The news from overnight
Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
Here’s the news from yesterday and overnight that you might have missed:
- Ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran appear to have failed before they began, after Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and US President Donald Trump told his envoys not to travel to Islamabad.
- The ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah was shaken on Saturday as each side fired at the other and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”
- After leaving Tehran, Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Argchi, arrived in Oman where he’s expected to join meetings about regional developments. Oman was a mediator for indirect talks before the war.
- Iran’s joint military command warned in a statement Saturday that if the US continues its “naval blockades, banditry, and piracy in the region,” it will provoke a decisive military response from Iran.
- An Israeli drone strike near a school in northern Gaza City killed one Palestinian and wounded two others on Saturday, according to officials at Shifa hospital, where the casualties arrived.
Pakistan and Iran have ‘warm, constructive exchange’ while peace talks in limbo
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says constructive talks were held with his Iranian counterparts, after top officials left Islamabad and Donald Trump cancelled his delegation’s trip completely.
“Had a warm and constructive telephone exchange this evening with my brother, President Masoud Pezeshkian, on the evolving regional situation. I appreciated Iran’s continued engagement, including the high-level delegation to Islamabad led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom I had the pleasure of meeting earlier today,” Sharif said on X.
“I reaffirmed that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator – working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region.”
Peace talks stumble as Trump cancels envoys Pakistan trip
The latest ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran have collapsed, as Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and President Donald Trump soon afterwards said he had told envoys not to travel to Islamabad.
Trump told reporters in Florida that he decided to call off the planned visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense, and Iran’s latest peace offer was not good enough for him.
Before boarding Air Force One on Saturday for a return flight to Washington, Trump said Iran had improved an offer to resolve the conflict after he cancelled the visit, “but not enough.”
In announcing his decision earlier on Saturday, Trump said on social media: “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” The White House had said on Friday that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be going to Islamabad.
The news from overnight
Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
Here’s the news from yesterday and overnight that you might have missed:
- Ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran appear to have failed before they began, after Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and US President Donald Trump told his envoys not to travel to Islamabad.
- The ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah was shaken on Saturday as each side fired at the other and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”
- After leaving Tehran, Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Argchi, arrived in Oman where he’s expected to join meetings about regional developments. Oman was a mediator for indirect talks before the war.
- Iran’s joint military command warned in a statement Saturday that if the US continues its “naval blockades, banditry, and piracy in the region,” it will provoke a decisive military response from Iran.
- An Israeli drone strike near a school in northern Gaza City killed one Palestinian and wounded two others on Saturday, according to officials at Shifa hospital, where the casualties arrived.
Israel says it will attack Hezbollah ‘forcefully’
Israel has declared it will attack Hezbollah targets forcefully, further testing a fragile ceasefire with Lebanon that US President Donald Trump recently said had been extended by three weeks.
Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s state news agency reported, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel, posing the latest challenges to the tenuous ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, but Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have continued to clash in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in the self-declared buffer zone.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the military had been instructed to attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon forcefully, providing no further details.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
