BEIRUT/JERUSALEM -- Israeli warplanes carried out intensive airstrikes Thursday on multiple areas in eastern and southern Lebanon, targeting sites belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to Lebanese official media and an army source.
According to Labanon's National News Agency, a series of Israeli airstrikes "targeted the eastern mountain range in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon and wide areas deep within southern Lebanon." (Israel-Lebanon-Airstrikes)
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TEHRAN -- There will be no deal between Iran and the United States as long as Washington demands that Iran agree to zero uranium enrichment, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said.
In an interview released on Thursday, Araghchi told Financial Times (FT) in Tehran that the two sides can negotiate, but "with zero enrichment, we don't have a thing." (Iran-US-Zero Enrichment Demand)
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BEIRUT -- Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on Thursday called for exclusive control of arms by the Lebanese state, urging all political factions to rally behind the national army as the sole guarantor of stability and sovereignty.
"There is no guarantee more secure than the arms of the Lebanese Army -- an army backed by a state built on institutions, justice, and public interest," Aoun said during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the army's founding. (Lebanon-Arms-Control)
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ANKARA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday expressed strong support for international efforts recognizing the State of Palestine, calling recent developments in Europe "very valuable."
"We welcome every step toward the recognition of the State of Palestine. We consider the growing humanitarian reactions from Europe to be of great importance," Erdogan said at a joint press conference in Ankara with Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. (Türkiye-Israel-Erdogan) ■
