Good morning and welcome to our blog covering the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
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Israel’s recently appointed defence minister, Israel Katz, has dismissed talk of a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying “there will be no ceasefire and there will be no respite”
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Israel’s newly appointed foreign minister, Gideon Saar, who replaced Katz in the role, had said on Monday that “certain progress” had been made on ceasefire talks in Lebanon. However a spokesperson for Hezbollah said they had not been involved in any direct talks
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Speaking at the joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Riyadh yesterday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said that his country was suffering an “unprecedented” crisis that threatens its existence
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Iran’s first vice president Mohammad Reza Aref told the summit on Monday that the “world is waiting” for Donald Trump’s incoming US government to stop Israel’s wars with Hamas and Hezbollah
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Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3,243 people and injured 14,134 since 7 October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said. The death toll in Gaza in the same period has been put at over 40,000
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Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued more forced evacuation orders for residents of many towns/villages in southern Lebanon
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The amount of aid reaching Gaza has dropped to the lowest level since December, official Israeli figures show, despite the US having issued a 30-day ultimatum last month threatening sanctions if there was no increase in humanitarian supplies reaching the territory
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Overnight Israel announced the deaths of four soldiers in combat in the northern Gaza Strip
