the Hezbollah terrorist
organization in the region.” The military noted that the tunnels “were planned
and financed by the Iranian regime” and designed to accommodate hundreds of
fighters. The statement continued: “In one of the tunnels, which is about one
kilometer long, forces found six underground shafts, a weapons storage room, an
anti-tank missile launcher, anti-tank missiles, hand grenades, ammunition,
combat equipment, advanced medical equipment, and several living quarters,
including showers, toilets, an operating room, and kitchens.” Footage released
by the Israeli military showed a narrow tunnel, similar to those found in Gaza,
equipped with toilets, clothing boxes, beds, a wheelchair, and other items. The
castle dates back to the Crusader era and has witnessed invasions and battles
over the centuries. It overlooks vast areas of southern Lebanon and northern
Israel, all the way to the Golan Heights, and served as a military base for the
Israeli army after its invasion of Lebanon in 1982 until its withdrawal in 2000.
Iran Vows to Target US Interests Over Escalation in Lebanon
Qalibaf: US and Israel Have Shown They Only Understand the Language of Force
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net/June 7, 2026
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated on Sunday that US and
Israeli interests in the region have become "legitimate targets" following the
Israeli military's raid on Beirut's southern suburbs. Qalibaf wrote on the "X"
platform that the US and Israel "do not respect ceasefires, do not believe in
dialogue, and through the naval blockade (of Iran) and the violation of
agreements regarding Lebanon, they have shown that they only understand the
language of force." He added, "The naval blockade imposed on Iran, and the green
light given today by the United States (to Israel to attack the southern suburbs
of Beirut), make US and Israeli bases and positions in the region legitimate
targets. Our armed forces are, as always, ready." Qalibaf's remarks come in the
wake of Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of
Hezbollah, Iran's ally in Lebanon. The southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah
stronghold backed by Iran, had remained largely untouched by Israeli strikes,
which continued despite a ceasefire declared in April. Earlier this week, Israel
warned that it would strike the suburbs if Hezbollah targeted its northern
areas, prompting Iranian officials to warn that this could negatively impact
talks with the United States to end the war in the region. The office of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a statement Sunday, "Following the
directives of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister (Yisrael) Katz, IDF
forces carried out an airstrike targeting militant positions in the southern
suburbs of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah's firing toward Israeli territory."
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had "precisely targeted" a
Hezbollah position. This is the first strike on the southern suburbs since the
announcement of a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon following
talks held in Washington this week by envoys from both governments. The
agreement is conditional on Hezbollah halting its attacks, which it says are in
retaliation for Israel's continued occupation of territory, its ground advance
in the south, and its airstrikes.
Three Options Facing Lebanon
Dr. Nassif Hitti/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/2026
On the eve of the launch of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations under full US auspices
and, we might add, with US “engineering” of the launching and management of the
negotiation track, Lebanon was facing three possible scenarios amid both
vertical - in terms of firepower - and horizontal - with the Israeli war
expanding across Lebanese geography - escalation on the ground.
The first of these scenarios is a trajectory of attrition: management of the
explosive and open military conflict. This conflict could witness escalation,
de-escalation, and truces in different forms and formulas, all of them remaining
fragile and vulnerable to collapse, with constant renewed efforts to regulate or
contain the ongoing war, offering what is known as a warrior’s respite with the
specter of open war remaining on the horizon.
In this scenario, Lebanon becomes a forgotten cause, apart from the diplomacy of
ineffective appeals and pleas on the margins. One of the greatest threats of
this trajectory is its implications for Lebanon’s economic and society; the
country cannot withstand or resist a war of this kind, which would lead to
multiple and successive collapses at every level of society and the state. This
would render Lebanon into a glaring case of a failed state.
The second scenario would be to halt the collapse, or contain it, through a
settlement among the regional and international forces confronting or contending
over Lebanon. Such an understanding would translate into political coexistence
and a direct or indirect division of the spoils of influence through their
allies. This, in turn, would also pressure Israel to indirectly accept a formula
of coexistence or political understanding among the parties competing for
influence in Lebanon, so long as its security interests are taken into account.
The situation that prevailed after the 2006 war and the issuance of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, which established “UNIFIL 2.0,” follows this model.
Despite its importance, the status quo it created remained fragile whenever one
of the parties to the conflict on the ground decided to bring it down in the
service of a strategic goal at a particular moment. This is what happened with
the “support war” that Hezbollah waged for regional strategic reasons within a
“power game” that goes beyond Lebanon. Lebanon thus returned to its role as a
stage for other people’s wars, or as a “mailbox” in the competition among
regional powers.
This war has provided Israel with a golden opportunity to launch its war against
Lebanon as part of the confrontation with Iran in the inflamed strategic stage
of the Levant, amid change in Syria, the Israeli war in Gaza and the West Bank,
and the growing importance of the Lebanese stage following the shifts in broader
Levant. It bears recalling that in the conflicts of the recent and distant past,
even when the players and the names of the game changed, Lebanon was always an
arena for other people’s wars and conflicts, even if the labels of those wars
changed.
The third scenario was to move toward direct negotiations under full US
sponsorship despite the challenges facing this track. This also entails Lebanon
strengthening its contacts with Arab states and other friendly countries to
strengthen the Lebanese position in the negotiation process.
This scenario aligns with the return to the state in Lebanon, a course that
enjoys broad support in Lebanese society. It is not an easy path and does not
offer rapid progress in concrete and practical terms. It faces many different
challenges that reflect the nature and balance of the conflict with Israel;
challenges that have taken root and become entrenched over time in reality and
practice.
The process of recovering Lebanon and preventing the country from being used as
a bargaining chip in the regional game of nations in the region - though under
guise of grandiose and slogans always used the parties involved - and restoring
it to the role of a state is a fundamental challenge to the state’s return to
its natural role in all areas of national responsibility.
Naturally, among the most important of these responsibilities, or challenges, is
genuine rather than merely formal negotiation over issues related to national
security in all its aspects and dimensions, as is currently the case. Nor can we
overlook the enormous challenges facing this path in the context of the conflict
with Israel: first, achieving a full ceasefire, despite attempts to introduce a
gradualist logic in this regard; then successfully and effectively dealing with
the proposed formulas; securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon;
and consolidating the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which was drawn along Lebanon’s
internationally recognized borders, with the need to demarcate these borders
because of the existence of certain disputed points.
The Lebanese approach is based on a gradual, interconnected, and realistic
strategy that takes, before any talk of peace, the complete end of the Israeli
occupation and Lebanese authorities’ retention of decisions of war and peace, as
its starting point. It must also always be recalled that Lebanon remains
committed to the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in Beirut in 2002 concerning
comprehensive, permanent, and just peace. Its provisions, along with the
relevant Security Council resolutions, remain at the heart of Lebanon’s
negotiating frame of reference, which helps provide the additional support
Lebanon needs from its Arab family.
In sum, Lebanon faces a challenge that I would call existential. It can no
longer remain an arena for other people’s wars, as though this were its fate, at
the expense of the role that is required and more than necessary: rebuilding the
state of institutions, a state that embraces everyone, and that strengthens, in
deed and in practice, the concepts of citizenship and national unity at the
expense of the statelets of sects and de facto powers in politics, society, the
economy, and all aspects of national life.
Lebanon and the Mines of Negotiation
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/2026
I remember how we learned of Imruu al-Qais’s response to the news that Banu Asad
had killed his father, the king of Kindah at school: “Today, wine; tomorrow,
serious matters...” In a sense, there is a parallel, though not identical,
saying in the Levant: “The drunken stupor is gone, and now the idea comes-” the
day after a long night of drinking...
These sayings come to me amid split opinions in Lebanon over the outcome of the
latest round of Israeli-Lebanese “direct talks.” It was not long before
statements were issued by Hezbollah Secretary-general Sheikh Naim Qassem,
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and his prime minister, Nawaf Salam, affirmed
the chasm between those optimistic about the round’s outcome and those fearful
of it and its consequences.
Regardless of my personal position, I believe we must account for several
important facts without which no objective analysis can disregard. First, the
“direct talks” were imposed by the US administration. Second, Washington’s
relationship with the two negotiating sides is not neutral, since it is a
strategic ally of Israel. Third, the round of talks in question was held while
Israel was waging, and still is waging, a fierce war on Lebanese territory. This
“war” has killed more than 3,500 people, destroyed homes, and displaced more
than 1.2 million people from over 60 cities, towns, and villages stretching from
the border to the districts of Sidon, Jezzine, Western Beqaa, and Hasbaya.
What, then, about the outcome? The official statement released by the US State
Department mentions the following:
1- While the Israeli and Lebanese sides reached an understanding in which both
would work to create conditions conducive to lasting peace between the two
countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border, the
statement noted Israel’s inherent right to self-defense (!) without any
reference to a ceasefire or to Lebanon’s right to defend its land.
2- The statement said that the two countries recognize the significant
challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups, which
undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and threaten regional stability. Both countries
understand that those groups’ activities must be curtailed. In other words, the
Lebanese negotiator officially accuses—despite the continuing occupation—a
Lebanese component, Hezbollah, of threatening regional stability.
3- Despite the deaths of thousands of victims, both Israel and Lebanon affirm
that the two countries are not at war, and commit to engaging in good-faith
direct negotiations, facilitated by the United States, with the objective of
achieving a comprehensive agreement that ensures lasting security, stability,
and peace between the two countries. They also agree to a cessation of
hostilities, under US sponsorship, for an initial period of ten days, as a
gesture of goodwill by the Government of Israel, intended to enable good-faith
negotiations toward a permanent security and peace agreement between Israel and
Lebanon.
4- Extending this initial period is conditioned on tangible progress in the
negotiations, and as Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its
sovereignty; that is, to confront Hezbollah, which is effectively the group
accused of undermining the situation internally and threatening it regionally.
5- Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in
self-defense, at any time, against any planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks,
and the cessation of hostilities shall not be impeded by this right. This
sentence explicitly declares the right to preemptive self-defense. This
preemptive self-defense is what has so far allowed the Gaza Strip to be wiped
off the map, and accounts for most of the destruction that has taken place in
southern Lebanon.
6- The Lebanese government will take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and
all other rogue non-state armed groups inside Lebanese territory from carrying
out any attacks, operations, or hostile activities against Israeli targets. That
is, it will play the role of border guards. Washington, Tel Aviv, and Beirut
will recognize Lebanon’s security forces as having exclusive responsibility for
Lebanon’s sovereignty and national defense, and that no other country or group
has claim to be the guarantor of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
7- The Lebanese and Israeli sides ask Washington to facilitate further direct
negotiations between the two countries with the objective of resolving all
remaining issues, including demarcation of the international land boundary, with
a view to concluding a comprehensive agreement that ensures lasting security,
stability, and peace between the two countries.
An agreement of this spirit and background would not have been reached if it not
for the residues of Lebanon’s chronic sectarian and political divisions. Indeed,
its most dangerous symptoms come out when efforts are made to strengthen one’s
position against a domestic partner through an external enemy.
The Lebanese have neither learned nor drawn lessons from the tragedies of the
past. Indeed, over the past few years, Shiite-Sunni tension has compounded what
had originally been a Christian-Muslim conflict. This tension rose steadily with
the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Hezbollah’s security dominance over Lebanon,
and Iran’s participation in the Syrian war in support of the Assad regime.
For this reason, many Lebanese, including Shiites, today see no harm in naively
betting on Netanyahu’s “goodwill” toward them and toward Lebanon.
Of course, today’s fresh wound will cool. The terms demanded for
“normalization,” which will cover school curricula, the banking system, and the
security apparatus, and that “Israeli hegemony” will impose on the Lebanese by
force, may disappoint most of them. Unfortunately, the regret will come only
after it is already too late.
Doesn’t the Gospel of Mark say that “a house divided against itself... cannot
stand”?
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on 07-08 June/2026
Israel Intercepts Missiles Fired from Iran... Sirens Sound in Several
Areas
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and
Agencies/June 7, 2026
The Israeli army announced Sunday evening that it had detected the launch of
three volleys of missiles from Iran toward Israeli territory, adding that
"defense systems are working to intercept the threat." Sirens sounded in several
areas following the missile launches from Iran, while Israel's Channel 12
reported that a number of them had been intercepted. Israeli media outlets
reported that fragments of Iranian missiles fell in Tiberias. This marks the
first time Iran has launched missiles toward Israel since the ceasefire declared
on April 8. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard commented on the missile launches,
stating that "the Israeli army must stop its attacks on Lebanon... If it expands
them or responds to Iran's actions, it will face crushing and regrettable
strikes." This comes as the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher
Ghalibaf, declared on Sunday that US and Israeli interests in the region have
become "legitimate targets" following the Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern
suburbs. Qalibaf wrote on the “X” platform that the United States and Israel “do
not respect the ceasefire, do not believe in dialogue, and through the naval
blockade (on Iran) and the violation of agreements regarding Lebanon, they have
shown that they understand only the language of force.” He added, “The naval
blockade imposed on Iran, and the green light given today by the United States
(to Israel to attack the southern suburbs of Beirut), make the bases and
positions of the United States and the (Israeli) regime in the region legitimate
targets. Our armed forces, as always, are ready.” For his part, Iranian
parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei said on Sunday that Tehran would respond
“harshly” to the Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, after the
Israeli army announced it had targeted Hezbollah facilities in the area.
Revolutionary Guard: Missile barrage against Israel could last a week… First
shelling since a fragile ceasefire came into effect at the beginning of April
Al-Arabiya.net and agencies/June 7,
2026
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday that the missile barrage against
Israel could last a week. The Revolutionary Guard added that the attack on
Israel was a warning and that the response would be broader if the attacks were
repeated, targeting all American and Israeli interests in the region. The
Iranian armed forces command stated on Sunday that Israel had "crossed all red
lines" by striking Beirut's southern suburbs, emphasizing the need to halt
Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Ali Abdullah Aliabadi, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya
Headquarters, the central operations room of the Iranian armed forces, said,
"The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and the southern
suburbs. If it expands its attacks or responds to the Iranian action, it will
face even more crushing and destructive strikes," without directly mentioning
the missile barrages that Israel claimed to have intercepted. Israel announced
that Iran had launched missiles toward it, the first such attack since a fragile
ceasefire took effect in early April, further complicating mediation efforts to
reach an agreement to end the war. Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel
launched airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, ignoring a US
request made days earlier to refrain from escalation. Israel described its
attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut as a response to Hezbollah, the
Iranian-backed group, firing rockets into northern Israel earlier that day. The
Israeli strikes on Beirut came just days after the Lebanese and Israeli
governments agreed to a ceasefire during US-brokered talks, despite Hezbollah's
rejection of the agreement. The Lebanese Health Ministry said the airstrike on a
residential building killed two people and wounded 20 others.
Iran Launches Missile Attacks
Against Israel
Al-Markazia/June 7, 2026
The Israeli army announced Sunday evening that it had detected the launch of
three volleys of missiles from Iran toward Israeli territory, adding that
"defense systems are working to intercept the threat." Sirens sounded in several
areas following the missile launches from Iran, while Israel's Channel 12
reported that a number of them were intercepted. Israeli media outlets reported
that fragments of Iranian missiles fell in Tiberias. This marks the first time
Iran has launched missiles toward Israel since the ceasefire declared on April
8. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard commented on the missile launches, stating
that "the Israeli army must stop its attacks on Lebanon... If it expands them or
responds to Iran's actions, it will face crushing and regrettable strikes." This
comes as the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf,
declared on Sunday that US and Israeli interests in the region have become
"legitimate targets" following the Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern
suburbs. Qalibaf wrote on the “X” platform that the United States and Israel “do
not respect ceasefires, do not believe in dialogue, and through the naval
blockade (of Iran) and the violation of agreements regarding Lebanon, they have
shown that they understand only the language of force.” He added, “The naval
blockade imposed on Iran, and the green light given today by the United States
(to Israel to attack the southern suburbs of Beirut), make the bases and
positions of the United States and the (Israeli) regime in the region legitimate
targets. Our armed forces, as always, are ready.” For his part, Iranian
parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei said on Sunday that Tehran would respond
“harshly” to the Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, after the
Israeli army announced it had targeted Hezbollah facilities in the area.
Meanwhile, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir escalated his
rhetoric, saying, “Tehran must burn tonight.” From the Iranian side, the
commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters called on Israel to halt its
attacks on southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs. The Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also asserted that the Israeli army must cease
its attacks on Lebanon, warning that if it expands them or retaliates against
Iranian actions, it will face "crushing and devastating blows." Simultaneously,
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted a picture on his Instagram account
featuring the Lebanese and Iranian flags, coinciding with Iran's launch of
missiles toward Israel in response to the targeting of Beirut's southern suburbs
Pakistani Interior Minister
Holds Talks in Iran to Promote Dialogue with the US / Mohsen Naqvi to Deliver
Message from Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba
Khamenei
Riyadh: Al-Arabiya.net and Agencies / June 7, 2026
Iranian state media reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi met
with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, on Saturday evening and held
talks on Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. The correspondent
for Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath channels in Islamabad stated that the Pakistani
Interior Minister "carried a warning to Tehran against escalating tensions in
the maritime corridors," adding that he "urged Iran to clarify its position on
US demands as quickly as possible." The correspondent also reported that "the
Pakistani Army Chief called on Iran to seize the current opportunity to reach an
agreement." Naqvi traveled to Tehran on Saturday as part of Islamabad's ongoing
diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue between Iran and the United States amidst
renewed attacks. Pakistani security and diplomatic sources told the German Press
Agency (dpa) on Saturday that high-level meetings with Iranian government
officials were planned to bolster dialogue between Iran and the United States.
Iranian state television reported after Naqvi's arrival in Tehran late Saturday
that meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had been scheduled. The
ISNA news agency reported that the Pakistani Interior Minister was also expected
to deliver a message from Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir to Iranian Supreme
Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during his trip. No details were provided regarding the
message's contents. Pakistani authorities have stated that Islamabad, with the
support of regional countries including Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, is working to
bridge the gap between the United States and Iran, encouraging efforts to
de-escalate tensions and ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Naqvi is
considered close to Army Chief Asim Munir, who has also visited Iran as part of
Islamabad's mediation efforts between the warring parties. The Interior Minister
has been shuttling between Tehran and Islamabad since the first round of direct
talks between Iran and the United States. The visit follows meetings between
Naqvi and his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, on the sidelines of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) interior ministers' meeting in
Kyrgyzstan on Thursday and Friday. The Pakistani Interior Ministry said in a
statement after the meeting, "The two interior ministers emphasized the need to
continue diplomatic efforts steadily for lasting peace in the region." The
United States and Iran recently resumed hostilities in the Gulf region despite a
ceasefire that had been in place for nearly two months following the outbreak of
hostilities on February 28
One person killed in attack in
central Israel
Reuters/07 June ,2026
A 35-year-old man was killed and five others injured in a series of shootings on
Sunday in central Israel near the occupied West Bank that police described as a
suspected terror attack.A police spokesperson said the suspected gunman, an
Israeli Arab from the nearby Israeli city Tayibe, was also killed and a firearm
was found in his possession. Israeli media reported a second suspect was also
killed.“Large police forces remain at the scene, and searches are continuing,”
the police said in an earlier statement, urging the public to remain vigilant.
Local media identified the 35-year-old dead man as an Israeli citizen.
Israeli soldiers deployed
Israel’s ambulance service said the man died from gunshot wounds. It described
the incident as a drive-by shooting, with five others injured in shootings at
three nearby locations, two of them seriously. Police said they had located the
suspected vehicle used. The shootings took place near the Palestinian West Bank
city of Qalqilya. Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the attack but did
not claim responsibility.Israeli soldiers were deployed to one of the sites in
central Israel and to a nearby Israeli settlement in the West Bank after the
shootings, the military said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been
briefed, his office said in a statement. Hardline Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich called for a “profound change” among Israel’s Arab community, saying
they are a “dangerous and extremist breeding ground for terrorism is growing
that seeks to destroy the State of Israel.”
Israel reports incoming Iranian missiles in first since
Mideast war ceasefire
AFP/07 June ,2026
Air raid sirens sounded in Israel on Sunday as its military worked to intercept
barrages of incoming Iranian missiles for the first time since an April
ceasefire took hold in the Middle East war.
The Israeli army reported the attack just hours after Tehran had threatened to
retaliate for a new Israeli strike on Beirut. An April 8 ceasefire had halted
major hostilities between Iran, Israel and the US, but efforts to turn the truce
into a settlement have repeatedly stalled, and Sunday’s launches were sure to
further dampen hopes for a lasting peace, as the Middle East war reached its
100th day. Tehran has insisted any deal to permanently end the war must also
halt the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel is pursuing a campaign
against the Iran-backed movement Hezbollah, and had warned that any new attacks
on Beirut would trigger a “full-scale resumption” of hostilities. On Sunday,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the army had
“struck a militant command center in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, in response to
Hezbollah’s fire toward Israeli territory.”The raid killed two people and
wounded 20 more, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israel had warned it would hit
the area should Hezbollah attack northern Israel, and the group later confirmed
having launched missiles and drones at a pair of Israeli army barracks on Sunday
morning. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and its chief
negotiator in talks with Washington, accused the United States of having given a
“green light” for the Beirut attack, saying US and Israeli assets were now
“legitimate targets.”Hours later, the Israeli military reported at least three
waves of incoming missiles, saying its air defenses were “currently identifying
and intercepting threats.”The head of Iran’s military central command said
Israel had “crossed all red lines” with the Beirut strike, demanding it halt its
campaign in Lebanon. “The Israeli army must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon
and the suburbs, and if it expands its attacks to that region or responds to
Iran’s action, it will face more devastating and regrettable blows,” General Ali
Abdollahi said.
‘Gone numb’
The sharp escalation came as Iranians were already feeling the strain of weeks
of uncertainty.
Fitness trainer Elaheh from Ahvaz told AFP: “I really have gone numb.”“Daily
life? It’s a joke. Everything is horrible. We only try to survive,” the
32-year-old added, pointing to rising prices. Farhad, a 35-year-old chef, also
said life was becoming “increasingly difficult,” noting economic hardship had
set in even before the war. “Things that just a few months ago you might have
considered buying have now become dreams and fairy tales,” he told AFP. There
were some signs of ongoing diplomatic efforts over the weekend, with Pakistan’s
interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran. Naqvi said upon his arrival
Saturday that he would deliver a “special letter” from Pakistan’s army chief to
Iran’s supreme leader, as well as a message from the prime minister, according
to Iranian state television. Pakistani military leader Syed Asim Munir has
played a key role in mediating between Iran and the US following an initial
round of direct negotiations in Islamabad. Also on Saturday, Lebanese army chief
Rodolphe Haykal traveled to Pakistan for his own talks with Munir, and a source
with knowledge of his visit said it was “linked to the Pakistani mediation”
between Tehran and Washington.
‘Deadlock’
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, had
told CNN negotiations with the US “are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this
deadlock,” calling for the release of some $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
But Trump said in the same interview that he would not unfreeze Iranian assets
before reaching an initial agreement with Tehran. “If they behave, if they do a
good job, we start talking,” he said. In fact, Washington may seek to use those
funds to pay for damage wrought by Iranian strikes on Gulf allies, according to
a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking. Meanwhile,
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said overnight that it destroyed two Iranian drones
“that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”A
previous drone interception and strikes on Iranian radar sites had prompted
Tehran on Saturday to fire a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait.
Trump to Iran: You launched your missiles... return to
negotiations and I will ask Netanyahu not to retaliate
Trump: I am not happy about the Israeli strike on Beirut
Al-Arabiya.net and agencies/June 7, 2026
US President Donald Trump commented on the missiles launched by Iran towards
Israel, calling on Tehran to de-escalate and return to negotiations. Trump told
Fox News, "You launched your missiles... that's enough," adding that what he is
proposing to Iran is "to return to the negotiating table and reach an
agreement." The US president affirmed that Washington is "close to reaching an
agreement with Iran," at a time when the region is witnessing escalating
tensions following the recent Iranian attacks and the threat of possible Israeli
retaliation. Trump added, "I am not happy about the Israeli strike on Beirut."
Axios also quoted Trump as saying that he "will call Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu now and ask him not to retaliate (to the Iranian attacks)."
Earlier, Axios, citing a US official, reported that Trump had been briefed on
the latest developments and the escalation between Israel and Iran. On Sunday,
Israel bombed Beirut's southern suburbs for the first time since the United
States announced a ceasefire plan for Lebanon last week. Later that day, Iran
launched missiles at Israeli targets, further jeopardizing talks aimed at ending
the wider war. Iran has long maintained that any peace agreement with the United
States must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to
pursue Hezbollah fighters who had fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with
Tehran. Israeli military officials said late Sunday that they detected missile
launches from Iran and that Israeli defense systems intercepted them. Details on
whether Israel suffered any damage were not immediately available. Axios
reported that U.S. President Donald Trump, who is spending the weekend at his
golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, was briefed on the escalation between Iran
and Israel. Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher
Ghalibaf, said that U.S. bases and Israeli interests are legitimate targets
because of the hostilities, including "violations of agreements regarding
Lebanon." Qalibaf added on the X website, in a clear reference to the United
States and Israel, "They do not adhere to a ceasefire and do not believe in
dialogue. Through the naval blockade and the violation of agreements related to
Lebanon, they have shown that they understand only the language of
force."Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, a hardliner, said earlier today via the
X platform that Iran would have a "decisive and painful response" to Israel's
attacks in Lebanon on Sunday. Rezaei, who serves as the spokesman for the
parliament's National Security Committee, wrote, "Look at the skies over the
occupied territories tonight." In response to this apparent threat, an Israeli
official told Reuters that Israel would retaliate against any attacks on its
territory from Iran and would consider it "an opportunity to renew its
(military) campaign." Washington and Tehran have made little progress toward
reaching an agreement to end the war that Trump launched in February with a
campaign of airstrikes alongside Israel against Iran. Trump has repeatedly
threatened to resume the strikes unless an agreement is reached soon. "We are
very close to a deal, or I will destroy them," Trump told NBC News in an
interview broadcast on the 100th day of the conflict. The remarks were recorded
on Friday and aired on Sunday while Trump was visiting his golf course in New
Jersey. Trump pressured Israel to scale back its campaign in Lebanon to make
room for a peace deal with Iran, reportedly including a verbal rebuke of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call last week. Following the call,
Netanyahu halted airstrikes on Beirut and agreed to the latest ceasefire plan
with the Lebanese government. However, Israel has not completely ended its
campaign in Lebanon, which has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of
thousands. Hezbollah has also continued its attacks, asserting that it will not
relinquish its weapons unless Israel stops fighting and withdraws. Hezbollah was
not a party to the ceasefire agreement, which includes its disarmament.
Netanyahu said that Sunday's attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, a
long-standing Hezbollah stronghold, was in retaliation for the group's rocket
fire into Israel. The Israeli military said earlier on Sunday that it had
intercepted two projectiles fired across the border. The military issued an
evacuation order for the southern Lebanese city of Tyre and surrounding areas in
anticipation of possible airstrikes there. Elsewhere in Beirut, mourners held a
military funeral today for Brigadier General Wissam Sabra, who was killed in an
airstrike that targeted his car in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The wider war
has been at a stalemate since the United States and Israel halted their attacks
on Iran in early April, with Tehran blockading most shipping through the Strait
of Hormuz, the Middle East's main oil transit route. Washington also imposed a
blockade on Iranian ports. Although both sides have announced they are close to
a preliminary agreement to reopen the strait, they have repeatedly exchanged
fire, with recent escalations including attacks on Arab countries hosting U.S.
bases. U.S. forces bombed Iranian coastal radar sites at Goruk and Qeshm Island,
both in the Strait of Hormuz, early Saturday morning after shooting down drones
launched by Iran that U.S. Central Command said posed a threat to maritime
traffic. The U.S. military said late Saturday that it had also shot down two
more Iranian attack drones that were threatening shipping in the strait. Iran's
Revolutionary Guard said it retaliated by shelling U.S. bases in Kuwait and
Bahrain. The Kuwaiti military said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles that
flew over residential areas, causing material damage but no casualties. The
missiles landed over residential areas. Trump said any agreement to end the war
must prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The US president is under
pressure to offer stricter terms than those agreed upon in 2015 under former
President Barack Obama, an agreement from which Trump later withdrew. Tehran's
demands include lifting US and international sanctions, recognizing its control
over the Strait of Hormuz, and releasing billions of dollars in frozen assets. A
source familiar with US plans said on Saturday that Washington might make
Iranian assets available to neighboring Gulf states to compensate them for
damages caused by Iranian attacks. However, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday that the region's governments "are not in a
position to demand compensation." He added in a post on the X platform that
Iranian assets "are not spoils of war for Washington, nor a fund to pay its
allies."
Trump says he would not unfreeze Iran’s assets before peace
deal is done
Agencies/07 June ,2026
US President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press”
that he would not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift any sanctions before a peace
deal is reached. Trump said he would consider those steps after an agreement is
done. “Comes after,” he said. “Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we
start talking. Yeah.”Trump also said that he was not demanding that Lebanon be a
part of a short-term deal with Tehran. “I think they’d like to see it, but I’m
not demanding,” Trump said in the interview recorded on Friday.He called for
more “surgical” strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying: “I’d like to see
Lebanon have a better life. I’d like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah.
I think it should be more surgical.”US and Israeli forces began strikes on Iran
on February 28. The Trump administration has been trying to negotiate a
potential peace deal for weeks. “We’re very close to a deal, or I’m going to
blow the hell out of them,” Trump told NBC News. The president also said he
would be willing to speak with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has
not been seen in public since being wounded in US strikes at the beginning of
the conflict. “I don’t want to say whether or not I know where he is, but
there’s a good probability that I do,” Trump said. Top Trump administration
officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio insist a temporary ceasefire
agreement has been holding up despite recent US strikes on Iran, telling
lawmakers last week those are defensive actions.
Pentagon Raises Threat of Israeli Spying to 'Critical',
According to US Media
Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to its
highest level, US media reported on Saturday. The Pentagon's Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) said Israel's "ability to conduct human espionage and
technical collection is at a 'critical level'," NBC News said, citing US
officials. The move came after concerns that Israel had been attempting to spy
on top US officials to get information on "the Trump administration's internal
deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East," the
American network said.
The New York Times cited reports of Israeli efforts to eavesdrop on senior
officials, including President Donald Trump's top negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and
the Pentagon's top policy official, Elbridge Colby. The United States and Israel
launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering the war. Since then,
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's relationship appears to be
under strain, AFP says. Trump unleashed a profanity-laced tirade over the phone
at Netanyahu over Israel's threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing
it would undermine talks with Tehran, the Axios news outlet and ABC News
reported earlier in the week.
More sanctions could be
imposed on Israeli settlers in ‘coming days,’ France says
Reuters/07 June ,2026
Israeli settlers could face further sanctions in coming days in protest at the
escalation of illegal settlements in the West Bank and a surge in violence by
settlers against Palestinians, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on
Sunday. The European Union imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers and
organizations that support them late last month.Speaking to Public Senat
television and RTL radio, Barrot did not name the European countries he said
could impose further measures. But in a reference to the previous EU sanctions,
he said: “We could go further, and in the coming days, further sanctions could
be imposed.”His remarks follow escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the
occupied West Bank and underscore anger in many Western countries toward Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has expanded settlements.
Diplomats say that expansion is aimed at undermining prospects for a Palestinian
state. Reuters reported on Saturday, citing European diplomats, that France is
working with several countries to step up pressure on Israel by pressing ahead
with coordinated national sanctions targeting individuals linked to violence in
the West Bank. “I am extremely concerned about the escalation of illegal
settlement activity in the West Bank and the surge in violence by Israeli
settlers against Palestinians,” Barrot said. “This is why I have pushed for
sanctions to be imposed not only on those responsible for this violence, but
also on the entities, companies and organizations in Israel that are providing
these extremist settlers with the means to drive Palestinians from their land,
burn their crops and destroy their public buildings,” he said. He said the
previous measures were “a way of calling on the Israeli government to face up to
its responsibilities regarding this violence which, in my view, also undermines
the authority of the state to some extent.”On May 22 seven major Western nations
called on Israel to halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and curb
growing settler violence. “Over the past few months, the situation in the West
Bank has deteriorated significantly,” Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand said in a joint statement.
New Round of Talks in Cairo Seek to Push Forward Stalled Gaza Ceasefire
Cairo: Mohamed Mahmoud/Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
Cairo is hosting a new round of talks between Hamas and Palestinian factions in
an effort to move forward the stalled Gaza ceasefire agreement. Cairo has hosted
at least five rounds of talks in less than two months. Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the discussions aim to reach understandings and guarantees that both the
Palestinian factions and Israel can commit to. Efforts to move forward with the
phases of the ceasefire agreement have stalled for months and the impasse has
grown deeper with the eruption of the US-Israel war on Iran in February. Talks
are focused on the second phase that is focused on Hamas’ disarmament and
Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas has been demanding that Israel respect its
first phase commitments before moving on to the second. The first phase calls
for Israel to increase the entry of aid into the enclave, reopen crossings and
cease expanding its control in Gaza. Tel Aviv has been demanding that Hamas
disarm, saying it is a priority before moving forward with the ceasefire. In
televised remarks, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Saturday that the movement
was kicking off its meetings in Cairo with Palestinian factions to “reach
national agreements”. The movement is also holding talks with mediators to
“truly execute the ceasefire on the ground and complete the first phase,” he
added. “Discussions will be held to reach reasonable and acceptable
understandings with all parties on the second phase, including the deployment of
international forces and the weapons of armed factions,” he said. The Hamas
delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo on Friday for a new
round of negotiations that should last several days, said the movement. Saeed
Okasha, an Israeli affairs expert at Cairo's Al-Ahram Center for Political and
Strategic Studies, said the latest Cairo talks aim to end the impasse and
prevent the continued Israeli escalation in Gaza. He described the talks as
“very important given their timing and agenda. They aim to reach decisive
results to throw the ball in the court of the Board of Peace and Israel to
prevent any escalation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is
bracing for elections in months.”Palestinian analyst Abdulhadi Mutaweh said: “It
appears that Hamas will stall over the ceasefire until the negotiations between
the US and Iran reach their conclusion.”The Cairo talks will focus on moving
from the first phase to the second, arrangements related to the disarmament of
factions and on who will run Gaza in the future, he added. A Palestinian source
told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that six Palestinian factions, including Hamas
and the Islamic Jihad, but not Fatah, are present in Cairo. Talks will focus on
“not giving Israel on excuse to launch a new war on Gaza,” he said.
Israel military opens probe
into West Bank baby’s killing
AFP/07 June ,2026
The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the killing of a
seven-month-old infant by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, it said
Sunday. Sam Fahd Abou Haikal died and his parents sustained light injuries when
Israeli forces opened fire on the family’s car in the city of Hebron, according
to Palestinian sources.Shortly after Friday’s incident, the military said its
forces had fired after “soldiers perceived a vehicle accelerating toward
them.”However, an initial inquiry found the three Palestinians were “uninvolved
civilians.”On Sunday, the military said it was opening an investigation into the
incident. “Based on the findings of the preliminary examination, it was decided
to open an investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation
Division,” the military said in a statement. “Upon its conclusion, the findings
will be transferred to the Military Advocate General’s Office.”Since the war in
Gaza broke out in October 2023 with Hamas’s attack on Israel, near-daily
violence has also rocked the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians since then,
including both militants and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on
Palestinian health ministry data.Official Israeli figures show that at least 46
Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks
or during Israeli military operations in the same period.
Iraqi Faction Warns against Dismantling of the PMF
Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
The Iraqi government renewed its commitment to imposing state monopoly over
weapons, while some factions continue to resist the move, saying it targets the
“arms of the resistance.”
In televised remarks, government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said: “Prime
Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government has set as a priority Iraq’s sovereignty and
security and imposing state monopoly over arms.”“Iraq is a sovereign nation and
its higher authority is not subject to foreign and internal dictates,” he
stressed, in reference to the debate over armed factions, some of which are
affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that is tied to the state,
and others that operate under the banner of so-called “resistance”.Deputy
Commander of Joint Operations Qais al-Mohammedawi, who is also head of the
committee tasked with limiting the possession of arms to the state, said the
efforts cover factions connected to the PMF. He denied claims that the efforts
will target other groups, saying the authorities are focused on ending
possession of weapons that are tied to religious or political affiliations. The
process will take time, he said in statements to the press. He also revealed
that authorities busted attacks against neighboring countries, declaring that
Iraq will not act as a platform for assaults on others. He did not offer more
details. Meanwhile, President Nizar Amedi hailed the factions that chose to hand
over their weapons and to cooperate with the authorities over this file.
Speaking at an economic forum in Sulaimaniyah city in the Kurdistan region, he
added that efforts are ongoing to reach understandings over the disarmament of
factions. These moves bolster security and stability and will help in building
and construction, he added. “Stability is no longer a domestic target, but a
main condition for local, regional and international development,” he stated. He
underlined the need for “practical and productive dialogue” to address
challenges and limit mounting dangers. “Iraq must not allow current challenges
to hinder its ambitions for development and prosperity,” Amedi urged.
Resistance
The official stances over disarmament have been repeatedly met with defiance
from the Kataib Hezbollah and al-Nujaba movement that are staunchly pro-Iran.
The movement said the efforts “target the weapons of the resistance and
PMF.”Head of its executive council Nazem al-Saeedi said from Najaf city that any
serious discussions about the weapons “must be comprehensive and subject to
unified standards that are applied to all parties without exception.”He warned
that the current demands about the weapons may later extend to the abilities of
the security and military institutions, expressing concern over the
“politicization of the PMF and involving it in the political power-sharing
system,” which may impact its role and standing. Head of the al-Nujaba movement
Akram al-Kaabi had claimed on Wednesday that disarmament efforts are being
“directly driven by Israel” and the US Charge d’Affaires in Iraq. The Kataib
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it will not lay down its weapons and that tackling
this issue will be possible after its goals are met. Kataib security official
Abu al-Mujahid al-Assaf warned of attempts to stoke strife over the disarmament
efforts. On the other side of the divide, Sunni clerics welcomed the
government’s drive to impose state monopoly over weapons. During Friday sermons,
they hoped the move would achieve stability, security, peace and coexistence in
Iraq. There can be no security so long as several parties carry weapons, while
others do not, they added.
Over 1.2 Million People Attend Pope's Mass in Madrid
Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/2026
More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid on Sunday for a mass
by Pope Leo XIV at which he called for a renewal of the Catholic faith in Spain.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined throngs of devotees waving Spanish and
Vatican flags in Cibeles Square for a service filled with religious symbolism.
In his homily, Pope Leo said Spaniards should not look at religion as "a museum
of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even
today".The mass comes on day two of Pope Leo's seven-day visit to Spain, a
traditional Catholic bastion where religious observance has been declining
sharply in recent years as in much of western Europe. A huge logistical and
security operation was in place for the event, after which the pope led a
traditional procession along a route lined with white and yellow carnations --
the Vatican flag colors, AFP said. Organizers said there were more than 1.2
million people attending in the square and the surrounding area. Nico Aldeanueva,
28, who was visiting from Philadelphia in the United States, said the pope was
"a very unifying force in a moment where we have division across so many
different fronts". "We have, it seems like, never-ending conflict and for the
time being here you get to hit pause and get to enjoy the moment and feel the
faith."Ana Milagros, 64, who was waving a Vatican flag, said she thought the
US-born pope seemed "approachable" and "very sincere"."There is a lot of
polarization and differences in politics, in social matters, in the economy,"
she said, adding: "The pope is trying with this visit... to help all of us."
Focus on migration -
Later on Sunday, Leo will meet the leading lights of culture, sport and the
economy at an arena, with the aim of fostering dialogue between faith and modern
civil society. Around 56 percent of Spaniards identify as Catholic compared to
90 percent in the 1970s, according to a survey last month by the Center for
Sociological Research, an autonomous government body. On Saturday, 500,000
mostly young attendees congregated with Leo outside Real Madrid's Bernabeu
stadium for a prayer vigil that stretched into the night. Leo kicked off his
visit with pomp and ceremony at a reception in Madrid's royal palace, where he
called for an end to "polarizing narratives" and "sterile simplifications".The
pope also praised Spain, whose left-wing government has sparred with his native
United States as well as Israel over wars in the Middle East, for its "active
commitment to peace and solidarity among peoples".Leo is due to visit Barcelona
on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he will notably bless the Sagrada Familia
basilica's recently completed tower, which made it the world's tallest church.
His trip will end with a focus on migration on Thursday and Friday in the Canary
Islands, a key destination for irregular arrivals, with thousands dying in the
Atlantic Ocean trying to reach them.
Russian Drone Hits
Nuclear-Fuel Storage Facility Near Chornobyl, Ukraine Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/2026
Russian forces deliberately struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel
near Ukraine's Chornobyl power plant, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on
Sunday, in an "extremely vile" attack that did not lead to a spike in radiation.
The strike significantly damaged a fuel-reception building meters away from
where "large amounts of nuclear material" is stored, according to the
International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had been briefed by Ukraine.
Kyiv's state atomic agency Energoatom said no spent fuel had been stored in
the building at the time of the attack. A resulting fire was extinguished, and
no injuries were reported. Russia has not publicly commented on the alleged
strike on the facility, which is located around 15 km (9 miles) from the
Chornobyl plant, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster. "An extremely
critical infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike,"
Zelenskiy wrote on X, adding that Russia had used a Shahed attack drone. "As of
now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But
there is certainly an increase in Russia's brazenness, which long ago went off
the charts." In a statement, the IAEA said a team would soon visit the site
"to inspect the impact". In February 2025, a Russian Shahed drone damaged a
containment arch over the Chornobyl reactor that was destroyed in the April 1986
explosion and meltdown. Russia, which regularly attacks Ukrainian cities and
infrastructure with drones and missiles, denied responsibility. Kyiv and Moscow
have also traded accusations of attacking the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia
Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, Europe's largest.
Zelenskyy meets allies in UK
after strike hits Ukraine nuclear site
AFP/07 June ,2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Britain Sunday for defense
talks with leaders of the UK, France and Germany after new Russian strikes
killed five people and hit a nuclear site in Ukraine.Zelenskyy said in an online
post he was in London and would meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French
President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Kyiv is asking
its Western allies for more ammunition deliveries for its anti-air defenses as
Ukraine endures daily Russian strikes. Zelenskyy is also seeking ways for the
allies to further pressure Russia to end the fighting. On Sunday, Russia fired
waves of drones and other munitions at Ukraine, with one of the attacks damaging
a nuclear storage facility in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Ukrainian officials
said.
Radiation levels at the facility remained within normal limits following the
attack, although its fuel reception building was “partially destroyed”,
according to Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator, Energoatom. Moscow and Kyiv have
intensified drone strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led diplomatic
efforts to end the war -- now in its fifth year -- remain stalled and
sidetracked by the conflict in the Middle East. Russian leader Vladimir Putin
has rejected direct peace talks proposed by his Ukrainian counterpart. Zelenskyy,
in an earlier online post, said Russia had used an Iranian-designed Shahed drone
to “hit one of the buildings of the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility” in
the Chernobyl exclusion zone. “As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal
background radiation levels. But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s
brazenness, which long ago went off the charts,” he said. The International
Atomic Energy Agency said it was dispatching a team to inspect the damage,
calling the incident “deeply concerning.”The facility is located in a remote
area of forest around a dozen kilometres (seven miles) from the site of the 1986
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and is designed to house spent fuel from Ukraine’s
three active nuclear plants.
Deadly strikes
Both sides accused each other of renewed attacks on civilians Sunday. A Russian
bombardment of a public transport stop in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region
left at least two people dead, while a nearby drone strike killed a 56-year-old
minibus driver, authorities said. Separate Russian attacks on the central
Dnipropetrovsk region killed two men, governor Oleksandr Ganzha posted on
Telegram. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike on a car in the Belgorod border
region killed a woman and injured her husband, local authorities said.Hundreds
of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia now
occupies around a fifth of its neighbour: the Crimean peninsula, which it
annexed in 2014, most of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk --
collectively referred to as the Donbas -- and large parts of the southern
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Russian drone hits
nuclear-fuel storage facility near Chornobyl, Ukraine says
Reuters/07 June ,2026
Russian forces deliberately struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel
near Ukraine’s Chornobyl power plant, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on
Sunday, in an “extremely vile” attack that did not lead to a spike in radiation.
The strike significantly damaged a fuel-reception building metres away from
where “large amounts of nuclear material” is stored, according to the
International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had been briefed by Ukraine.
Kyiv’s state atomic agency Energoatom said no spent fuel had been stored in the
building at the time of the attack. A resulting fire was extinguished, and no
injuries were reported. Russia has not publicly commented on the alleged strike
on the facility, which is located around 15 km (9 miles) from the Chornobyl
plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. “An extremely critical
infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike,” Zelenskyy wrote
on X, adding that Russia had used a Shahed attack drone. “As of now, there are
no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But there is certainly
an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts.”In a
statement, the IAEA said a team would soon visit the site “to inspect the
impact.”In February 2025, a Russian Shahed drone damaged a containment arch over
the Chornobyl reactor that was destroyed in the April 1986 explosion and
meltdown. Russia, which regularly attacks Ukrainian cities and infrastructure
with drones and missiles, denied responsibility.Kyiv and Moscow have also traded
accusations of attacking the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
in southeastern Ukraine, Europe’s largest.
US resolution draft at IAEA
demands Iran open up on sites, uranium stocks
Reuters/07 June ,2026
The United States is lobbying other countries on the UN nuclear watchdog's Board
of Governors to back a draft resolution ordering Iran to inform the agency of
the fate of its bombed nuclear sites and the enriched uranium that was stored
there. The text of the US draft resolution seen by Reuters on Sunday and
circulated ahead of this week's quarterly meeting of the 35-nation board risks
further complicating current talks between the US and Iran because Iran bristles
at resolutions against it at the International Atomic Energy Agency. While
previous IAEA board resolutions against Iran have passed by a clear margin, this
text could meet stiffer resistance since it is the US that, along with Israel,
bombed Iran's nuclear sites last June, since when the agency has been unable to
return to those sites.Iran must “provide the Agency with precise information on
nuclear material accountancy and safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran” and
“grant the Agency all access it requires to verify this information,” the text
seen by Reuters said, saying both must happen “without delay” and are “essential
and urgent.”The text refrains, however, from reporting Iran to the UN Security
Council, as some diplomats had said was being considered, which would have been
a follow-up to a resolution the board passed on June 12, 2025, declaring Iran in
breach of its non-proliferation obligations. Israel started bombing Iran's
nuclear sites on June 13. The US mission to the IAEA has declined to comment on
its pursuit of a resolution this time.
on 07-08 June/2026
on 07 June/2026
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2063659110860566997/video/1
Just this week: Our fighters conquered the Beaufort and eliminated 350
terrorists. We are continuing.
Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער
Great to host a distinguished delegation of @POTUS Trump Administration legal
advisors and senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.
We had a good discussion on mutual challenges to Israel and the US, including
the distorted legal and economic warfare. We also held a good meeting earlier at
the office of @IsraeliPM Netanyahu. We appreciate the support of the President
and his Administration!
Michael Kerzner
Today, I joined over 60,000 incredible participants from the #Ontario Jewish and
Persian communities in allyship at the #WalkForIsrael, proud and unapologetic!I
am grateful to @UJAFederation and the sponsors for hosting the walk and for
reminding us that our umbilical tie to the state of #Israel is unbreakable,
unshakable, and forever. I also want to thank our incredible police services
that came out to help protect our community and #ProtectOntario.I am inseparable
from our Jewish community and Israel, today and always! Am Yisrael Chai!
Nadine Barakat
The 2030 Illusion: Why BDL’s Recovery Timeline is a Mathematical Mirage
In the vocabulary of central banking, there is a fine line between maintaining
market psychological stability and propagating absolute fiction. The recent
pronouncements out of the Banque du Liban (BDL)—reassuring a battered nation
that the systemic banking crisis will be decisively resolved by 2030—cross that
line with alarming audacity. To look at Lebanon’s current macro-financial
landscape is to witness an economic structure being squeezed from every
conceivable angle. The nation is navigating the catastrophic human and physical
toll of war. The economy is contracting at a devastating rate of negative 10%
GDP growth. A 10% inflation rate continues to erode remaining domestic
purchasing power, even as the central bank aggressively chokes off local
currency liquidity to maintain an artificial, static exchange rate. Yet, against
this grim backdrop of default, institutional paralysis, and international
isolation, the #governor promises an orderly exit from the abyss within four
years. The math does not check out. The sociology of leadership does not check
out. The 2030 timeline is not a strategic roadmap; it is a balance-sheet
illusion designed to substitute accounting maneuvers for actual financial
recovery. The Liquidity Vacuum vs. The 4-Year Phased Fantasy
The fundamental flaw of the state’s draft recovery architecture lies in its
primary assumption that liquidity will magically materialize to finance the
initial restructuring.
The proposed framework dictates a phased 4-year horizon to resolve smaller
deposits under the $100,000 threshold, while dumping larger liabilities into
multi-decade central bank bonds.
But where, precisely, does this near-term cash come from? The plan leans heavily
on a bankrupt commercial banking sector to fund 40% of this immediate cash
payout. This is a mathematical impossibility.
- Lebanon’s commercial banks have no revenue-generating operations;
- they are functional zombies trapped in a post-default freeze.
- Their remaining foreign currency assets are tied up in mandatory reserves at
the central bank—reserves that BDL continues to deplete simply to defend its
currency peg.
Furthermore, any hope of external capital injection is completely paralyzed by
Lebanon’s recent placement on the Financial Action Task Force (#FATF) gray list.
This status acts as a regulatory chokehold.
International correspondent banks are not looking to pour liquidity into Beirut;
they are actively de-risking, cutting ties, and escalating #compliance costs to
shield themselves from institutional liability.
With the state in a #sovereign_default and international donors withholding
funds until genuine, painful #reforms are passed, the formal financial system is
a closed loop of zero fresh capital.
@FATFWatch
ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz
@Israel_katz
To the Turkish Interior Minister who threatens and dreams of ruling Jerusalem -
I say this: Jerusalem is not Constantinople, and the State of Israel is not the
crumbling Crusader Empire, but a strong and determined nation that has proven
its ability to defend itself against any threat.
Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years and will
continue to be the capital of Israel forever, while the Ottoman Empire that you
and Erdogan dream of collapsed and will never return. It's a shame you haven't
learned anything from the legacy of Ataturk, who worked to turn Turkey into a
modern state, and yet you are working to return Turkey to an era of darkness and
backwardness.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Tom Barrack was the first one who suggested tasking Syria with taking on
Hezbollah. If this ever happens, every single Lebanese will rally around
Hezbollah against Syria.
President Trump to NBC News: I don't agree with Netanyahu on some things.
Regarding Lebanon? I would like to see Lebanon have a better life. I would like
to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical.
We can help them with that, or we can recommend Syria.
Syria is doing a very good job cleaning up its affairs. They have a very good
leader. They have a leader who has done a very good job in a short period of
time, and he would be happy to help.
Lynn Traboulsi
No narrative can serve Hezbollah as much as this one. I said it many times, yes
all or most Lebanese will rally around Hezbollah against Syria, because after
the last 50 years no Lebanese will ever accept to get threatened by another
Syrian interference in Lebanon. That will be yet another mistake from Trump.
Barak Ravid
More quotes from my phone call with president Trump: “The Iranian strikes didn’t
hurt anybody. Hopefully Israel is not going to retaliate. If Bibi strikes them
back it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3000 years"
Trump added: "We are very close to a final deal with Iran. It is going to be a
good deal. I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now"
Trump stressed: "I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to
retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its
strike. We don't need another one"
Quote
Barak Ravid
@BarakRavid
President Trump tells me: I am going to call Netanyahu right now and tell him
not to strike back
Israeli Air Force
https://x.com/IAFsite/status/2063666949125750960/video/1
The Air Force carried out a targeted strike earlier today on a Hezbollah
terrorist organization's headquarters in Dahiyeh where terrorists from the
organization were operating.
The headquarters that was struck served Hezbollah terrorist organization
operatives in advancing terror plots against the citizens of the State of Israel
and IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon.
The strike was carried out after earlier today, the Hezbollah terrorist
organization fired rockets toward the citizens of the State of Israel. The
Hezbollah terrorist organization continues to advance terror plots against the
citizens of the State of Israel and IDF forces. The IDF will not allow firing
toward civilians and communities in the territory of the country, and will
continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel and IDF forces.
Prior to the strike, steps were taken to reduce harm to civilians, including the
use of precision weaponry and aerial observations.
צבא ההגנה לישראל
@idfonline
https://x.com/idfonline/status/2063663785026388132/video/1
In recent days, IDF forces have been operating to destroy a central underground
Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beaufort Ridge area. This involves an
underground network consisting of several levels dug deep into the rocky soil.
The entire network was built with full funding and planning by the Iranian
terror regime, over more than a decade. "Our goal has been and remains one -
protecting the northern settlements, creating a new security reality, and
deepening the damage to Hezbollah. The operation in the Beaufort Ridge, like
other operations we have carried out, proves this. We will not stop, we will not
pause, and we will not relent, until this goal is fully achieved."
Hiba Nasr
Iranian Speaker : The naval blockade against the Iranian nation
and America's green light today to the Zionist regime turn American and regime
bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets. The hand of our armed
forces is open, as always.
Hiba Nasr
US/ Lebanon/ Israel:
Following President Trump’s recent statement indicating that the United States
had communicated with Hezbollah, sources subsequently confirmed to me that a
communication channel involving Hezbollah existed beyond Washington’s official
contacts with Lebanese state representatives, although they did not confirm that
it was a direct channel between U.S. officials and Hezbollah.
The possibility of such contacts drew attention because, prior to the latest
round of U.S.-facilitated negotiations, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
publicly appealed to President Trump in an interview with The New York Times to
help broker a ceasefire, saying Trump was the only person capable of doing so.
Berri’s adviser, Ali Hamdan, later told Barak Ravid that Berri had proposed a
ceasefire on land, at sea, and in the air, under which Israel would also commit
to halting the demolition of homes in southern Lebanon.
Notably, Berri did not condition such a ceasefire on a prior withdrawal of
Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
Following another round of negotiations, a ceasefire framework was announced.
According to the U.S. description of the arrangement, it was conditioned on
Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area south of the Litani River — a provision
that had already been included in the November 2024 cessation of hostilities
agreement.
However, both Berri and Hezbollah publicly rejected the proposal and criticized
the wording of the U.S. statement. President Trump subsequently stated that they
had not, in fact, rejected it.
Before the latest round of talks, President Trump personally spoke with
Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad. He later posted on
Truth Social:
"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and
there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way,
have already been turned back. Likewise, through highly placed Representatives,
I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will
stop."
Sources familiar with the matter said a communication channel involving
Hezbollah existed. However, the administration has neither confirmed the
existence of such a channel nor clarified its nature, including whether any
communication was direct or conducted through intermediaries.
The question has drawn additional attention because last month U.S. Ambassador
to Turkey Tom Barrack said the US acknowledge that within Lebanon itself, the
Hezbollah political party is differentiated from Hezbollah the terrorist group,
which holds parliamentary seats within the Lebanese government, adding that
political trust in that regard will have to be earned.
At the same time, Barrack reiterated that Hezbollah remains a designated
terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of Americans and numerous acts
of destabilization.
The State Department didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether there has
been any change in the U.S. government's characterization of Hezbollah. They
also did not respond to questions about whether any U.S. official has been
granted the necessary legal authorization or waiver to engage in contacts
involving a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The Lebanon portfolio is currently overseen by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel
Issa.
Barrack has nevertheless tried to remain involved in Lebanon-related diplomacy.
Some in Lebanon have said he has a role in facilitating a call involving
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and French
President Emmanuel Macron.
Zéna Mansour ܙܺܝܢܵܐ ܡܲܢܨܘܪ
Mr President Trump
Should the US proceed with plans to employ frozen Iranian assets for regional
reconstruction in the Gulf, we respectfully urge that $30 billion be designated
to support Lebanon’s recovery from sustained damages. We appreciate your
leadership and consideration.
Israel Now
https://x.com/neveragainlive1/status/2063653490690314628/video/1
The Toronto Jewish Community is a model Jewish community. Over Sixty Thousand
Jews marching for Israel at the Walk for Israel in Toronto. Enjoy.