Trump says Netanyahu agreed not to send troops to Beirut
President Donald Trump has said he persuaded Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreeing not to send troops to southern Beirut and the Lebanese militant group promising to stop attacks.
"There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back," Trump said on his Truth Social network after a "very productive" call with Netanyahu.
"Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop -- That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel."
Trump says he doesn't care if negotiations with Iran are over, US media reports
President Donald Trump shrugged off the suspension of indirect talks with Iran in an interview with CNBC on Monday, saying he did not care if they were over.
"I don’t care if they’re over, honestly ... I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told Eamon Javers in a phone interview.
Israeli media say Netanyahu spoke with Trump by phone
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Monday, several Israeli media outlets reported, without providing further details.
The call came as Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to open "new fronts" and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed over Israel's offensive in Lebanon.
Trump says he has not heard from Iran that they are suspending talks
President Donald Trump has said that he had not heard from Iran that they are suspending talks with the US, but he believes there has been too much talking and some silence would be good.
"I think we've been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time," Trump said in an interview with NBC News.
"It doesn't mean we're going to go and start dropping bombs all over there," Trump was quoted as saying. "We'll just go silent. We'll keep the blockade," he said.
"I think I can wait as long as they want. They're losing a fortune."
Iran Guards threaten 'new fronts' over Israel's Lebanon offensive, state TV reports
Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to open "new fronts" and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed over Israel's offensive in Lebanon, state media has reported.
"Iran considers crossing the red lines in Lebanon and Gaza to mean direct war," state TV quoted the Guards' intelligence organisation as saying, adding: "in return, it is determined to carry out defensive operations by taking meaningful actions and opening new fronts, in addition to preserving the Strait of Hormuz equation"
US-Iran truce very likely to end if attacks on Lebanon continue, Iran state TV says
Iran's state TV has said the probability of the ceasefire between Iran and the US ending is high if Israeli attacks on Lebanon do not stop.
State TV did not give further details.
'Chaotic scenes' in southern Beirut after Israel issues evacuation orders
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning and ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, sparking a chaotic exodus from the area known in Arabic as Dahiyeh.
Reporting from Beirut, FRANCE 24’s Renée Davis says that since this morning, “we've seen lots of chaotic scenes in the suburbs, huge traffic jams, people rushing to gather their things. These are people who have only just come back to the southern suburbs since the ceasefire,” she notes, referring to the fragile April 16 ceasefire deal mediated by the US. “So they've only just moved back in and now they're having to move back out once again.”
Israeli defence ministry says France bans Israeli offensive weapons from defence show
The French government is limiting Israeli defence companies to exhibiting only air defence products at this year’s Eurosatory international exhibition for the defence and security industry, according to an Israeli Defence Ministry spokesperson.
The Eurosatory exhibition runs from June 15 to 19 this year.
The French government’s restrictions on Israeli defence companies at Eurosatory are “disgraceful”, the spokesperson said.
Israel military issues evacuation warning for Beirut's southern suburbs
The Israeli military on Monday issued an evacuation order for residents of Beirut's southern suburbs and warned that it would strike targets in the area if Hezbollah continued firing rockets at Israeli cities and towns, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
Iranian media says Tehran suspends negotiations via mediators with US over Lebanon attacks
Iran is suspending all exchanges with the US via mediators, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, as the two sides remained apart on a deal to end the Middle East war.
"Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is suspending dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators," Tasnim reported.
Hezbollah still fighting Israeli troops near south Lebanon's Beaufort Castle
Hezbollah said its fighters were still battling Israeli troops near south Lebanon's Beaufort Castle on Monday, a day after Israel said it seized the strategic fortress and troops raised the Israeli flag there.
In a statement issued by Hezbollah's operations room, the group said its fighters were in a "battle of attrition against forces of the Israeli enemy army who are present in the area".
Hamas to hold talks with Gaza mediators in Egypt, report says
A Hamas delegation is due to meet with mediators in Egypt on Wednesday to discuss ways of advancing the fragile Gaza ceasefire, officials from the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP.
"Egypt has invited Hamas and other factions to participate in talks with mediators on Wednesday... which will also include Qatari and Turkish officials," a Hamas official said, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
"The mediators have presented ideas for formulating a new, revised proposal acceptable to both Hamas and Israel," the official addes.
Hamas and the Israeli military and Hamas have accused each other of violating a fragile truce that has been in effect since October as Gaza continues to be gripped by daily violence, with
A transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which was supposed to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, has been stalled for months.
Hamas has repeatedly said it is not opposed to handing over some of its arsenal, but only as part of a Palestinian political process.
The official said the Hamas delegation, headed by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, as well as representatives from other Palestinian factions, was expected to arrive in Cairo starting Tuesday for the talks to be held in the Mediterranean town of El-Alamein.
Is Israel seeking free reign from US in Lebanon?
FRANCE 24's correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.
EU calls on Israel to 'stop military escalation' in Lebanon
The European Union on Monday urged Israel to halt its military operation in Lebanon, after Israel seized the strategic Beaufort Castle and said it would resume strikes on southern Beirut.
"We call on Israel to stop its military escalation in Lebanon and to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.
Israel says to establish military-controlled zone around Litani River area in Lebanon
Israel's defence minister said Monday there would be "no calm in Beirut" if Hezbollah attacks continued and vowed to establish a military-controlled zone in the area of south Lebanon's Litani River.
"The Dahiyeh in Beirut is no different from the communities in northern Israel -- if there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut," Israel Katz said in a statement released by his office, referring to the Beirut southern suburb and Hezbollah stronghold where he had earlier Monday ordered strikes.
"At the same time, the IDF continues to operate with fire and manoeuvre against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in Lebanon... in order to push threats away from IDF forces and from the residents of the State of Israel, and to turn the Litani area into a zone under IDF security control, free of weapons and terrorists," Katz added.
Iran foreign ministry says currently no talks with US over nuclear issue
Iran's foreign ministry has said that there were currently no exchanges with the United States over the details of Tehran's nuclear programme.
“We know when it is necessary to act on nuclear matters. No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Israeli strike kills at least two at Gaza seaport café, medics say
An Israeli airstrike killed at least two Palestinians and wounded 12 on Sunday at a Gaza café that was packed with people celebrating public holidays, health officials said.
There was no immediate Israeli comment. An October ceasefire, brokered by US Trump, has failed to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza.
French President commends Trump's 'determined efforts' to reach agreement with Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with President Donald Trump on Sunday evening and commended the US leader's "determined efforts" to reach a peace deal with Iran.
Macron said France was "ready to fully support these efforts" through a mission to help secure maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and by contributing "expertise and capabilities to the broader negotiations that must begin, particularly regarding the nuclear component of an agreement".
Macron also said in a post on X that he and Trump discussed the need for a "robust ceasefire" in Lebanon.
Is Israel's seizure of Lebanon castle really a 'dramatic shift'?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on Sunday, calling it a "dramatic shift" in the campaign against Hezbollah.
But, says France 24’s Philip Turle, the castle’s capture is largely symbolic, with little strategic importance, and it remains unclear if Israel is currently winning its battle with Hezbollah.
Residents flee the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to attack targets in the area.
© Mohamad Azakir, Reuters
Yesterday's key events:
- Iran 's chief negotiator warned on Sunday the United States was not to be trusted, saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secured Iranian rights.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on Sunday.
- The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday over Israel 's expansion of its offensive in Lebanon, following the capture of the medieval castle of Beaufort.
For all the news from Sunday May 31 click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
