West Asia crisis: Ceasefire proposed, Lebanon gets aid from multiple nations

The situation in Lebanon remains tense as the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict escalates. Many countries are stepping in to provide donations to support the Lebanese government during this challenging time.

Egypt has put forward a proposal for a two-day ceasefire that would involve an exchange of four Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

This initiative was announced by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a news conference. The proposal aims to ease tensions and facilitate negotiations, highlighting Egypt's ongoing role as a mediator in the region.

Sisi did not specify the number of Palestinian prisoners that would potentially be released, CNN reported.

Under the proposal, if the two-day ceasefire held, the two sides would then have 10 days to negotiate a permanent ceasefire to get desperately needed humanitarian aid into the Strip, Sisi said.

Lebanon has received a second airplane from Pakistan, delivering 17 tons of food and medical supplies, according to the Lebanese official National News Agency (NNA) on Sunday.

Mohammad Kheir, secretary general of Lebanon's Higher Relief Committee, said that the donation from Pakistan expresses the depth of the historical relations between the Lebanese and Pakistani people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lebanon also received from Saudi Arabia the 14th airplane carrying relief aid, including food, shelter, and medical supplies, as part of the Saudi air bridge operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, according to NNA.

The Lebanese Army also received two planes carrying humanitarian aid provided by Jordan and the first shipment of the second fuel grant provided by Qatar.

Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has once again called for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza and advocated for the establishment of new cities and settlements deep within the West Bank.

His remarks reflect the ongoing tensions regarding Israeli settlement expansion and the broader conflict, indicating a continuation of policies that many see as exacerbating the situation in the region.

However, Israel's defense minister has expressed concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu about the lack of direction in the country's current military operations.

He called for a reassessment of the conflict's objectives, advocating for the promotion of an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza and emphasising the need to prevent Iran's involvement in the hostilities.

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned Israel's military actions in Gaza and criticised the international community for its perceived complicity.

Khamenei's statement about Israel's airstrikes emphasises the need for a measured perspective, suggesting that the situation should neither be exaggerated nor minimised.

This reflects his stance on maintaining a balanced view amidst the heightened tensions in the region, particularly in relation to ongoing conflicts involving Israel and its neighbors.

"They're making a miscalculation concerning Iran," he said in comments published on his website.

"They still haven't been able to correctly understand the power, capability, ingenuity, and determination of the Iranian people. We need to make them understand these things."

Khamenei said that those who believe Iran should avoid producing weapons to avoid provoking backlash are misguided.

The "devastation and deprivation" caused by Israel's military operations in northern Gaza is "making the conditions of life untenable" for Palestinians there, the spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said.

"The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in north Gaza is unbearable," Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Sunday.

"The secretary-general is shocked by the harrowing levels of death, injury, and destruction in the north, with civilians trapped under rubble, the sick and wounded going without life-saving healthcare, and families lacking food and shelter, amid reports of families being separated and many people detained," the UN spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi have discussed the latest developments regarding the Israeli attacks on Iran, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Abdelatty reviewed efforts made by Egypt, in coordination with Qatar and the US, to reach an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the full and unconditional entry of humanitarian and medical aid into the Gaza Strip, and the release of hostages and prisoners.

However, Iran has vowed to respond to Israel's strikes on the country, which Tehran says killed five people, but said it does not want a wider war.

"We do not seek war, but we will defend the rights of the people and the nation, and we will give an appropriate response to the Zionist entity's aggression," Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, according to media reports.

The Iranian president has issued a stark warning that tensions could escalate if Israel persists in its "aggression and crimes".

He also accused the U.S. of provoking Israel to engage in such actions, suggesting a broader geopolitical dynamic at play. This rhetoric reflects the heightened animosity in the region and the complex interplay between local conflicts and international involvement.

Israel has said its strikes on Iran early Saturday hit military targets and were in response to Iranian attacks on Israel earlier this month, CNN reported.

Israel's chief of the general staff Herzi Halevi warned on Sunday that any threat against his country would be dealt with militarily.

He added that Israel had "used only a portion" of its military capabilities during Saturday's strikes on Iran.

"We will now see how things develop. We are prepared for all scenarios in every arena," he said.

With IANS inputs