The Lebanese army said it is working to reopen roads and bridges bombed by Israel in the country's south, after IDF airstrikes destroyed key crossings during fighting that displaced some 15 percent of the population.
The Lebanese army has reopened the road linking Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and partially reopened the Qasamiyeh Bridge – a key coastal highway crossing into the southern city of Tyre, also used by those trying to reach Sidon and Beirut.
Bridge repair work in southern Lebanon.Credit: Lebanese Army
Bridge repair work in southern Lebanon.Credit: Lebanese Army
Rehabilitation work on Tayr Falsay-Tyre bridge, which was struck by the IDF, is being carried out in cooperation with the Litani River National Authority.
"The army continues its efforts to reopen roads and remove obstacles, in addition to carrying out security operations to protect internal stability," they said.
A former senior officer in the Lebanese army had told Haaretz that the strikes on bridges and crossings reflected Israel's intent to isolate the area and establish long-term control in southern Lebanon. According to him, Israel's conduct and presence do not appear temporary, and the strategic comparison is to Gaza, as Israeli defense minister made a direct reference last month, that "all houses in villages near the Lebanese border will be demolished according to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun."
U.S. President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, the Iranian Student News Agency quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying on Sunday, as Washington and Tehran continue to face disagreements over nuclear issues.
"Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights but doesn't say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?" Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
The IDF is continuing the systematic destruction of villages in southern Lebanon during a cease-fire, with military commanders telling Haaretz that civilian homes, public buildings and schools are being demolished as part of a broader policy to "clear the area."
Israeli excavators in southern Lebanon, this week.Credit: Gil EliyahuIsraeli excavators in southern Lebanon, this week.Credit: Gil Eliyahu
Commanders said dozens of heavy machinery vehicles, including excavators operated by paid contractors, have been brought into the area in recent weeks, with some workers compensated based on the number of structures destroyed. A source familiar with the details said some contractors previously worked in Gaza, and in one village about 20 excavators are currently operating simultaneously.
Sources said the policy involves widespread demolition of civilian infrastructure and has been replicated from tactics used in the Gaza Strip, now applied in Lebanon.
Families and supporters of the October Council, a group of bereaved families calling for a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, are protesting outside the homes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
Protesters Itzik Levy read a passage written by captivity survivor Keith Siegel outside Ohana's home,: "I survived horrors I could never have imagined. Hunger, thirst, constant humiliation, I witnessed sexual assault... I saw acts of torture from the Middle Ages that still haunt me. Those days of suffering have never left me." Levy read the words and went on to call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
Police confiscated megaphones of protesters, who also gathered outside the homes of Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, and MK Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit).
Ayla Metzger also spoke outside Avi Dichter's house and said that "46 hostages who fell between empty words and promises, fell and were abandoned, and in the homes there still remain the broken voices of hostages who did not return... families crying in front of a door that does not open and above all a government that clings to its throne," she said.
Former Vice-President Kamala Harris said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "pulled" President Donald Trump into war with Iran, speaking at a fundraising event.
She told the audience, "He entered a war, got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let us be clear about that – entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members," in a segment published on Fox News.
The Israeli army on Sunday said reservist Sergeant First Class (Res.) Lidor Porat, 31, from Ashdod, was killed in southern Lebanon on Saturday, and that nine other soldiers were wounded in the same incident.
Sergeant First Class (Res.) Lidor Porat, 31, from Ashdod.Credit: IDF Spokesperson Sergeant First Class (Res.) Lidor Porat, 31, from Ashdod.Credit: IDF Spokesperson
According to the IDF, one soldier was seriously wounded, four were moderately wounded and four others sustained light injuries. The wounded were evacuated to hospital, and their families were notified.
With his death, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon since the current war began rose to 15. Since October 7, the IDF has announced the deaths of 940 soldiers.
On Saturday, the army also announced the death of reservist Warrant Officer (Res.) Barak Kalfon, 48, from the Jezreel Valley community of Adi, who was killed on Friday in an explosion in southern Lebanon, one day after the cease-fire took effect.
According to an initial IDF investigation, troops were searching for weapons in a building in the village of Jebbein when an improvised explosive device detonated. The military said the device was likely not triggered remotely. Three soldiers were wounded in the incident, two moderately and one lightly.
Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran does not trust the United States and warned that fighting could resume at any time, according to remarks aired early Sunday on Iran's state television.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in 2024.Credit: Majid Asgaripour/ REUTERSMohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in 2024.Credit: Majid Asgaripour/ REUTERS
"We have no trust in the enemy. Even at this moment, while we are sitting here, the war may start," Ghalibaf said, adding that Iran's armed forces are on full combat readiness.
He said that despite ongoing negotiations with the United States aimed at securing a permanent cease-fire, Iran is prepared to respond "at any moment if the enemy makes a mistake."
U.S. President Donald Trump praised Israel in a TruthSocial media post on Sunday, calling it a "great ally of the United States of America" and saying the country "knows how to win."
U.S. President Donald Trump's TruthSocial post, Sunday.U.S. President Donald Trump's TruthSocial post, Sunday.
Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a great ally of the United States of America," Trump wrote. He described Israel as "Courageous, bold, loyal, and smart."
Trump also wrote that, "unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to win."
Here are Saturday's updates from the U.S.-Iran cease-fire and Israel's war with Hezbollah:
■ An attack on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon killed one French soldier and wounded three others, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, saying Hezbollah is likely responsible for the attack.
■ Israeli fire killed two drivers contracted by the UN children's agency UNICEF in the Gaza Strip on Friday despite the cease-fire currently in place, the agency said, adding that two others were wounded.
■ The Israeli military said it killed two "terrorists" who crossed the Yellow Line, separating IDF-controlled parts of the Gaza Strip from the rest of the enclave.
■ Argentine President Javier Milei will visit Israel on Sunday for a three-day trip, Argentine media reported, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
■ Iran still retains roughly 40 percent of its drone arsenal and more than 60 percent of its missile launchers – enough to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz for the foreseeable future, as reported by The New York Times.
■ The Israeli military announced the death of Command Sergeant Major (res.) Barak Kalfon, 48, who was fatally wounded on Friday in an explosion in southern Lebanon. He is survived by his wife, Shimrit, and his daughters, Noga and Maya.
■ Israeli settlers sprayed graffiti, set a vehicle on fire and attempted to torch a house in the West Bank Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the killing of a French UNIFIL peacekeeper in southern Lebanon and urged all parties to uphold the cease-fire, saying such incidents must not continue.
Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the death of one peacekeeper and the wounding of three others during a UN operation in the Ghandouriyeh area, adding that this was the third fatal incident involving UNIFIL personnel in recent weeks. "These attacks must stop," he said, calling on all actors to "respect the cessation of hostilities and the cease-fire."
I strongly condemn Saturday’s attack on @UNIFIL_ during which one French peacekeeper was killed & another three were injured.
I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends & colleagues of the fallen peacekeeper, and wish a full & fast recovery to the injuredShow more
@antonioguterres
UNIFIL said its personnel were clearing a route when they came under small-arms fire, and initial assessments point to possible Hezbollah involvement, though an investigation is ongoing.
French and UNIFIL officials said the soldier was killed during what they described as an ambush on a route-clearing mission. Hezbollah denied any involvement. Lebanese authorities have opened investigations and condemned the attack.
