Renewed Attacks on Lebanon as Anticipation Builds over US-Iran Talks

A series of Israeli airstrikes targeted southern Lebanon on Saturday night, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA), after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his army to “forcefully attack Hezbollah targets”.

The NNA reported that Israel launched airstrikes on the towns of Haddatha, Zibqin, Khirbet Selm, and Sultaniyeh in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army, in a statement, announced that it was “attacking sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would return to Pakistan after concluding his visit to Muscat, having departed earlier on Saturday. This visits comes amidst mediation efforts led by Islamabad between Tehran and Washington.

According to the official IRNA news agency, Araghchi is scheduled to visit Pakistan again after completing his visit to Oman and before traveling to Russia, the third stop on his current foreign tour.

It added that some members of the delegation that accompanied the minister to Pakistan had returned to Tehran for consultations “and to receive the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war,” and were scheduled to join Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night.