Iran's parliament speaker says no deal with U.S. until Iranian rights secured
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday that Tehran will not agree to any deal with the United States until the rights of the Iranian people have been secured.
Addressing an online parliament session, Qalibaf stressed that Iranian negotiators have no trust in the "enemy's" words and promises, according to the official news agency IRNA.
"Our criterion is tangible achievements that we must attain in order to fulfill our commitments in return," he said. "We will not approve any agreement until we are sure that we have secured the Iranian nation's rights."
Lebanese parliament speaker says Hezbollah ready for ceasefire, urges guarantees to halt Israeli attacks
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday that Hezbollah is committed to a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire, calling for efforts to compel Israel to halt its military operations, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Berri said the conflict "does not lie in the resistance's position on a ceasefire," but rather in the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which he said have displaced thousands of Lebanese civilians and continue to demolish villages and homes in various areas.
Any effort to de-escalate the conflict requires genuine guarantees that would oblige Israel to fully stop its attacks, he added.
Israeli PM says instructed military to expand operations in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a videotaped statement on Sunday that he had instructed the military to deepen and expand its grip on Lebanese areas held by Hezbollah.
The instruction followed the capture of the Beaufort Ridge, including the strategic castle at its summit, in southern Lebanon by Israeli forces, an area beyond the "security zone" Israel has maintained since a ceasefire took effect in mid-April.
Netanyahu said that after his directive to expand the maneuver in Lebanon, Israeli forces crossed the Litani River and seized key terrain, including the Beaufort.
Israeli army captures strategic castle in S. Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that its troops had captured a strategic castle in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the IDF said Israeli ground forces had entered the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi Saluki area in southern Lebanon.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV News and Channel 12 News reported that the Israeli army had seized the ridge, including the strategic castle at its summit, in what they described as Israel's deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years. The broadcasters released a photograph showing an Israeli flag atop the ancient fortress.
Malta's Labour Party wins snap parliamentary election
Malta's Labour Party won the snap parliamentary election on Sunday, securing its fourth consecutive term in office.
Labour Party leader and Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said in an interview with local media that the party had made history by securing a fourth consecutive victory. He said the party would now implement its electoral program and called for national unity, urging supporters to celebrate with respect.
Charles Bonello, secretary-general of the opposition Nationalist Party, confirmed the party's defeat during a visit to the counting hall, saying figures showed that the Labour Party had won the election by around 18,000 votes, according to local media reports.
About 400 arrested in France after PSG's Champions League victory
French police have arrested more than 400 people during the celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, local media reported.
The French capital was swept by celebrations after PSG defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties to retain its title in Budapest, Hungary.
French daily Le Monde, citing police sources, reported that more than 20,000 people were celebrating on the Champs-Elysees at about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, while police forces were carrying out operations to contain the crowd.
33 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in Gaza during Eid al-Adha
Gaza-based health authorities reported on Sunday that Israeli forces killed 33 Palestinians and wounded more than 130 others during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which began on Wednesday and ended on Saturday.
In its daily report, the authorities said that the death toll in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 72,939, while the number of wounded has reached 172,927.
The report indicated that a number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and in the streets, and that ambulance and civil defense teams are facing significant difficulties reaching them.
5 Ebola patients recover as DR Congo reports 263 confirmed cases
Five patients infected with the Ebola Bundibugyo virus have recovered in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health authorities said Sunday.
Four of the recovered patients, all medical workers, were discharged on Sunday from an Ebola treatment center in Bunia after testing negative twice for Ebola, while another patient, a laboratory worker, had already returned home, according to the DRC's National Institute of Public Health.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was present in Bunia for the inauguration of a new Ebola treatment center and hailed the recoveries.■
