People swim on a public beach as smoke, background, rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Qlaileh village, seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
06 Jun 2026 04:33AM
BEIRUT: Lebanon's leaders issued pointed calls for Iran to stop interfering in their country's affairs on Friday (Jun 5), as Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah traded attacks after a new truce deal was flatly rejected by the group.Lebanese state media reported fresh Israeli strikes on more than 40 locations Friday, while Hezbollah claimed new attacks on Israeli troops who have invaded the south.Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 to avenge the Feb 28 killing of Iran's supreme leader.Iran, in peace negotiations with Washington, has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon and the war in the Gulf are inextricably linked.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed Iran's leaders in frank terms during a press conference, saying: "Have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip.""We are the people of a sovereign nation that refuses to serve as...an open battlefield for their wars."
