Ellie Chowns, Green Party MP for North Herefordshire. CC image Wikipedia.
Reacting to Israel’s escalating action in Lebanon, Dr Ellie Chowns MP said:
“Israel’s escalating military campaign in Lebanon has already killed thousands of people, displaced more than a million from their homes, and destroyed vital infrastructure, displaying an indefensible disregard for civilian lives and international law.
“This cannot continue. The UK must put an end to the impunity that has enabled and emboldened the Israeli Government on the world stage. The Green Party repeats our calls for the UK Government to end all arms sales to and military cooperation with Israel, to drive independent investigations into war crimes and support justice mechanisms for victims, and to impose sanctions on Netanyahu and all other government officials responsible for breaches of international law.
“The people of Lebanon – like the people of Palestine, Iran, and Israel – deserve to live in safety and peace, not to have their human rights used as bargaining chips which can be disregarded without consequence. The UK must stand on the side of international law and justice, and act now to help prevent further atrocity.”
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A ship waits to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran, which is conditional on the opening of the strait, in Oman on April 8, 2026. Shipping traffic remained at low levels, reported. [Shady Alassar – Anadolu Agency]
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said opponents of the Islamic Republic have been forced to accept what it described as new realities imposed by Iran’s armed forces, particularly regarding the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the June 1963 uprising, the Revolutionary Guard said Iran’s military and political position had altered the balance of power in the region.
“The enemy is forced to accept the new rules imposed on the ground by the Iranian people and armed forces, particularly in the smart management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The statement described public mobilisation as a key element of Iran’s strategy.
“The presence of the people in the streets is the backbone of the battle, the bulwark of diplomacy, and a necessary factor for achieving a complete and decisive victory.”
The Revolutionary Guard rejected what it called attempts by Iran’s adversaries to portray recent events as a success and said “the enemy is attempting to distort reality by fabricating false narratives and misleading the media”.
According to the statement, Iran’s armed forces remain on the highest level of readiness following decades of confrontation with the United States and its allies.
“Thanks to the invaluable experience gained over 48 years of confrontation with America, particularly in the imposed wars, the armed forces have maintained their full and continuous readiness at the highest level.”
The Revolutionary Guard also warned against what it described as broken promises by its adversaries and reiterated that any future military action against Iran would be met with a forceful response.
“Should any aggression occur, the response will be decisive, overwhelming, and far-reaching.”
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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.[Houssam Shbaro – Anadolu Agency]
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected the outcomes of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, Anadolu Agency reports.
In a statement marking the death anniversary of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, Qassem said the outcomes of the negotiations “are completely rejected by broad segments of the Lebanese people.”
He said the US-backed ceasefire understandings reflected American and Israeli visions for Lebanon’s future and sought to subject the country to what he called the “Greater Israel project.”
A joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced early Thursday that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.
The Hezbollah leader accused Israel of attempting “to achieve politically what it had failed to accomplish militarily.”
He added that Israeli settlements in northern Israel “will not be safe” as long as Lebanese villages remain under attack.
“We are only concerned with ending the aggression, securing a ceasefire, and ensuring Israel’s withdrawal,” he said.
Qassem stressed that any ceasefire must apply across all Lebanese territory, adding that as long as the Israeli occupation continues, “the resistance will continue.”
Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.
More than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
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The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are seen as they have reported that the Israeli army constructed two walls inside Lebanese territory along the border, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, near the town of Yaroun, Nabatieh, Lebanon on November 15, 2025. [Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency]
A peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and two others were wounded after mortar shells struck their position in southern Lebanon, the mission said Thursday, Anadolu reports.
In a statement, UNIFIL said the peacekeeper sustained critical injuries “when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun, southeastern Lebanon” late Wednesday night.
The injured peacekeeper was evacuated by air to a hospital in Beirut, where he later died from his wounds.
The mission said two other peacekeepers were also injured in the incident and are receiving treatment at a medical facility inside a UNIFIL base.
The peacekeeping force said it has launched an investigation “to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident.”
“UNIFIL has detected an increasingly high number of trajectories and impacts in South Lebanon. The violence must end,” the mission said.
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack that targeted a UNIFIL position near Marjayoun, identifing the deceased soldier as Sgt. Milovan Jovanovic of Serbia, born in 1989, citing the Serbian Defense Ministry.
It said attacks against peacekeepers carrying out their mission to maintain international peace and security constitute a “serious violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701,” which ended the war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006.
It said it was awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the attack and expressed solidarity with UNIFIL leadership, while wishing a speedy recovery to the two injured peacekeepers from El Salvador and Spain.
Lebanon and Israel agreed Wednesday to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish “pilot zones” placing the Lebanese army in exclusive territorial control, with all non-state actors excluded.
The agreement was announced in a joint statement released following a fourth round of US-mediated talks held at the State Department.
The US-sponsored talks followed weeks of near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed nearly 3,500 people since March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect April 17 and later extended to early July.
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Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. [Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images]
Former Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert warned Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies could attempt to manipulate the next general elections, accusing them of using intimidation and coercion in the Knesset vote that elected a new state comptroller, Anadolu reports.
His warning came a day after the Knesset’s election of Michael Rabello, the Netanyahu family’s lawyer, as Israel’s new state comptroller.
Rabello, backed by the governing coalition, narrowly defeated opposition-backed retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, amid warnings of potential conflicts of interest.
The opposition has alleged that the vote was marred by irregularities, including warnings for lawmakers against supporting the opposition candidate.
“What happened yesterday is a preview of what will happen in the next Knesset elections,” Olmert told Israel’s 103FM radio.
The current Knesset’s term expires in October, although legislation to dissolve parliament and potentially bring forward elections has been proposed.
“They are trying to rig the elections and steal them,” Olmert said. “They will try to do at polling stations what they did yesterday at the Knesset voting station, in front of television cameras and the entire world.
“They used mechanisms of blackmail and threats in violation of the law. This criminal gang is led by the prime minister and his aides,” Olmert said.
“I am issuing a warning,” he continued. “The prime minister and the gang of thugs governing the country with him will try to steal the elections.
“They believe they can prevent voters from going to the polls and influence the results,” he said.
“What happened yesterday involved blackmail through threats, vote theft, and the use of organized-crime methods to elect the candidate the prime minister wanted.”
No strategic benefit
Turning to Lebanon, Olmert said there is a framework that could eventually lead to peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
“There are some minor territorial issues that can undoubtedly be resolved,” he said.
Early Thursday, a joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.
“Our problem is that we (Israelis) have a government that wants war in Lebanon, a government that wants to stay there,” Olmert said.
“It is a government under pressure from a group of lunatics who believe that southern Lebanon, eastern Syria, Gaza, and perhaps Yemen in the future are all lands given to them by God.”
He argued that part of any agreement with Lebanon should involve coordinated cooperation between Israel and the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government is already pursuing a plan to place all weapons under state control, including Hezbollah’s arms, but the group insists it is a resistance movement against Israeli occupation and has rejected disarmament.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has described direct negotiations with Israel as “absurd, humiliating and disgraceful,” saying any outcome would be “completely unacceptable” to broad segments of Lebanese society.
Olmert also said that if US President Donald Trump reaches an agreement with Iran to end the war between Washington and Tehran, it could create a framework for cooperation on the Hezbollah weapons issue.
“Our ground operations in southern Lebanon continue without practical value,” he said. “Israel should not have entered there. Our ground presence has brought no strategic benefit.”
Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.
