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Arab World

Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
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Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)

Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the start of the Middle East war. 

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said it targeted the vessel 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, claiming the warship was "preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory". 

The Israeli military told AFP when contacted: "We are not aware of it." 

Israeli warships have been used on several recent occasions to launch strikes on Lebanon. 

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Arab World

Egypt Says US-Iran Deal Could Be ‘Turning Point’ for Middle East Peace

A drone view shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
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Egypt Says US-Iran Deal Could Be ‘Turning Point’ for Middle East Peace

A drone view shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt welcomed Monday an agreement announced by the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war, saying it could be a "turning point" for peace in the region.

"Egypt hopes that this agreement will constitute a major turning point toward strengthening mutual trust, laying new foundations for cooperation, creating a supportive environment for peace and advancing diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing remaining regional issues," Cairo's foreign ministry said.

US and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Tehran's nuclear program to further negotiations.

While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough towards resolving the conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets since it began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced a deal had been struck early on Monday local time.

The memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland.

The precise terms were not immediately known. Sharif said in a post on X that the pact called for "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

Lebanon has been a sticking point in negotiations, with Israel and Hezbollah ignoring calls from Trump and others to stop their attacks on each other in recent weeks.

Israel’s defense minister said Monday that Israel won’t withdraw from land occupied in Lebanon as the interim deal between Iran and the United States is pending.

Arab World

Israel Pushes Beyond ‘Yellow Line’ in Lebanon to Target Hezbollah and Bolster Negotiating Leverage

Residents walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in the city of Tyre, Lebanon (dpa). 
Residents walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in the city of Tyre, Lebanon (dpa). 
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Israel Pushes Beyond ‘Yellow Line’ in Lebanon to Target Hezbollah and Bolster Negotiating Leverage

Residents walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in the city of Tyre, Lebanon (dpa). 
Residents walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment in the city of Tyre, Lebanon (dpa). 

Israel’s latest advance beyond the self-declared “Yellow Line” in southern Lebanon has raised questions about whether the expansion is driven solely by military objectives or also reflects broader political calculations, particularly as it coincides with reports of a US-Iran agreement that would include a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon.

On Saturday, Israeli forces made fresh gains along both the western and eastern fronts beyond the Yellow Line. Troops advanced toward the outskirts of Majdal Zoun following four days of artillery and air strikes, while forces also pushed into Kfartebnit, reaching the approaches to the strategically important Ali al-Taher Heights, which overlook the city of Nabatieh and much of the surrounding region.

The “Yellow Line” is the term adopted by the Israeli military in spring 2026 for a belt of territory inside southern Lebanon that it considers a military buffer zone, similar to the model previously employed in Gaza. The zone extends roughly 4 to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory and encompasses about 55 border towns and villages.

Retired Brig. Gen. Mounir Shehadeh said military operations beyond the Yellow Line are concentrated in Kfartebnit, Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Yahmar al-Shaqif, Arnoun, and the Beaufort Castle area.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Shehadeh argued that Israel is “racing against time” because it believes any US-Iran agreement could force an end to hostilities. As a result, he said, Israel is seeking to advance as far as possible before negotiations begin, allowing it to bargain from a position of strength.

He noted a distinction between villages entered by Israeli troops and those brought under operational control. Some communities have been incorporated into what Israel describes as a security zone, where residents are barred from returning and where Israeli forces maintain control through surveillance and firepower, even without a permanent troop presence.

According to Shehadeh, Israeli-controlled areas now extend between 5 and 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory and include villages whose residents have been prohibited from returning.

Israel’s stated goal, Shehadeh underlined, is to push Hezbollah forces farther from its northern border, prevent future cross-border attacks on Galilee communities, destroy military infrastructure and weapons stockpiles, and establish a buffer zone to protect border settlements.

Its unstated objectives, however, may be broader. These include creating a new security belt resembling the zone Israel occupied between 1982 and 2000, turning border villages into sparsely populated areas that would make it difficult for Hezbollah to reestablish itself, and securing strategic high ground and transportation corridors. Such gains could provide Israel with significant leverage in future negotiations involving Lebanon and the postwar regional order.

For his part, Dr. Riad Kahwaji, defense and security analyst, said Israel is advancing along three separate axes, primarily to eliminate Hezbollah infrastructure, some of it located beyond the Yellow Line.

The eastern axis runs from Beaufort Castle through Kfartebnit and the Ali al-Taher Heights, placing Israeli forces in a position overlooking Nabatieh and potentially opening the way toward the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, where Hezbollah is believed to maintain tunnel networks.

The central axis stretches north of Bint Jbeil and Tebnine toward Ghandouriyeh in an effort to encircle Wadi al-Hujayr, long regarded as a key defensive zone and another suspected tunnel hub.

The western axis centers on Majdal Zoun and extends toward Qlayleh, potentially bringing Israeli forces closer to the approaches of the coastal city of Tyre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Palestinian Prisoner Dies After 25 Years in Israeli Jail

A Palestinian prisoner is released from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal last year. (AP)
A Palestinian prisoner is released from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal last year. (AP)
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Palestinian Prisoner Dies After 25 Years in Israeli Jail

A Palestinian prisoner is released from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal last year. (AP)
A Palestinian prisoner is released from an Israeli prison as part of a prisoner exchange deal last year. (AP)

Israeli authorities have informed the family of Imad Sarhan, a 47-year-old Palestinian prisoner from Haifa, that he died in Gilboa Prison after suffering what officials described as a heart attack. No further details were provided.

The death is the latest in a growing number of prisoner fatalities reported since the outbreak of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a joint statement, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Club said Sarhan had been imprisoned since 2001 and was serving a life sentence.

The organizations said he was subjected to lengthy and harsh interrogations during the early years of his detention, including systematic torture that left lasting health complications and contributed to a gradual deterioration in his condition. They also cited repeated periods of solitary confinement.

According to the statement, Sarhan developed chronic cardiovascular illnesses during his imprisonment, including heart, arterial and vascular diseases, as well as high blood pressure.

His health deteriorated to the point that he needed a wheelchair in recent years.

The groups said Sarhan was a victim of medical negligence and abusive prison policies, stressing that his death reflected broader conditions facing Palestinian prisoners, particularly since the start of the Gaza war.

Human rights groups and Palestinian prisoner advocates have repeatedly pointed to worsening conditions in Israeli prisons over the past two years, including restrictions on medical care, overcrowding, harsh disciplinary measures, and limited contact with families.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club has also raised concerns about outbreaks of scabies among detainees, accusing Israeli prison authorities of maintaining conditions that facilitate the spread of disease by limiting access to cleaning supplies, showers, and fresh clothing.

Prison conditions worsened after Itamar Ben-Gvir became Israel’s national security minister in late 2022. Ben-Gvir claimed that prisoners had been receiving excessive privileges and ordered stricter regulations, including reductions in food allocations, shower time, outdoor recreation, and family visits.

Palestinian organizations said those restrictions intensified significantly after October 2023.

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Prisoners Club said the prison system has since adopted harsher policies involving abuse, starvation, medical neglect, and prolonged isolation.

They criticized the continued restrictions on monitoring visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and limits on communication between prisoners and their families.

According to the groups, Sarhan’s death raises the number of Palestinian prisoners whose deaths have been announced since the start of the Gaza war to 90. They said the total number of prisoner deaths documented since 1967 now stands at 327.

The organizations held Israeli authorities fully responsible for Sarhan’s death and renewed calls for international legal action and accountability.

As of June 2026, they said, more than 9,400 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons, including 3,324 administrative detainees and 1,316 prisoners classified by Israel as “unlawful combatants.”