US President Donald Trump said Saturday he will review a new Iranian peace proposal, but cast doubt over its prospects as he left open the possibility of future attacks on Iran.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
He has also doubled down on the United States decision to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany, as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war.
The Pentagon announced the 5,000-troop reduction on Friday, but Trump told reporters on Saturday “we’re going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.” He did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday, its military saying it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets. The attacks have become a regular occurrence, despite a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war that has seen both sides accuse each other of violations.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah targets, adding that “approximately 70 military structures and approximately 50 Hezbollah infrastructure sites were dismantled across several areas” on Saturday. Hezbollah also claimed several attacks targeting Israeli troops, saying they were in response to ceasefire “violations.”
Israel has kept up deadly strikes on Lebanon despite the April 17 ceasefire that sought to halt more than six weeks of war between it and Hezbollah.The ceasefire text grants Israel the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”
Israel’s military on Sunday issued new evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon for villages beyond the area it occupies. The warning included more than 10 villages and towns as well as the city of Nabatieh, which lies several kilometres north of the Litani River, south of which Israel has stationed troops. (AFP)
