Israel Military Says ‘Battle’ in Lebanon Continues, Ceasefire Does Not Apply

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike in Hanniyeh village of Lebanon, on April 5, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike in Hanniyeh village of Lebanon, on April 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Military Says ‘Battle’ in Lebanon Continues, Ceasefire Does Not Apply

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike in Hanniyeh village of Lebanon, on April 5, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike in Hanniyeh village of Lebanon, on April 5, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's military said Wednesday its forces would continue their campaign against Hezbollah fighters, claiming the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon. 

"The battle in Lebanon continues, and the ceasefire does not include Lebanon," the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said on X, warning residents to evacuate areas south of the Zahrani River. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said the Iran war truce does not include Lebanon. 

The strikes came despite Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war by attacking Israel on March 2, not claiming any operations since 1am (Tuesday 2200 GMT). 

Israel renewed an evacuation order for an area more than 40 kilometers inside Lebanon. It followed another warning to evacuate a building in the southern Tyre region, which Israel then struck, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. 

NNA reported several strikes across the south. 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has acted as a mediator in the conflict, said the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States applied "everywhere including Lebanon", but Netanyahu later said the country was excluded. 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the ceasefire, saying he hoped his country would be included in the regional truce. 

Aoun said Beirut "continued efforts to ensure that the regional peace includes Lebanon in a stable and lasting manner", according to a statement from the presidency. 

A Lebanese official told AFP that authorities "have not been informed" of Lebanon being included. 

Hezbollah told people displaced by the war to refrain from returning to their homes before a ceasefire is announced in Lebanon, while claiming to be nearing a "historic victory". 

"Today, we stand on the threshold of a great and historic victory," the Iran-backed group said in a statement, calling on people to "not head to the targeted villages, towns, and areas in the south, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut before the official and final ceasefire declaration in Lebanon is issued". 

Hezbollah did not share an official stance on the truce. 

French President Emmanuel Macron, welcoming the ceasefire, said "our wish is to ensure that the ceasefire fully includes Lebanon". 

Spain's foreign minister said it was "unacceptable" that Israel continued its invasion of Lebanon after the ceasefire. 

"All fronts must cease, and all fronts also means Lebanon. It is unacceptable that Israel's war, Israel's invasion of a sovereign country like Lebanon... continues," Jose Manuel Albares told public radio RNE. 

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire as "good news" on X but said Spain would not "applaud those who set fire to the world because they show up with a bucket". 

Israel's attacks in recent weeks have killed more than 1,500 people and displaced over a million, according to Lebanese authorities, especially in the country's south, east and Beirut's southern suburbs, areas where Hezbollah holds sway. 

On Wednesday an AFP correspondent in southern Lebanon saw small numbers of people heading south, some in cars and others carrying their children on motorcycles. 

But Lebanon's military warned displaced people against returning south "since they may be exposing themselves to the ongoing Israeli attacks". 

Another correspondent in Beirut's southern suburbs, which have been heavily struck by Israel, said the area remained deserted. 

Shortly before the ceasefire announcement, an Israeli strike on the southern city of Sidon killed eight people. 



Jordan Stops Fighters Attempting to Enter from Syria, Armed Forces Say

Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria. (AP file)
Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria. (AP file)
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Jordan Stops Fighters Attempting to Enter from Syria, Armed Forces Say

Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria. (AP file)
Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria. (AP file)

Jordanian border guards stopped a group of 14 armed individuals attempting to cross ‌into ‌northern Jordan from ‌Syria, ⁠the armed forces ⁠said in a statement on Saturday.

The group ⁠tried to ‌infiltrate on ‌Friday under ‌heavy ‌fire and direct engagement, causing numerous casualties ‌among the armed group, while ⁠the remaining ⁠members fled back into Syria, the armed forces said.

Tensions between the neighbors are high after Jordanian strikes in southern Syria in retaliation for a deadly church attack in the kingdom last week that Amman linked to militants operating across the border.

Syria said the strikes killed seven ⁠people, including three children and a woman. Jordan said it regretted the civilian casualties.


Egypt Fears Escalation in Iran War Would Be More Destructive, Foreign Minister Says

26 October 2026, Egypt, New Administrative Capital: Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a press conference at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the New Administrative Capital near Cairo. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa
26 October 2026, Egypt, New Administrative Capital: Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a press conference at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the New Administrative Capital near Cairo. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa
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Egypt Fears Escalation in Iran War Would Be More Destructive, Foreign Minister Says

26 October 2026, Egypt, New Administrative Capital: Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a press conference at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the New Administrative Capital near Cairo. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa
26 October 2026, Egypt, New Administrative Capital: Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a press conference at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the New Administrative Capital near Cairo. Photo: Michael Brandt/dpa

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday he was "extremely worried" that a new escalation in the war between the United States and Iran would be more destructive and have a major ‌impact.

He was ‌speaking at the ‌IISS ⁠Manama Dialogue security ⁠summit in Bahrain.

"The second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere. We have to draw lessons from the past," ⁠he said.

An interim agreement ‌reached in ‌June failed to secure a lasting ‌ceasefire in the Iran war ‌or restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has since proposed that Washington lift its ‌blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the ⁠disrupted ⁠waterway within seven days.

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday in a renewed effort to broker a deal, but the sides remain divided over whether nuclear negotiations or relief from the blockade and oil sanctions should come first.


Lebanon Draws Up Plan to Govern 12 Palestinian Refugee Camps

The Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut. (AFP file)
The Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut. (AFP file)
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Lebanon Draws Up Plan to Govern 12 Palestinian Refugee Camps

The Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut. (AFP file)
The Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut. (AFP file)

Lebanon has begun addressing the governance of its Palestinian refugee camps, seeking to establish a framework for security, administration and services in a system where responsibilities overlap among Palestinian factions, popular committees, state institutions and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday launched consultations on a plan prepared by the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, headed by Ambassador Ramez Dimashkieh, before its final version is submitted to the Cabinet.

Salam stressed that Palestinian refugee camps fall under Lebanese sovereignty and are subject to Lebanese law.

“The presence of state institutions in the camps must become clear and consistent,” he declared.

He linked the governance initiative to the National Accord Document, the state’s exclusive control over weapons and its sole authority to decide on war and peace.

Salam also referred to the understanding reached between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in May 2025, as well as steps already taken to address the issue of Palestinian weapons.

He stressed that the initiative would cover security, the rule of law, and social, economic and service-related conditions.

The prime minister revealed that a draft law was being prepared to regulate refugees’ rights and obligations, including employment and social security.

He reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the Palestinian right of return and its rejection of permanent resettlement, stressing that UNRWA and the international community must continue to bear responsibility for refugee services, without the Lebanese state replacing the agency.

For his part, Dimashkieh described the launch of consultations on a national plan to govern Palestinian refugee camps as an unprecedented step toward establishing a unified Lebanese state vision for their management and administration.

The camps are located on Lebanese territory and fall under Lebanese sovereignty, and that any new arrangements would be developed through partnership and dialogue with all Palestinian groups, without exception, he stressed.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dimashkieh explained that the initiative could be the first of its kind in Lebanon’s history of dealing with Palestinian refugee camps.

“For the first time, consultations are being launched to develop a unified Lebanese state plan for managing and governing the camps, rather than having each institution continue to deal with the issue separately, according to its own area of responsibility,” he noted.

The main problem, according to Dimashkieh, has been the absence of coordination and a common vision among the institutions involved, including the security services and Lebanese Army, governorates and municipalities, the ministries of health and labor, and UNRWA.

“Each institution viewed conditions in the camps from its own perspective, without an overarching framework to organize responsibilities and mechanisms for addressing the various issues,” he explained.

Dimashkieh revealed that consultations would continue over the next six months, bringing together the relevant Lebanese and Palestinian parties to reach the best possible formula for governing the camps.

Discussions will cover security, administrative and legal matters, including the role of security forces, the possible adoption of community policing and issues falling within the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry and other relevant institutions.

He stressed that Palestinians would be key partners throughout the process, with no group excluded.

“The aim is to listen to everyone and reach a formula that commands the broadest possible consensus.”

Dimashkieh further underscored the growing urgency of reorganizing camp administration, particularly as the demographic composition of some camps has changed considerably.

“In some camps, Palestinians now account for only around 30% of residents, compared with approximately 70% who are Syrians or people of other nationalities,” he pointed out.

These demographic shifts require both Lebanese and Palestinian authorities to reconsider how the camps are administered and how their circumstances are addressed, he explained.

As for the next steps, Dimashkieh said that the proposal agreed upon after consultations and the identification of mechanisms for addressing the issue would be submitted to the Lebanese Cabinet for a decision.

12 camps and a legacy dating back to the Cairo Agreement

Lebanon’s 12 official Palestinian refugee camps are spread across several regions.

Five are in the south: Ain al-Hilweh, Mieh Mieh, Rashidieh, Burj al-Shemali and Al-Buss.

Four are in Beirut and Mount Lebanon: Burj al-Barajneh, Shatila, Mar Elias and Dbayeh.

Two are in the north, Beddawi and Nahr al-Bared, while the Bekaa Valley hosts the Jalil camp in Baalbek.

The number of registered Palestinian refugees differs considerably from the number actually residing in Lebanon.

UNRWA had approximately 488,000 refugees registered as of June 2025, while a 2017 Lebanese-Palestinian census counted around 174,000 Palestinians living in camps and gatherings, using a different methodology.

The UN agency’s registration figures do not constitute a census of current residents.

The roots of the camps’ special security arrangements date to the 1969 Cairo Agreement, which the Lebanese parliament annulled in 1987.

Nevertheless, Palestinian popular committees and factions have continued to play roles in the camps.

In 2025, factions affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization handed over weapons to the Lebanese Army. However, the issue of arms held by all Palestinian organizations has yet to be fully resolved.