Israel bombing Lebanon relentlessly killing peace deal

 

• The Central Command of Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and maritime traffic, citing the United States’ breach of its commitments under the MoU signed to end the war. The statement also pointed to continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, which it said had resulted in the killing and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the occupation forces’ failure to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south. The command said the move marks the first step in its response to the enemy’s failure to uphold its obligations, warning that additional measures could be planned and implemented if the violations and attacks continue, with the aim of forcing compliance with the agreed commitments.
• How will you continue your day after hearing that a father in Gaza, trapped beneath the rubble, begged rescuers not to save him? Not because he had lost hope in life, but because he could hear his daughters’ final breaths beneath the debris. Their tiny hands were holding his in the darkness, as if pleading with him one last time. He was the father who had always been their safe refuge, yet this time he was powerless to pull them from the dust and shattered concrete. Only his head was visible above the wreckage. He looked into the eyes of the rescuers, his own eyes exhausted by fear and helplessness, and said: “Leave me… my daughters are here… I do not want to come out alone.” 

• Trump admits he can stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon (but doesn’t). Q: Can you prevent Israel's attack on Lebanon? Trump: Yes, I can. They have a lot of respect for me and act according to my wishes. The breaching of the MoU then is Trump's direct responsibility.
• Israeli forces continue shelling southern Lebanon despite the US–Iran agreement, which requires Washington and its allies to halt military actions against the Arab country. IDF bombed Lebanon 100 times yesterday. Fars News, quoting an informed diplomat: 'Iran, before returning to negotiations with the US in Switzerland, has requested guarantees regarding the end of aggression in Lebanon.' Tehran has emphasized that the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon must be implemented according to the terms of the signed agreement. The negotiations that were supposed to take place between Iran and the US have been 'temporarily postponed' following recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon. 

• Many inside Iran are furious about the situation unfolding in Lebanon. Experts, MPs, and ordinary people are calling on the Supreme National Security Council members who approved the MoU (including Pezeshkian, Araghchi, Ghalibaf, and others) to respond to the breach of the MoU, namely the attacks on Lebanon.
• Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew newspaper – Ron Ben-Yishai: 'The memorandum of understanding signed by Donald Trump with Iran has worsened the situation, as Israel has consequently lost another significant part of the freedom of action it previously enjoyed throughout Lebanon.'

• Leader of Iran Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei on Iran-US Agreement: “In principle, I had a different view. The president insisted and because he explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I issued permission for it. However, because of the commitment that the honorable president, as head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave me on behalf of himself and the other members regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and because he explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I issued permission for it." 

• J.D. Vance on lifting sanctions: 'To be honest, we didn't see this as a big concession to the Iranians. Iran also... did not consider this a concession for themselves, because what was preventing their oil sales was not the sanctions. They were selling a lot of oil without any discount because the sanctions were essentially ineffective. At that stage, what the sanctions did was push Iran's financial system somewhat towards a shadow (informal) banking system. With the lifting of sanctions, we will actually be able to see a bit where their financial system sends money and from where it receives money. This is a real advantage.'

• KJ Noh writes: Why did the US sign? Generally, the consensus is that Trump was desperate for some kind of de-escalation and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; he himself said, "we were weeks away from a global catastrophe".  This is true: the supply shock would be intolerable. That said, the key question is will the US uphold it? [Some] argue (Lavrov) that "the US is agreement-incapable"--something that we have seen with every major treaty. The US has no choice to comply or at least do its best. It would be financially suicidal to continue down the path of more war: the Strategic Petroleum Reserves are depleting around the world, including the US. The supply shock can no longer be buffered. It has no good military options: Iran has shown strategic dominance and strategic overmatch. 

• "Debt is a cleverly managed reconquest of Africa.” Thomas Sankara said this in 1987, and today, the cage is tighter than ever. This is Thomas Sankara, then of Burkina Faso, addressing the OAU summit just months before his assassination. He boldly exposed how global debt is used as a weapon of neocolonialism to drain African wealth through rigged interest rates. True sovereignty cannot exist while playing a rigged financial game.

• RT: The Israel Defense Forces is “on the verge of collapse” due to acute personnel shortages, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has warned. Opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of stalling on drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews. Military service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens, both men and women. However, members of the Haredi community have historically been exempt from conscription. While the Israeli Supreme Court revoked the exemption in June 2024, Netanyahu’s cabinet has so far delayed drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews.
• German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has opened a new hybrid warfare center amid the broader militarization of the country in response to a supposed “Russian threat.” Previous media reports have, however, suggested that Germany and other NATO member states are plotting offensive cyber operations against Russia.