Israel and Hezbollah continued their clashes during Monday night despite the announcement by the US president of an agreement between both parties to cease hostilities before a new round of negotiations between Israelis and Lebanese on Tuesday in Washington. The dialogue round between envoys of these two countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations, opposed by the pro-Iranian Islamist movement, is the fourth since the war broke out in early March.
These negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday are "the only way to end the war," Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated on Monday, denouncing Israel's "fierce aggression," which has intensified its offensive against Hezbollah, supported by Iran. The Israeli army is conducting its deepest military incursion into Lebanon since 2000 when it withdrew after 18 years of occupation.
However, a senior Iranian military official believes that the resumption of war against the United States is "inevitable," at a time of apparent deadlock in the talks between Tehran and Washington to end hostilities. "The United States demands our complete surrender, but the Iranian nation will never surrender," stated a deputy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mohamad Jafar Asadi.
Four more killed in Lebanon
Israeli attacks on Monday near a hospital in Lebanon left 4 dead and 127 injured, reports Afp. Among the injured are healthcare personnel.
Bahrain bans travel to Iran and Iraq for security reasons until further notice
Bahrain announced on Tuesday the ban on travel to Iran and Iraq for its citizens "until further notice," a measure taken to "preserve national security" amid persistent security tensions resulting from Iranian attacks on countries in the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, the Bahraini Interior Ministry explained that the decision responds to the ongoing insecurity in the region and emphasized that its main goal is to ensure the protection of all Bahraini citizens.
It also warned that legal measures will be taken against those who violate the travel ban.
Gamarra urges the Government to maintain the reduction of VAT on gas and electricity
The Deputy Secretary of Institutional Regeneration of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, urged the central government on Tuesday to maintain the reduction of VAT on natural gas and electricity to "allow people to make ends meet," reports Efe.
"Today, the Council of Ministers has the power to maintain these reductions. So we ask them that, since they have squeezed the Spanish people so much, that at least they maintain these reductions that allow people to make ends meet," Gamarra said in statements to the press in Salamanca, where she met with representatives of the Bar Association (ICASAL) and the Procurators' College along with the mayor and leader of the PP in the province, Carlos García Carbayo.
"Since they do not seem to intend to call elections, at least allow these tax reductions to be maintained so that citizens can continue to make ends meet," she argued.
The VAT on electricity and gas returned to the general rate of 21% on Monday, after several weeks at the reduced rate of 10%, as the reduction implemented as part of the package of measures to alleviate the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East was deactivated.
UAE says regional countries pay the consequences of Iran's "excessive ambition"
The diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Anwar Gargash, stated on Tuesday that countries in the region are paying the consequences of Iran's "excessive ambition," amid tensions in recent days due to the exchange of attacks in the Persian Gulf and the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, reports Efe.
Gargash, who is usually very critical of Tehran, stated in a message on X that "all countries, from the Persian Gulf to Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq, are paying the consequences of Iran's regional excessive ambition."
He added that "the role of no country" - referring to the Persian country - in the Middle East can be "at the expense of shared security, stability, and prosperity."
Israel kills 8 people in southern Lebanon a day after Trump announced de-escalation with Hezbollah
Israeli drone attacks in southern Lebanon caused the death of eight people on Tuesday, including a father and his two sons, just a day after US President Donald Trump stated that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to reduce the intensity of the fighting.
The state news agency cited by AP reported that one of the attacks hit a vehicle on the road between Marjayoun and Nabatiyeh, where a dentist identified as James Karam died, along with his two sons. In another incident, two Lebanese soldiers were slightly injured after a separate attack.
Other bombings in different locations in the south of the country left more civilian casualties, including Syrian workers in a nursery and several additional deaths in the villages of Jibchit, Toul, and Harouf, according to the same source.
In addition, an airstrike on Monday in the town of Marwaniyeh reportedly caused the death of six people, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.
Iranian military official estimates "inevitable" resumption of war with the US
The resumption of war against the United States is "inevitable," stated a senior Iranian military official on Tuesday, at a time of apparent deadlock in the talks between Tehran and Washington to end hostilities, reports Afp.
"The United States demands our complete surrender, but the Iranian nation will never surrender," declared a deputy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mohamad Jafar Asadi. "Without surrender, war is inevitable. So we wait. War does not scare us," added Asadi, according to statements broadcast by the state television Irib.
Reza Pahlavi's eldest daughter: "We are not fighting for a throne, but for freedom"
Noor Pahlavi, the eldest daughter of Reza Pahlavi, heir to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, deposed in 1979 by the Islamic revolution and self-proclaimed leader of the Iranian opposition, stated on Tuesday that her family is not fighting for a throne but for the freedom of Iranians, while criticizing the alleged "silence" of politicians and media against the Islamic regime.
In a speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the woman, born in 1992 and who has lived her entire life outside Iran, pointed out that "the goal of my father and ours as a family is one: a transition to free and fair elections in which Iranians decide their own future." "We are not fighting for a throne. We are fighting for freedom, for a people who have been denied for too long," she emphasized.
Iran has not responded to the latest US proposal, according to an Iranian media outlet
Iran has not responded to the latest US proposal to reach an agreement to end the conflict between the two countries, but it is being studied in Tehran after tensions in recent days due to the exchange of attacks in the Persian Gulf and the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, reports Efe.
"Iran's final text is still under discussion in Tehran, and no response has been sent yet," said the Mehr agency, citing an informed source from the negotiations.
The source emphasized Iranian distrust of the United States due to its "track record of non-compliance" with agreements in the past and stated that the Persian country "seeks to obtain real benefits."
Iran's war strongly impacts companies in Gipuzko
The conflict in Iran is already having a strong impact on the business fabric of Gipuzkoa, with "construction and non-metallic industry as the most vulnerable sectors," as warned by the Adegi employers' association.
According to the latest data from the business situation survey conducted by Adegi, 29.6% of companies rate the impact of this situation as "high or very high" for their activity, while 41.5% perceive it as "medium."
The Guipuzcoan business organization warned on Tuesday in a statement that the "growing instability in Iran and its surroundings has become a top concern for the business sector."
However, it points out that the impact of the crisis is not uniform among sectors, as construction is the most affected area with 78% of construction companies warning of a "high or very high" effect on their operations.
"Nothing can justify" prolonged Israeli occupation in Lebanon, according to French foreign minister
"Nothing can justify" the continuation of military operations or a prolonged Israeli occupation in Lebanon, stated French Foreign Minister on Tuesday, in a context where Israel and Hezbollah continued to clash overnight despite an agreement announced by Donald Trump, reports Afp.