Hostilities continue in Lebanon. Monday, June 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, ordered new strikes on Beirut in order to intensify the offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Bombings also continue in the south of the country, leaving around ten injured and eight dead, while Iran insists that a ceasefire in the Land of Cedar is necessary in order to reach a peace agreement with the United States.
These Israeli shots come in addition to the capture of the Beaufort Fortress, a place that is both strategic and symbolic since it had already been occupied by the Israeli army for 15 years, during the First Lebanon War. This “decisive turning point”in Netanyahu’s words, provoked a strong reaction from the French president Emmanuel Macronwho stated on “nothing justifies the major escalation underway in South Lebanon”.
At the request of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrotan emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was held this Monday 1er June. “ I requested (this meeting) because if we recognize the right of Israel, as of all countries, to self-defense, to defend itself against the attacks of Hezbollah (…), nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its occupation deeper and deeper into Lebanese territory. “, he said on Sunday, according to Ici Beirut.
Prospect of peace still distant
These repeated attacks go against the ceasefire which entered into force on April 17, 2026. However, Israel considers that these attacks are justified in the face of the thousands of missiles launched against its territory by Hezbollah and affirms that its military operation targets the armed Islamist movement, considered a terrorist organization by Israel. The Jewish state has ordered the population to evacuate certain areas in southern Lebanon in order to avoid collateral civilian casualties.
The United States, for its part, carried out new “defensive” strikes in southern Iran this weekend, forcing the suspension of negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Something to push back again the prospect of de-escalation in the region.
