• Lebanese media report huge explosions in Nabatieh, as well as Israeli strikes in Kfar Tebnit and Markaba in southern Lebanon, as Israel continues to breach a US-brokered “ceasefire”.

‘We fear the expansion of the war zone in the region’: Syria’s president

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that his country has no intention of interfering in Lebanon.

“We fear the expansion of the war zone in the region,” he said. “We do not intend any military intervention in Lebanon.”

He added: “We support the Lebanese state’s monopoly on weapons and the decision on war and peace. Any chaos in Lebanon will directly reflect on Syria.”

Syrian president has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon

The Syrian president has set the record straight, making it clear that his country has no intention of intervening in Lebanon militarily.

Instead, Ahmed al-Sharaa says he supports strong state institutions in Lebanon and relations should be established through the rule of law. And that’s something that we’ve seen Damascus engage with Beirut on consistently over the past several months.

The two countries share a border and other shared issues of concern, including refugees and the threats of narcotics smuggling as well as weapons smuggling, which the Syrian government has been active in preventing – intercepting weapons that were being smuggled by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Syrian president said any instability or threat to Lebanon’s stability would cause a spillover into Syria and that’s something he didn’t want to see.

Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon continue, says Lebanese army

The Lebanese army has said that Israeli forces are continuing their attacks in southern Lebanon, violating international law.

It said in a statement that Israel has destroyed or demolished more homes in areas of southern Lebanon it occupies.

Shelling and gunfire have been reported in the villages of Kfar Tebnit around Nabatieh, Haddatha and Konin near Bint Jbeil, as well as Nab’a Ibl al-Saqi, al-Mansouri, Bayt al-Sayyad and Majdal Zoun, surrounding Tyre.

It also reported Israeli forces burning olive groves and blowing up the Litani River Authority project in Markaba.

Lebanese army accuses Israel of violating ceasefire in the south

Israel’s army continues to breach existing agreements by destroying and bulldozing homes and carrying out attacks on southern Lebanon.

According to the military, Israeli actions and attacks are hindering the deployment of Lebanese forces and preventing residents from returning to their homes, even as troops continue to escort people back to the designated “pilot zone” of Zawtar al-Gharbiya.

“The continuation of these attacks hinders the army’s full deployment … and prevents residents from returning to their villages and towns, thereby obstructing efforts to establish stability in the south,” a statement said.

Zawtar al-Gharbiya is one of three towns the Lebanese army is expected to take under its control as part of a framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States announced last week.

Under the deal, the Lebanese army is to exercise authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of Hezbollah. Only then, the framework says, will Israel be able to “progressively redeploy” from Lebanon.

Aoun briefs Macron on US talks and Israeli violations in southern Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has discussed regional developments and the situation in southern Lebanon with French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, updating Macron on his recent visit to Washington, DC, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun briefed Macron on his talks with Trump and other American officials, which covered Lebanon’s position, the phase after its agreement with Israel and the implementation of its provisions, the statement said.

The two leaders also addressed the situation in southern Lebanon amid continued Israeli attacks on border villages and towns. Aoun stressed the need to halt such violations and adhere to a cessation of hostilities, the statement said.

The conversation also touched on the period after the expected end of the UN peacekeeping mission’s operations in southern Lebanon. Both presidents underscored the importance of continued international engagement to stabilize the area, the statement said.

Israeli ceasefire violations have continued despite a US- and French-brokered ceasefire that took effect in November 2024. UN peacekeepers have operated in southern Lebanon since 1978 although their mandate and future role have been subject to growing debate in recent months.

Iran’s supreme leader praises Hezbollah as ‘solid rock’ against Israel

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has praised Hezbollah’s fighters for their steadfastness against Israel, describing the group as a “solid rock” against aggression and vowing that the Islamic Republic has made the defence of Lebanese fighters a strategic policy.

In response to a letter of allegiance from Hezbollah’s secretary-general and its fighters, Khamenei said the group’s resilience had become an inspiring message for free nations worldwide struggling against oppression and “global arrogance”, according to excerpts published by Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency.

“Now that Hezbollah of Lebanon, as the vanguard of jihadist groups, stands like a solid rock against the predatory onslaught of the Zionist regime (Israel) and its backers, this steadfastness has become an inspiring message for the free nations of the world,” Khamenei said in the letter.

The supreme leader designated the defense of “these oppressed and powerful fighters” as Iran’s strategic policy and set the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the complete, unconditional removal of Israeli “aggression” as the first condition for any agreement to end the war with the United States.

Khamenei also praised the role of the Lebanese people, particularly in the south, in supporting Hezbollah.

Qatar voices support for Lebanon’s state institutions amid displacement crisis

Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi has held phone talks with Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri. The two men discussed cooperation ties and the Lebanese government’s efforts to address challenges facing displaced populations, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

During the call, Al Khulaifi reaffirmed Doha’s support for efforts aimed at strengthening Lebanese state institutions and consolidating security and stability in the country.

The two officials reviewed bilateral cooperation and ways to develop it, as well as the latest developments in Lebanon. They also discussed the Lebanese government’s work to prepare conditions for the return of displaced people to their areas in a manner that ensures them a dignified life, the statement added.

Lebanon is enduring a severe humanitarian crisis driven by recent Israeli military escalations that have killed over 4,000 people and displaced more than one million civilians. This displacement compounds a multi-year economic collapse that the country had been suffering.