Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanon in violation of ceasefire
Media reports have cited witnesses as saying that the strikes on Saturday were “violent and widespread” but did not give details of damage or casualties.
In a statement, the Israeli army said it responded to rocket fire from Lebanon which prompted sirens in the northern parts of the occupied territories.
According to the Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his forces to take “robust action” against Hezbollah targets, saying “Israel will not allow any harm’ to its people.”
No claim of responsibility
The Lebanese military did not tell who was behind the alleged rocket fire into Israel, but said it had found and dismantled “three primitive rocket launchers” during investigations following the incident.
Hezbollah has also denied any connection with the incident.
UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon warned that escalation could have serious consequences for the region, calling on all sides to “uphold their commitments.
“We strongly urge all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made, especially when civilian lives and the fragile stability observed in recent months are at risk,” it said in a statement.
However, Israel Katz, Israel’s minister in charge of military affairs was found fueling the flame by putting the blame of attacks on the Lebanese government and vowing to retaliate.
The UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said it was “alarmed” by the Saturday morning escalation in violence, calling on
Aoun condemns attempt to return violence to Lebanon
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, however, has instructed the army to protect the country’s citizens and warned against any escalation in response to the Israeli regime”s claims about the firing of rockets from the country”s soil.
“We condemn any attempt to drag Lebanon once again into a cycle of violence,” Aoun was quoted by Al-Mayadeen news network on Saturday.
“What happened in the south and what has been going on since February 18 is a continuous aggression against Lebanon,” he indirectly referred to the Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
He asked “the relevant forces in the south, especially the Supervisory Committee and the army” to follow up on these events seriously and prevent any consequences.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged cross-border attacks for 13 months in the wake of the regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Despite a ceasefire struck in November last year, Israel has kept violating the truce and continued to maintain a military presence at five locations in the south of Lebanon in breach of the deal.
Escalation in the north comes after Israel restarted military operations in Gaza earlier in the week, putting an end to a fragile truce that had largely held since January.
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Trump’s envoy claims U.S. president is after building trust with Iran
On March 7, President Trump said in an interview with Fox Business that he had written a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, asking that nuclear negotiations be reopened.
On March 13, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed receipt of a letter penned by the U.S. president (Trump) and delivered by Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking in an interview with AFP, Witkoff said “Trump is open to an opportunity to clean it all up with Iran, where they come back to the world and be a great nation once again… He wants to build trust with them.”
This is while, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in his Friday (March 21, 2025) speech addressing people from all walks of life in Imam Khomeini Complex warned that thr U.S. officials should avoid conducting any evil act against the Iranian nation or they will see the dreadful consequences.
The Leader stressed that adversaries would receive a hard slap in the face if they fulfilled their threats against Iran.
Earlier on March 17, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to President Trump”s letter via appropriate channels after a review of the letter is completed.
Baqaei said that Tehran does not intend to publicize the content of the letter, emphasizing that what has been published in the media is mostly speculation.
However, he added, the context of the letter does not differ from what the U.S. president has said publicly.
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Iran urges Islamic states to promptly act against Israeli crimes
Speaking in a phone call with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Araghchi condemned the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza, which resulted in killing hundreds of innocent Palestinians by violating the ceasefire agreement.
The two sides discussed the latest regional developments especially genocide in Gaza and the U.S. attacks on Yemen.
Araqchi slammed the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza which killed hundreds of innocent Palestinians as well as the U.S. aggression against Yemen which resulted in killing innocent women and children and destroying infrastructures.
He warned about the consequences of the U.N. Security Council and other governments inaction against the U.S. aggression on Yemen and the Israeli regime’s crimes in the occupied Palestine.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan expressed concern over the current situation in Gaza, and emphasized the continuation of consultations among regional countries to prevent escalation of tensions.
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U.S. administration”s baseless accusations once again highlight its hostile policy toward Iran: Envoy to U.N.
In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council Christina Markus Lassen, Iravani said these groundless accusations serve as nothing more than a calculated attempt to distract the international community”s attention from the unfolding Israeli genocidal war, war crimes, and mass atrocities against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
He stressed that the U.S. mission in the U.N. seizes every opportunity in the Security Council to manipulate this platform, advancing Washington’s political agenda and falsely depicting Iran as a threat to international peace and security.
The full text of Iravani’s letter to the U.N. is as follows:
Excellency,
I categorically reject the baseless accusations leveled against the Islamic Republic of Iran by the representatives of the United States and the occupying terrorist regime of Israel during today’s Security Council open briefing on 21 March 2025 held under the agenda item “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question” (9883rd meeting), falsely attributing destabilizing activities and support for terrorism to Iran. These accusations are entirely groundless, devoid of any credibility, and serve as nothing more than a calculated attempt to distract the international community from the unfolding Israeli genocidal war, war crimes, and mass atrocities against the Palestinian people in Gaza. They also aim to obscure the United States” undeniable complicity in these crimes and its steadfast support for Israel’s destabilizing and malign activities across the region. I also reject the identical, unfounded claims made by the U.S. representative in the Security Council’s open briefing held on 18 March 2025 (9881st meeting) under the same agenda item.
The United States’ direct role in enabling Israel’s atrocities is irrefutable and well-documented. The U.S.’ unwavering political, military, and financial support has emboldened Israel to commit egregious crimes with absolute impunity. The baseless allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran are, therefore, nothing but a desperate attempt to obstruct the Security Council from shouldering its responsibility, deflect attention from the truth, shield Israel from accountability, and perpetuate impunity for its crimes. Furthermore, these baseless accusations once again highlight the hostile policy of the U.S. administration towards the Islamic Republic of Iran and affirm that the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, acting on directives from Washington, disregards the realities on the ground and continues to make false accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran. They seize every opportunity in the Security Council to manipulate this platform, advancing Washington’s political agenda and falsely depicting Iran as a threat to international peace and security.
In response to the U.S. representative’s baseless claim about Iran’s nuclear program during the meeting, I must emphasize that Iran’s nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and fully compliant with its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In stark contrast, the United States remains the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moreover, Washington’s double standards and hypocrisy are evident in its continued silence on Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal and its failure to address Israel’s repeated threats to use weapons of mass destruction against the Palestinian people in Gaza, exposing how the non-proliferation issue serves merely as a political tool for the United States.
I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
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Lebanon warns of ‘new war’ as Israel strikes southern city
The raid on Saturday represent a major escalation by Israel.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country was at risk of being drawn into a “new war” as dozens of other Israeli air strikes killed at least five people.
Salam warned Israel’s “renewed military operations on the southern border” would bring “woes to Lebanon and the Lebanese people”.
Israeli artillery and air strikes hit southern Lebanon after its military said it intercepted three rockets launched from a Lebanese district about 6km (4 miles) north of their shared border. Israel said it targeted rocket launchers it claimed belong to Hezbollah, which it holds responsible for the launches.
The Lebanese group issued a statement denying any involvement in the series of rocket attacks on northern Israel from southern Lebanon.
In its statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of creating a pretext to renew its air attacks and reiterated its commitment to a ceasefire signed in November, which ended a year of war between the two sides.
Defence Minister Michel Menassa has stated the Lebanese army has begun investigating the circumstances of the rocket fire. He also called on the states sponsoring the ceasefire to “deter the Israeli enemy from its continued violations and attacks under flimsy pretexts and false pretexts”.
Saturday’s reported exchange was the first since Israel on Tuesday abandoned a separate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian group Hamas.
Lebanon has blamed Israel for the protracted conflict after failing to withdraw from all Lebanese territory as stipulated in the ceasefire.
Under the deal, a January deadline was set for an Israeli withdrawal but Israel extended it to February 18. Since then, Israeli soldiers have remained in five locations inside Lebanon and its military has carried out dozens of deadly strikes against supposed Hezbollah targets, often striking civilians.
On Saturday, Salam declared that “all security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace”.
In a separate statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned “attempts” to destabilise his country and reignite violence as he called for action to prevent a further escalation of the conflict.
Tel Aviv announced the attacks were “in response to the rocket fire at Israel”.
Source: Ifp Media Wire
US aircraft carrier deployment off Yemen “a failed admission”
Speaking on Saturday, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi asserted that the move had come in the context of America”s successive defeats in its campaign against Yemen., Press TV reported.
He highlighted Yemen”s recent targeting of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, noting that such actions had transformed the vessel from a symbol of American military might into a liability.
The Yemeni leader said the repeated attacks had neutralized the carrier”s effectiveness, compelling the United States to deploy an additional carrier, a move that he billed as a clear admission of failure.
Al-Houthi further noted that while the US typically used its aircraft carriers to project power and intimidate other nations, when it came to confrontation with Yemen, these assets had rather become “a burden and a danger” for Washington.
In a recent escalation, the United States announced pending deployment of a second aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to the West Asia region. Washington also announced extension of deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, currently operating in the Red Sea, by at least a month.
Observers say the move signifies intensification of the US’s military campaign against Yemen in response to Sana’a’s resuming its pro-Palestinian strikes.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to “completely annihilate” Ansarullah, upon whose leader’s orders Yemen has resumed the strikes following the Israeli regime’s re-launcing of its war of genocide against the Gaza Strip.
In response, Yemen”s Armed Forces have conducted multiple operations targeting the American naval assets.
Spokesman Yahya Saree recently announced that, within a 72-hour period, the Yemeni forces had carried out four joint operations against the USS Harry S. Truman, utilizing cruise missiles and drones.
Source: Morteza Ahmadi Al Hashem
Muslims should take drastic efforts to stop Israeli crimes
The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday evening, urging Muslim countries across the world to take “drastic and collective” efforts to confront Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, Press TV reported.
Araghchi pointed to the Israeli regime’s resumption of its genocidal war on Gaza since Tuesday in outright breach of Tel Aviv’s ceasefire agreement with the coastal sliver’s Hamas resistance movement.
The fresh genocidal campaign has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in addition to the roughly 48,000 people that the brutal military onslaught had already killed.
Amid the deadly atrocities, the Israeli regime’s minister for military affairs, Israel Katz threatened to annex parts of Gaza unless Hamas released the Zionist captives, who remained in the Palestinian territory.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Araghchi denounced the underway military aggression by the United States and the United Kingdom against Yemen, highlighting the resulting casualties among innocent women and children, as well as the destruction of the country”s infrastructures.
He underscored the shared responsibility of the global Muslim community to support their fellow Muslims in the violence-wracked and impoverished Arab Peninsula country.
The United States has escalated its fatal attacks against Yemen, with President Donald Trump pledging to “annihilate” Yemen”s Ansarallah popular resistance movement as a means of trying to stop the pro-Palestinian operations that Sana’a has been performing in support of the Gazans.
For his part, Prince Farhan reiterated Riyadh”s firm stance in condemning the Israeli regime’s deadly aggression.
He stressed the necessity for coordination and close cooperation among regional countries to prevent escalation of the crisis.
Source: Morteza Ahmadi Al Hashem
FM Araghchi: Iran focuses on diplomacy to avoid war, open to business with US
In an interview with Khabar Online, Araghchi stated that Iran’s refusal to negotiate directly with the US is rooted in historical experience, not stubbornness, and that any future talks would require significant changes in Washington’s approach.
The Iranian foreign minister left the door open for future diplomacy, emphasizing that Iran’s foreign policy remains active and strategic, focused on safeguarding national interests and regional stability.
Araghchi, a key architect of the JCPOA, defended the agreement as a model for future negotiations but noted that reviving it in its current form is neither feasible nor in Iran’s interest, given advancements in its nuclear program and ongoing US sanctions.
He stressed that Iran remains open to indirect talks with the US, mediated by European partners, to address nuclear concerns and sanctions relief.
Regarding regional dynamics, Araghchi highlighted Iran’s growing diplomatic influence in the Middle East, contrasting it with Israel’s increasing isolation.
He also underscored Iran’s readiness to defend itself but reiterated its preference for peaceful resolutions.
Source: IFP Editorial Staff
Tens of thousands of Israelis rally for hostages, against dismissal of Shin Bet chief
Israeli media, including the Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper, Channel 12 and public broadcaster KAN, said protesters took to the streets to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt military operations in Gaza amid fears for the hostages.
One of the largest demonstrations took place at Habima Square in central Tel Aviv. In West Jerusalem, protesters rallied against the government’s intent to dismiss Bar and resume the Gaza war, arguing it endangers the lives of the hostages.
Demonstrators blocked roads with vehicles, including at Paris Square near the prime minister’s residence, according to KAN. Police intervened and made several arrests.
Similar protests were also reported in Haifa in the north and Beersheba in the south.
Netanyahu stated Saturday that Bar will not remain the head of the Shin Bet security agency, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to freeze his dismissal.
Netanyahu’s government decided Friday to terminate Bar’s tenure effective April 10, unless a permanent replacement is appointed before that date. However, the Supreme Court later issued a temporary injunction freezing the decision until it rules on appeals, with a final hearing scheduled no later than April 8.
Bar has hinted, at political motives behind his dismissal, suggesting that Netanyahu’s decision stemmed from his refusal to show “personal loyalty” to the prime minister.
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught in Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Source: Ifp Media Wire