Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday called the first Israeli strike on south Beirut since a November ceasefire a "dangerous escalation," according to a statement from his office.
Salam condemned the Israeli raid on the Hadath area as "a dangerous escalation" and denounced "Israeli attacks that target civilians and safe residential areas where schools and universities are located," according to the statement.
Israel carried out its threat to strike Beirut after rockets were fired towards Kiryat Shmona, rattling an already fragile truce in Lebanon that had largely ended more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah.
It was the second time rockets had been launched at Israel from Lebanon since the November ceasefire, and the second time Iran-backed Hezbollah denied involvement.
Hours later, the Israeli military carried out its first strike in the capital's southern suburbs since the ceasefire after urging residents close to a building there to leave, warning they were "near Hezbollah facilities" and "must immediately evacuate".
Following the attack, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said from Paris that his country is determined to build its army and extend its control over the whole country to end a cycle of violence.
Donald Trump said Friday that "bad, bad things" would happen to Iran if it fails to reach a nuclear deal, a day after Tehran said it has responded to a letter from the US president calling for talks.
"My big preference... is we work it out with Iran. But if we don't work it out, bad, bad things are gonna happen to Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The U.N. Human Rights Office accused Israel on Friday of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under "mandatory evacuation orders".
The Israeli army has issued what the U.N. described as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza, since it resumed its war against Hamas on March 18, ending a two-month-old ceasefire amid rows over terms for extending it.
"These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law," U.N. human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement on Friday.
Two Palestinians, Mahmoud Adwan and Ismail Shakshak, were killed in an Israeli drone strike on their civilian vehicle in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, according to Wafa news agency.
Israel's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, has been instructed to approach several African countries to discuss the possibility of resettling Palestinians from Gaza, according to a report by Axios on Friday.
Discussions have already occurred with Somalia and South Sudan, following orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report revealed.
This move comes in the wake of a proposal by US President Donald Trump last month to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and convert it into a US-funded resort.
The proposal was met with widespread condemnation from the international community.
The United States issued on Friday fresh sanctions aimed at Hezbollah that target five individuals and three entities.
The State Department said in a statement that the sanctions targeted Hezbollah's finance team, "which oversees commercial projects and oil smuggling networks that generate revenue for" the group.
The sanctions' targets included family members and close associates of prominent Hezbollah officials, the State Department said.
Hamas spokesman Basem Naim told AFP Friday that talks over a ceasefire deal between the Palestinian movement and mediators are gaining momentum as Israel continues intensive operations in Gaza.
"We hope that the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days", Naim told AFP.
Palestinian sources close to Hamas had told AFP that talks began Thursday evening between the group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza.
Naim said Friday the proposal "aims to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, (and) allow humanitarian aid in".
Most importantly, he said, the proposal aims to bring about a resumption in "negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of occupation forces".
Two Syrian workers were killed in a drone strike by Israel on the Yohmor River road in southern Lebanon, following a series of Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon and Beirut.
Al Jazeera confirmed the incident, by linking a verified video footage from social media of the aftermath.
سلسلة غارات على يحمر و زوطر الشرقية في الجنوب
— 🔻Rafie 🌕💦💧☔️❄️🌧🔥 (@Rafie313) March 28, 2025
A series of airstrikes on Yohmor and Zawtar Sahrqiya in the south pic.twitter.com/OvGQBV5Hbg
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported at least 43 deaths, including two recovered bodies from earlier Israeli strikes, and 115 injuries in the past 24 hours.
Since March 18, 2025, the total toll stands at 896 killed and 1,984 injured.
The overall death toll from Israel's ongoing war has reached 50,251, with 114,025 injured since October 7, 2023.
The U.N. Human Rights office accused Israel on Friday of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under "mandatory evacuation orders".
"These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law," U.N. human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement on Friday.
"Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition," Al-Kheetan's statement added.
Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, it said, while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety there.
"We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swathes of territory," it added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Friday that Israel will "strike everywhere in Lebanon against any threat", after the first strike on south Beirut since a November ceasefire with militants Hezbollah.
"The equation has changed... we will not allow any fire on our communities," Netanyahu said in a statement. "We will continue to enforce the ceasefire with force, strike everywhere in Lebanon against any threat to the State of Israel, and ensure that all our residents in the north return safely to their homes," he added.
Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Centre issued a statement on Friday announcing that an Israeli airstrike on the south Lebanese town of Yahmar al-Shaqif resulted in the deaths of two individuals, according to initial reports.
More updates to come.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the army Friday to quickly identify and arrest those behind rocket fire towards Israel, which responded by striking south Beirut for the first time since November.
Salam contacted the army chief "and asked him to act quickly to undertake the necessary investigations to uncover those behind the irresponsible rocket fire that threatens Lebanon's stability and security", according to a statement from his office, urging "intensified efforts" to arrest the perpetrators.
Gaza's ruling group Hamas has called for increased pressure on Israel to end its attacks and blockade on Gaza, condemning the ongoing violence as a "humanitarian catastrophe" and an act of genocide under international law.
The group urges the international community, Arab and Islamic nations, and humanitarian organisations to take immediate action to lift the blockade and halt attacks against Gaza’s population.
The statement also called for mobilisation to hold Israeli leaders accountable for their actions before international courts.
Lebanon's army said Friday it had identified the site of a rocket launch that triggered Israeli strikes, including on south Beirut for the first time since a November Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.
"The army was able to identify the rocket launch site in the Qaaqaaieh al-Jisr area" in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district just north of the Litani River, an army statement said.
It said the army was trying to identify the perpetrators.
A Lebanese security source told news agency AFP on condition of anonymity the launch site was just 15 metres (50 feet) from the Litani, north of which Hezbollah was to withdraw under the ceasefire agreement.
Hezbollah said it had cancelled an event planned for Friday in Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the group, after an Israeli strike hit the area.
"In view of the Zionist aggression on the southern suburbs, it was decided to cancel the Quds Day event," a statement said, referring to an annual commemoration launched by Iran in support of Palestinians.
The site of the planned gathering, at which Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem was due to give a televised address, is located several hundred metres from where the strike hit.
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday that Israel's attack on Beirut's southern suburbs was a continuation of Israeli violations of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, his office posted on X.
Aoun has been meeting Macron during a visit to Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday strikes on Beirut this morning were "unacceptable" and a violation of the ceasefire.
Macron was speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun after the two leaders met at the Elysee palace in Paris to discuss economic reforms and efforts to stabilise the country as a fragile truce with Israel increasingly comes under pressure.
Israeli actions in Gaza, including strikes on populated areas in which civilians have been killed, bear the hallmarks of atrocities, the agency that coordinates U.N. humanitarian aid said on Friday.
"There is a callous disregard for human life and dignity. The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in Geneva.
"Every day we have seen children being killed, aid workers being killed, people being forcibly displaced with no means for their survival," added Laerke, who also noted the resumption of rocket fire from Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Laerke said stocks of food and medical supplies are running out very fast as the Israeli authorities have blocked aid from crossing into the enclave since March 2.
The World Food Programme said it has 5,700 tonnes of food stocks left in Gaza, enough to support its operations for two weeks at most.
There are also severe shortages of blood supplies to treat the wounded in Gaza, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
"Everything related to trauma is quickly running short. There are less than 500 blood units available. 4,500 blood packs are needed each month", Rik Peeperkorn from WHO told reporters in Geneva via video link in Jerusalem.
Lebanese official media reported an air strike Friday on south Beirut following an Israeli military warning, the first such raid since a November ceasefire largely halted hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
"Israeli warplanes struck the Hadath neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs," the National News Agency said, referring to a densely populated area home to residential buildings and schools, after unclaimed rocket fire from Lebanon towards Israel earlier in the day.
Tehran would strike U.S. bases in the region if Washington follows through on its warning of military consequences for Iran in the absence of a new nuclear deal, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that "there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal."
"If the Americans attack the sanctity of Iran, the entire region will blow up like a spark in an ammunition dump,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf said.
"Their bases and those of their allies will not be safe,” Qalibaf said in a live speech at the annual Al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, that marks the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.
Khamenei has called Trump's message deceptive, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday talks were impossible unless Washington changed its "maximum pressure" policy.
Iran had thoroughly examined Trump's letter and had sent "an appropriate response" through Oman, Araqchi said.
On Friday, Araqchi was reported by state media as saying that while Trump’s letter contained threats, it also left the door open to diplomacy. He did not elaborate.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun began talks in Paris on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss economic reforms and efforts to stabilise the country, as a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah increasingly comes under pressure.
Making his first trip to a Western nation, Aoun was seeking to shore up support from Paris after the new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, succeeded in putting together a government after two years of stalemate.
Under a ceasefire deal brokered by France and the United States in November, armed group Hezbollah was to remove its weapons from southern Lebanon, Israeli ground forces were to withdraw, and the Lebanese army was to deploy in the area.
Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel have all accused each other of violating the accords.
The Israeli military said on Friday it was striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, hours after missiles were fired from Lebanese territory into Israel.
"It seems to us today that we have to move forward on the possibility of a complete respect of the ceasefire," a French presidency official told reporters ahead of the visit, whose country, along with the US, is a guarantor of the accord.
The official said Paris was in contact with President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his deputy Morgan Ortagus on the issue.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will join Aoun and Macron by video call to also discuss the broader situation in Lebanon's neighbour and ties between the two after 10 people were killed in cross-border clashes earlier in March.
"The contacts we were able to have with the Syrian authorities ... aim to underline the need for Damascus to confirm its commitment not to interfere in the affairs of its neighbours, but also work to keep their neighbour's security regarding threats that could come from their territory," the French official said.
Israeli forces have been conducting raids across the occupied West Bank, with Jewish settlers also targeting Palestinians, as the final Friday of Ramadan before Eid al-Fitr approaches.
During one raid, Israeli forces stormed a residential building in the Rafidia neighbourhood, west of Nablus, and conducted an operation in Nablus via the Surra checkpoint.
In Meithalun, southeast of Jenin, Israeli soldiers obstructed an ambulance from reaching an injured person. Local sources also reported an Israeli raid in the town of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah.
In addition, there were injuries following a Jewish settler attack on shepherds in Khirbet Janba, located south of Hebron in the Masafer Yatta area.
Settlers also gathered and attacked between the towns of Qabalan and Jurish, south of Nablus, under the protection of the Israeli army.
🚨 Breaking: Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Family in Masafer Yatta -West Bank.
— Huma Zehra (@HumaZhr) March 28, 2025
pic.twitter.com/ST08Yc96KH
Israel's military on Friday issued an evacuation order to residents of Hadath in Beirut's southern suburbs, the first such order since a ceasefire agreement that halted war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The Israeli military has confirmed it is currently targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, according to a brief statement.
Further details are expected to follow.
Earlier, Hezbollah reaffirmed its commitment to the November 27 ceasefire agreement and denied any involvement in rocket launches that reportedly targeted northern Israel this morning.
The Israeli military has reported that it foiled a weapons smuggling attempt along its border with Egypt.
In a joint statement with Israeli police, the army said that its forces spotted a drone trying to move arms from Egypt into Israel on Thursday.
The troops intervened, seizing nine weapons and the drone.
Demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran on Friday to show support for Palestinians as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian people to protest against "the enemies' tricks".
Crowds waved Iranian and Palestinian flags as well as those of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Many held placards demanding "Death to America" and "Death to Israel", according to AFP.
Similar rallies were held across the country, state TV images showed.
"Your march on Quds Day will nullify all the enemies' tricks and false words," Khamenei said in a video message on Thursday. He has the final say in major state policies.
Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by the Islamic republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The marches call for Jerusalem to be returned to the Palestinians and are traditionally held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Lebanon's Hezbollah said it was not involved in rocket fire towards northern Israel on Friday morning, after the Israeli defence minister threatened to respond against Beirut.
"An official source within Hezbollah confirms the party's respect for the ceasefire agreement and denies any involvement in the rockets launched today from the south of Lebanon" at Israel, the group said in a statement on Telegram.
![At least 23 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip [Getty]](/sites/default/files/styles/image_684x385/public/2209732340.jpeg?h=a5f2f23a&itok=u4z95Rrq)
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