02/06/2026

TUESDAY | JUNE 2, 2026

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Israel orders strikes on Beirut

BEIRUT: Israel said yesterday it would resume strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold mostly spared of heavy attacks since April, as it carries out the deepest incursion into Lebanon in two decades. The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting later in the day on Israel’s expansion of its operations in the country. Iran, negotiating an end to its wider war with the United States, said a ceasefire in Lebanon remains a key condition for any deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had ordered strikes on the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, a densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway. “In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by Hezbollah and the attacks on our cities and citizens, Netanyahu and Katz have instructed the IDF to strike targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut,” a joint statement said. Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader. A truce to halt the fighting in Lebanon began on April 17 but has never been observed. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said yesterday that “a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war”. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his country was facing “a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression”, with the two nations set to hold a fourth round of talks. An AFP correspondent saw families with

o Lebanon ceasefire key condition for Iran

the suffering of the Lebanese people, and people in the south in particular”. Earlier yesterday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for nine towns and villages in southern Lebanon’s Sidon and Jezzine districts, far from the border with Israel, before the army began striking, according to National News Agency. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a missile fired on Tiberias, around 30km into Israeli territory. The group also said it attacked Israeli forces inside Lebanon. Military delegations from Lebanon and Israel held security talks in Washington on Friday and more US-brokered negotiations are planned for today and tomorrow. “To advance those talks, the United States proposed a clear sequence: Hezbollah must stop all attacks on Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,412 people in the country since early March. On the Israeli side, 26 Israelis have been killed – 25 soldiers and one civilian contractor – since the start of the war. – AFP

small children packed onto scooters with just a bag or two leaving the southern suburbs yesterday, while others fled in cars carrying belongings including pillows and bags. Hadi, a 24-year-old, said he had hoped for some stability in the area during the truce. “That feeling did not last long ... Our fears intensified this morning after I received a series of messages about orders to bomb the southern suburbs, which caused widespread panic, and we immediately left the area,” he told AFP over the phone. Beirut’s southern suburbs and their surroundings have been struck twice since April 8, when a series of Israeli attacks across Lebanon killed hundreds in minutes. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that “nothing justifies the major escalation under way in south Lebanon”, calling for an end to the fighting. Lebanese President Aoun condemned the Israeli offensive and pledged to “work to end

Fujimori holds narrow lead ahead of runoff LIMA: Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori holds a narrow lead over leftist Roberto Sanchez one week before Peru’s presidential runoff, two polls showed. Fujimori is expected to take 38% of the votes while Sanchez is predicted to secure 35% in the runoff on Sunday, according to the Ipsos poll conducted May 29-30. Support for Fujimori fell by one percentage point compared to the previous Ipsos poll, while Sanchez maintained the same level of support. The number of people who said they would not vote for any candidate or would spoil their ballot increased by one percentage point to 27%. “The big question in the final week is what undecided voters or those who say they plan to cast a blank or invalid ballot will do,” said Alfredo Torres, CEO of Ipsos. “The logic of choosing the lesser evil will ultimately determine who will be president of Peru for the 2026-2031 term.” Another poll, conducted on May 26-30 by Datum Internacional showed Fujimori securing 39.8% of the vote and Sanchez taking 35.9%. Fujimori, who is running for the fourth time, won the first round on April 12 with 17% of votes. Sanchez, an ally of jailed former leftist President Pedro Castillo, narrowly secured a place in the runoff with 12% of votes. Ipsos’ poll had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points while Datum Internacional had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. – Reuters Fujimori speaks to journalists after a debate with Sanchez. – REUTERSPIC French Navy boards Russia-linked tanker PARIS: The French Navy on Sunday boarded an oil tanker, named the Tagor , which was subject to international sanctions and sailing from Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X. “This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea,” he said. “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.” The Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic said in a separate statement that the French Navy had intervened on an oil tanker more than 740km west of the tip of Brittany, coming from Murmansk, Russia. “This operation was aimed at checking the nationality of a vessel suspected of flying a false flag. After the inspection team boarded the vessel, an examination of the documents confirmed suspicions regarding the irregularity of the flag flown. In accordance with international law and at the request of the public prosecutor, the vessel was diverted,” it said. The prefecture did not name the ship. France and Britain have vowed to obstruct ships linked to Russia’s sanctioned“shadow fleet” that pass through their waters. – Reuters

A Lebanese woman carrying a child walks along a road as people flee the southern suburbs of Beirut. – REUTERSPIC

Attorney general warns of democratic backsliding TEL AVIV: Israel’s attorney general warned yesterday of the country’s democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, specifically regarding the judiciary’s independence and the executive’s disregard for court rulings. powers by creating a “prosecutor general” position appointed by the justice minister. The second Bill aims to grant far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir more powers over the police. military conscription for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, who until recently were exempted from serving in the army.

Israel’s Supreme Court has repeatedly challenged the exemption in recent years, culminating in a 2024 ruling that the government must conscript ultra-Orthodox men. Netanyahu, however, relies on the support of ultra-Orthodox parties to sustain his government and has fought efforts to end the exemption. “It is not possible, from a legal standpoint, to cooperate with a situation in which, on the one hand, the government increases the burden on those who serve, while on the other hand it permits mass draft evasion, and some would even say encourages it,” she said. – AFP

Speaking at the conference in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, Baharav-Miara also denounced what she said was the government’s general disregard for court rulings, according to a statement from her office. “In a situation where the government calls for court rulings not to be obeyed, the day is not far off when a court judgment will be perceived by the public as non-binding,” she said. Baharav-Miara was referring in part to the government’s inaction in implementing

Gali Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser, has clashed with Netanyahu’s government since it took office in late 2022. “Given the approach of the end of the current Knesset’s term, a race has begun to eliminate democratic institutions,” Baharav Miara said at a conference of the Israeli Bar Association yesterday. She pointed specifically to two Bills travelling through Israel’s parliament. The first aims to split the attorney general’s