The national holiday marks May 25, 2000, when Israeli forces ended a 22-year presence in southern Lebanon following years of conflict. This year’s commemoration came amid continuing hostilities along the Israeli-Lebanese border, prompting Lebanese officials to emphasize the unresolved security situation in the south.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the anniversary should serve as a moment of national solidarity with families affected by the ongoing conflict, including those who have lost relatives, been wounded, displaced or remain in frontline communities.

In a statement posted on social media, Salam said Lebanon would reserve celebrations until Israeli forces had fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory and displaced residents could safely return to their homes.
President Joseph Aoun described the 2000 withdrawal as the result of sacrifices made by residents of southern Lebanon, calling the anniversary a symbol of national dignity.

He said, however, that the occasion was being observed amid continued military operations in southern villages and what he characterized as ongoing violations of international resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to securing a complete Israeli withdrawal through diplomatic negotiations while emphasizing the role of the Lebanese state and armed forces in safeguarding national sovereignty.

The statements came as tensions remained elevated in southern Lebanon. Residents of 10 villages were ordered to evacuate on Monday as bombardments continued and concerns mounted over a broader escalation along the border region.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 18 people and wounded 21 others. The ministry said the cumulative death toll linked to the conflict had reached 3,151.

The anniversary has long held symbolic significance in Lebanon’s modern history, marking the end of Israel’s military presence in most of southern Lebanon after more than two decades. This year, however, the observance reflected the extent to which renewed cross-border hostilities have reshaped the country’s political and security landscape.

Lebanese leaders used the occasion to underscore both the legacy of the 2000 withdrawal and the challenges posed by the current conflict, as military operations and civilian displacement continue to affect communities across the south.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said rescuers were still clearing debris and searching for survivors in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district after hours-long attacks overnight caused extensive destruction to apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure.

“Rescuers continue clearing the rubble and searching for people in the building in Darnytskyi district non-stop,” the emergency service said in a statement posted on Telegram, revising an earlier reported death toll of 16.

Images released by Ukrainian authorities showed burned vehicles, shattered residential buildings and emergency personnel working through debris in heavily damaged neighborhoods.

The latest strikes marked one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months as Russia continues intensified aerial bombardments targeting cities and infrastructure across Ukraine amid the prolonged conflict.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian areas during large-scale missile and drone assaults, while Russia maintains that its strikes are directed at military and strategic infrastructure.

The attacks came as fighting along multiple front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remained intense, with both sides continuing long-range strikes deep beyond battlefield positions.

The blast struck Naurang Bazar in the Sarai Nawrang area near Bannu District, close to the Afghan border, according to emergency officials and local authorities.Witnesses described scenes of panic after the explosion tore through the busy marketplace, damaging storefronts and vehicles as residents and rescue workers rushed to evacuate the wounded.

Rescue 1122 said nine people were killed and around 30 others wounded in the attack, adding that critically injured victims had been transferred to hospitals in Bannu for treatment.Dr. Mohammad Ishaq said the hospital had received at least 37 injured patients, several of whom remained in critical condition.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.The attack came days after a coordinated assault involving a car bomb and armed ambush on a police checkpoint in Bannu district killed 15 police officers. Pakistani authorities blamed militants operating from Afghan territory for the weekend attack and lodged a formal protest with the Taliban-led government in Kabul.

The Taliban administration said on Monday it had no immediate response to Pakistan’s allegations.Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent months amid escalating accusations over cross-border militancy. In February, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as militant safe havens linked to attacks on Pakistani security forces.

The Taliban government has repeatedly denied providing sanctuary to militants and maintains that Pakistan’s security crisis is an internal matter.

Northwestern Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence in militant violence since the collapse of a ceasefire between Islamabad and armed insurgent groups, with attacks increasingly targeting police, military personnel and civilian areas near the Afghan frontier.

Gunmen stormed an unregistered orphanage in Kogi in late April, abducting 23 children and several adults. Most of the children were released shortly afterward, but seven children remained missing until the latest rescue operation.In a statement, the Nigerian army said troops “successfully rescued the remaining kidnapped victims” following what it described as sustained search-and-rescue efforts.

The rescued group included five boys, two girls and two adult women believed to be wives of the orphanage proprietor, the statement said.Authorities did not disclose details about the operation or whether any suspects were arrested.

Kogi state Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo previously said the orphanage had been operating illegally in a remote forested area without registration or oversight from state authorities and security agencies.Nigeria continues to face overlapping security crises, including insurgencies, armed banditry, communal violence and separatist unrest.

Kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common, particularly in rural and underserved regions where security presence is limited.North-central Nigeria, including Kogi state, has witnessed repeated attacks on schools and communities in recent years.

Security officials have linked some incidents in neighboring regions to militants affiliated with Boko Haram.In November, hundreds of students were abducted from a school in neighboring Niger state in an attack that security sources attributed to Boko Haram fighters.

The Israeli military said the launcher had been used in an attack that was intercepted by its air defense systems. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.The exchange came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire had been extended by three weeks, underscoring ongoing fragility in the truce.

Hezbollah said its attack was in retaliation for an earlier Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Yater. Lebanon’s public health ministry said two people, including a child, were wounded in artillery shelling in the area.

Separately, the ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike killed three people in the Nabatieh region in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said those killed were militants who had launched a missile toward an Israeli warplane.

Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have persisted intermittently despite ceasefire efforts, with both sides accusing each other of violations as tensions linked to the wider regional conflict continue.

Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said two apartment blocks were hit in the attack, leading to a partial collapse of one building entrance. The victims were later pulled from the rubble during rescue operations.“Two people an adult woman and a child have died in Syzran following an attack by an enemy drone,” Fedorishchev said in a statement, describing the incident as a crime against civilians.

Russia’s Emergency Ministry, cited by domestic news agencies, said rescue efforts had been completed and that no additional victims were believed to be trapped under the debris. No further casualty details were provided.

There was no immediate response from Ukraine. Both Kyiv and Moscow have consistently denied deliberately targeting civilian populations since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The strike comes as Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian infrastructure in recent months, particularly energy-related sites, while U.S.-mediated peace talks remain on hold and Washington’s attention is partly focused on escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Syzran, located roughly 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, is home to a major oil refinery, underscoring its strategic importance within Russia’s energy network.

The strikes hit the village of Jilli on Saturday, with casualty figures varying widely. A UN security report seen by AFP said at least 56 people were killed and 14 injured when Nigerian Air Force fighter jets carried out the operation targeting suspected militants.

Amnesty International said more than 100 people were killed and 35 seriously wounded, while local chief Lawan Zanna Nur estimated total casualties, including injured, at around 200. A market committee member, Bulama Mulima Abbas, said 36 bodies had been counted at the scene, describing the victims as traders.

The Nigerian military said it had conducted a “precision air strike” on a known militant enclave and logistics hub near Jilli, reporting that “scores of terrorists” were killed but making no reference to civilian casualties.

In a separate statement, the air force said it had launched an investigation into reports that the strike may have hit a local market, causing civilian deaths.

Nigeria has faced repeated incidents of civilian casualties during air operations against insurgents, including fighters from Boko Haram and its splinter faction Islamic State West Africa Province, which have waged an insurgency since 2009.

Recent cases include a January 2025 airstrike in Zamfara state that killed at least 16 people after vigilantes were mistaken for armed groups, and a December 2023 strike in Kaduna state that killed at least 85 people when a religious gathering was misidentified as militants.

Violence has intensified in recent months, with more than 100 people killed across northern Nigeria in the past 10 days in attacks attributed to both insurgents and criminal gangs, according to local accounts.The security situation has drawn international scrutiny, including from Donald Trump, whose administration has pressed Nigeria to intensify its campaign against militant groups.

The United States has also deployed about 200 troops to provide technical and training support to Nigerian forces.

Nigeria’s government has stepped up legal action against suspected militants, with Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi saying authorities had prosecuted 508 cases and secured nearly 386 convictions in mass terrorism trials.

Leiter said Israel had agreed to begin “formal peace negotiations” with the Lebanese government, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The talks are scheduled to open Tuesday at the U.S. State Department following contacts between Israeli and Lebanese representatives.“Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries,” Leiter said in a statement.

The position contrasts with calls from Lebanese authorities and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for a pause in hostilities ahead of negotiations. A report citing sources familiar with the discussions said Washington and Beirut had urged Israel to halt its attacks before talks begin.

Israel launched an intensified military campaign, including airstrikes and a ground offensive in Lebanon, after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in early March, in a move linked to broader regional tensions involving Iran.

Israeli officials have maintained that the ongoing conflict in Lebanon is separate from the ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran, with negotiations between those two countries set to take place in Islamabad.

In the absence of a ceasefire, discussions in Washington are expected to focus on measures Israel wants the Lebanese government to take, particularly regarding efforts to curb Hezbollah’s activities.

Lebanese authorities say the conflict has killed more than 1,950 people in recent weeks, including over 350 fatalities reported on Wednesday alone, marking one of the deadliest days since the escalation began.

The raids, carried out by criminal groups locally known as bandits, targeted villages in Sokoto State on Thursday, following several days of deadly assaults in the country’s predominantly Muslim north.

Ahmad Yahaya, a community leader in Dan Adua village, said at least 12 people were killed and 43 abducted across Isa and Sabon Birni local government areas during the attacks. He said heavily armed gunmen carried out the raids.

Lawmaker Muhammad Saidu Bargaja, who represents the affected areas, confirmed the violence, reporting similar casualty figures and describing the security situation as “highly devastating.”

The districts are believed to be under the influence of Bello Turji, a notorious gang leader whose network imposes levies on communities and conducts retaliatory raids against those who refuse to comply.

The latest violence comes amid a wider escalation of attacks by both criminal gangs and jihadist groups. Earlier in the week, a senior military officer, Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, was killed along with several troops during an overnight assault on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, according to local officials and intelligence sources.

Separate attacks in the northwestern states of Kebbi and Niger have also left at least 90 people dead since Sunday, based on figures from local authorities, humanitarian groups and church sources.

The surge underscores ongoing security challenges in northern Nigeria, where armed groups continue to target civilians, security forces and infrastructure despite military operations aimed at curbing the violence.

In a written statement broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television, Qassem said the group would not accept a return to prior arrangements and called on Lebanese officials to take a firmer stance in upcoming talks.

His remarks followed Israeli strikes earlier this week that he described as “bloody criminality,” referring to attacks on Wednesday that reportedly killed more than 300 people in Lebanon.

The comments come as Beirut and Tel Aviv are preparing to begin negotiations in the United States, part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address escalating tensions between the two countries.