This is Beirut

Speaking to the press on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that "Iran is a failed nation" and added, "that doesn't mean we won't smack them." Trump also said, "I don't really think Iran knows who their leader is." On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stated that it is "in extremely good shape" and that ships exit the Strait under the protection of the U.S. Navy. Trump reiterated his position that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and expressed that this war "is not about anything else."

The Israeli Army carried out an airstrike in the vicinity of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh and Maifadoun (Nabatieh District).

Israeli military spokesperson for Arab media Lt. Col. Ella Waweya said Monday in a post on X, that Israel’s war is “not against Lebanon, but against Hezbollah,” accusing the group of turning Lebanese villages and towns into battlegrounds and their residents into “fuel for Iran’s project.” Waweya said the Lebanese people “are not our enemies,” while accusing Hezbollah of making them “pay the price for its loyalty to Tehran.”

The Israeli Army carried out a large explosion in the town of Houla, in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon, on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed on Monday to take further steps to institutionalize their security and defense cooperation under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, according to a joint statement issued by its Strategic Political and Defense Committee. The foreign and defense ministers, defense chiefs and chiefs of staff of the three countries met in Istanbul on August 31 under the strategic committee established by the agreement.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday rejected the Framework Agreement and renewed his warning against direct negotiations with Israel while fighting continues, arguing that the process has failed to halt Israeli military operations or prevent further destruction in southern Lebanon.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Iran is taking U.S. sanctions seriously and claimed the country’s economy could collapse within “weeks or months.” Bessent said Washington would continue exerting pressure on Tehran, arguing that Iran was “lashing out kinetically” because it was losing. He also claimed that fuel lines in Iran were stretching to three or four hours.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that no ships had struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting an IRGC claim that a supertanker traveling through the southern route had hit two mines and come to a complete stop. CENTCOM described the claim as “false” and accused the IRGC of attempting to intimidate commercial shipping in the region through disinformation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday that countries party to the Mecca Agreement had agreed to formally name their alliance the “Mecca Defense Alliance,” describing the agreement as a “historic step” toward regional security and stability.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Iran does not seek war but would respond firmly to any aggression against the country, warning that instability in the region would serve none of its countries and would pose challenges for all. Speaking before departing Tehran for Kyrgyzstan to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Pezeshkian said Iran had already made its position against war clear to the international community.