BEIRUT, Lebanon: One person was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon late Monday, after a wave of intensive air attacks in the region over the weekend, state media reported.
“A raid by an enemy Israeli drone on a vehicle in the area of Qaqaiyat Al-Jisr left one dead,” the National News Agency (ANI) said, attributing the toll to the Lebanese health ministry.
Israel launched air strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing eight people, in response to rocket fire that hit its territory for the first time since a ceasefire took effect on November 27.
No party has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which a military source said was launched from an area north of the Litani River, between the villages of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun, near the zone covered by the ceasefire agreement.
The agreement stipulates that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers may be deployed south of the Litani River, with Hezbollah required to dismantle its infrastructure and withdraw north of the river.
But the war has severely weakened Hezbollah, which remains a target of Israeli air strikes despite the ceasefire.
Over the weekend Lebanese officials held discussions with Washington and Paris to prevent Israel from bombing Beirut, a source told AFP on Monday on condition of anonymity.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that following rocket fire on Metula, a town in northern Israel, “Metula’s fate is the same as Beirut’s.”
One killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strike: state media
https://arab.news/577uu
One killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strike: state media
‘Negotiations with Iran have to happen,’ Steve Witkoff tells Arab News
- US special envoy to the Middle East: ‘If Iran goes, so the region goes’
DAVOS: Iran must come and sit at the diplomatic table, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told Arab News on Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“That has to happen. It’s important. If Iran goes, so the region goes, and so we have to get that straight,” the envoy said.
Since the outbreak of anti-government demonstrations, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Iran’s leaders to halt the violent crackdown on protesters, vowing “very strong action” if executions go ahead. He has also called on Iranians to keep demonstrating and “take over institutions,” declaring that “help is on the way.”
Although Trump has so far stepped back from direct military intervention (at least since June’s attack on Iranian nuclear facilities), tensions remain high and a diplomatic breakthrough has proved elusive. On Tuesday, Davos organizers announced that the invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been rescinded, citing “the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks.”
Araghchi condemned the move, accusing the forum of “blatant double standards” and of bowing to Western pressure. The decision came as the newly created Gaza peace board drew mixed reactions from governments already wary of further inflaming regional sensitivities.
Despite the fraught context, Witkoff insisted that the Middle East was moving in the right direction.
“I think it’s amazing what’s happening. Everybody is, I think, working together towards peace. Everyone’s bought into presidents Trump’s ideas about border peace, and I think I’m very hopeful.”
More than ten countries have reportedly signed on to the main “Board of Peace” (chaired by Trump), which carries a reported budget of $1 billion. Saudi Arabia has welcomed the initiative but as of Wednesday had not released any official statement.
European leaders in Davos appeared more skeptical, with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni all reported to be weighing whether to decline the invitation.
Witkoff, alongside six others on the seven-member executive board (including Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner and Tony Blair), are expected to focus on diplomacy and investment while overseeing Gaza’s on-the-ground administration through the “Gaza Executive Board” and a national committee involving Palestinian technocrats.
Further announcements on participation are expected on Thursday following a fresh round of diplomatic maneuvering in Davos, as capitals weigh the board’s potential impact on existing UN-led efforts.
