Many Israeli ex-generals and former security chiefs have signed a petition urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran, which he strongly opposes.

A petition signed by the former officials and made public Monday calls the July 14 accord a "fait accompli".

Iran banned a weekly newspaper owned by a critic of its nuclear deal Monday and issued a formal warning to the country's leading conservative daily for alleged breaches of reporting guidelines.

The penalties were the first issued by the government since new guidance on media coverage of the historic accord was issued last week, underscoring sensitivity about the nuclear issue in Tehran.

Speaker Nabih Berri has revealed that he would not vote for Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun for considering him and the parliament illegitimate over the extension of its term last year.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Monday, Berri expressed surprise at Aoun's continued insistence to consider the parliament illegitimate while at the same time expecting it to elect him as president.

Iran's president said Sunday his country's nuclear deal with the West would create better prospects for faster solutions in Syria and Yemen, two of the Middle East's worst conflict zones.

In a live appearance on state television, Hassan Rouhani said the July 14 agreement had shown diplomacy and engagement were the only way to solve serious political problems and end crises.

Egypt extended Saturday its participation in the Saudi-led Arab coalition carrying out air strikes on Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen for another six months, the presidency said.

"The National Defense Council agreed to prolong the participation of (Egyptian) troops engaged in a combat mission" in the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a statement said.

Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mohammed Fathali stressed that his country's nuclear deal will reflect positively on Lebanon and the region, the state-run National News Agency reported on Saturday.

“The nuclear deal will affect Lebanon and the region positively. We believe that this agreement will pave way for positive atmospheres,” said Fathali after a meeting with Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh on head of a delegation.

Tens of thousands of working mothers have been sacked in Iran since the start of 2014 because employers found cheaper staff, an official said Friday, warning that a new maternity pay policy remains unfunded.

The comments highlight the financial pressures on families and on the Iranian government, despite this month's nuclear deal with world powers that could pave the way for an economic rebound.

Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mohammed Fathali has stressed that it was up to Lebanon's rival leaders to resolve the country's presidential deadlock.

“This is an internal Lebanese issue,” the diplomat told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

Israel has deployed the Iron Dome defense system to the north on the border with Lebanon, likely amid fears that Hizbullah could get an infusion of cash and weapons from Iran after the nuclear deal.

In an exclusive interview with FoxNews.com, the commander of Israel’s Active Defense Air Wing, Col. Yoni Saada Marom, said that the military drills were not a direct reaction to recent events, but made clear that Hizbullah and other groups close to Israel's borders presented a potentially heightened threat.

Speaker Nabih Berri has reiterated that the government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam is a red line, urging Lebanon's rival officials not to wait for the Iran nuclear deal to resolve the country's crises.

“Bringing down the cabinet means abolishing the country. This cannot take place,” Berri told his visitors, according to al-Joumhouria daily published on Friday.