Arab News

US and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz late Thursday, with the US striking Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas after Iran attacked US Navy destroyers. President Trump called the US strikes a 'love tap' and insisted the ceasefire remains in effect, while Iran accused the US of violating the truce. The UAE reported intercepting a separate missile and drone attack early Friday. In Lebanon, the IDF confirmed killing Hezbollah Radwan commander Ahmed Ali Balout, and Hezbollah launched rockets and mortars at Israeli troops. Gaza ceasefire talks remain stalled over Hamas disarmament.

President Trump suspended Project Freedom naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia denied US access to its airspace and bases, while the IDF struck Beirut’s Dahieh suburb targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and a Hezbollah drone seriously wounded an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon. Israel-Lebanon talks are set to resume in Washington, and France moved its aircraft carrier to the Red Sea for a potential Hormuz mission.

Hezbollah launched multiple rocket and drone attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on May 2, with no IDF casualties reported, while the IDF struck over 70 military structures and 50 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the past day. The US announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany amid a diplomatic rift over the Iran war, and Spain demanded the release of a citizen detained during an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. A senior Iranian official warned that conflict with the US is 'likely' to restart after President Trump rejected Tehran's latest proposal.