Bint Jbeil News

President Trump declared the US the 'guardian' of the Strait of Hormuz and announced a 20% toll on all cargo traversing the waterway, as US forces struck an Iranian naval base and submarine maintenance facility. The UK proscribed the IRGC as a terrorist organization over an antisemitic arson campaign, and Yemen's Saudi-backed government bombed Sanaa airport to block an Iranian plane. The IDF killed a Hamas weapons smuggler in southern Gaza, and the UN accused Hamas of obstructing aid distribution.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to all vessel traffic, with Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority blaming illegal US military movements, as the US launched a third wave of strikes on Iranian targets. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, injuring three in Kuwait. US Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch pro-Israel voice, died at 71. Israel mourned Graham as 'one of its greatest friends,' and Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering attending the funeral. In Gaza, the IDF killed two Hamas operatives advancing attacks on troops, while heavy airstrikes hit Gaza City. The former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, died at 74.

The US launched a second consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting over 90 sites including railway bridges and the Bushehr refinery, while the IRGC claimed missile and drone attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. President Trump declared the ceasefire over and threatened further escalation, even as he acknowledged an Iranian outreach for a deal. Khamenei's funeral procession reached Mashhad for burial, drawing millions of mourners and foreign dignitaries.

An explosion at Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG terminal killed 13 and injured dozens during a restart attempt, while the US issued a 60-day license for Iranian oil sales as talks continued. The IDF killed a Nukhba terrorist in Gaza and reported confiscating over 240 firearms in the West Bank this year. Diplomatic activity intensified with US Secretary of State Rubio planning Gulf visits, Iranian negotiator Ghalibaf traveling to Oman, and President Pezeshkian set to visit Pakistan.

Quadrilateral talks between the US, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar began at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, launching a 60-day negotiation window under the Islamabad MoU. The IDF Chief of Staff visited southern Lebanon, emphasizing readiness to resume combat if the fragile ceasefire collapses. In Gaza, journalist Ahmed Wishah was killed, while the Shin Bet revealed it foiled dozens of Hamas attacks directed from Turkey.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in southern Lebanon overnight, hours after a US-Qatar brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah was renewed. The strikes targeted multiple locations including Nabatieh and Arab Salim, drawing condemnation from Iran, which warned the US that continued Israeli operations could collapse broader diplomatic efforts. US envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Switzerland for nuclear talks with Iran, while Prime Minister Netanyahu faces reported tensions with President Trump over the Iran deal.

The United States launched a second consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian air defense, surveillance, and communication targets, while Iran announced the full closure of the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated with missile and drone strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. President Trump threatened further attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal, as the IDF reported a suspicious aerial target near Misgav Am and strikes in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley.

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents wounded when IDF troops fired on their vehicle in Hebron. Hezbollah rejected the US-brokered ceasefire, launching rockets and surface-to-air missiles at northern Israel, while the IDF killed two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. France opened a war crimes probe into Israel's treatment of flotilla activists, and Ireland banned Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

Hezbollah formally rejected the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel, even as Lebanon said its army would deploy to pilot zones anyway. A UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed and two wounded by mortar fire in southern Lebanon, which the IDF attributed to Hezbollah. The US House passed a symbolic war powers resolution to limit Trump’s military actions in Iran, drawing a sharp rebuke from the president. The IAEA called on Iran to explain enriched uranium stockpiles and restore inspector access.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, striking Kuwait’s international airport and wounding several people, while the US conducted self-defense strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island. US and partner forces intercepted multiple projectiles, and the IRGC claimed retaliatory strikes on US bases in Kuwait. Hezbollah carried out 13 attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, wounding four soldiers, as Israel-Lebanon talks continued in Washington. The IAEA confirmed a drone attack on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant, calling it of “extreme gravity.”

Clashes continued in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered partial ceasefire, with Hezbollah launching rocket and drone attacks and the IDF striking targets in the south. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, while Israel’s defense minister threatened to treat Beirut’s Dahiya suburb like northern Israeli towns. The IDF acknowledged inadvertently damaging a hospital in Tyre. In Gaza, the IDF killed five operatives planning imminent attacks. Iran’s leadership deliberated a US peace deal, and Netanyahu vowed the Iranian regime would fall.

President Trump forced a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after an expletive-laden call with PM Netanyahu, halting planned strikes on Beirut. Hezbollah continued rocket and drone attacks despite the truce, killing an IDF medical officer and wounding seven soldiers. Iran’s parliament speaker warned talks with the US would halt if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued. The Knesset advanced a bill to dissolve, moving toward early elections.

Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed IDF troops of the 36th Division crossed the Litani River and advanced to strategic points in southern Lebanon, while the IDF struck Hezbollah targets across the south and in the Bekaa Valley. The US and Iran reached a tentative 60-day ceasefire memorandum of understanding, pending President Trump's approval, though both sides publicly disputed its contents. In Gaza, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to expand control to 70% of the Strip, violating the October ceasefire, and the IDF eliminated the deputy commander of Hamas's Gaza City Brigade. The UN added Israel to its sexual-violence-in-conflict blacklist, drawing sharp Israeli condemnation.

Hezbollah drone attacks wounded 10 Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, including a brigade commander and a combat photographer, as the Knesset overwhelmingly advanced a bill to dissolve parliament. Iran confirmed it is reviewing a US proposal delivered via Pakistan, while President Trump said talks are in 'final stages' and warned of renewed strikes if no deal is reached. The US lifted sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, and settler violence flared in the West Bank.

An IDF brigade commander was severely wounded and a reservist killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on artillery bunkers in southern Lebanon. The Knesset advanced a bill to dissolve parliament, moving Israel closer to early elections. The IRGC threatened to expand the war beyond the region if the US resumes strikes on Iran, while international outcry grew over a video showing Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a secret wartime visit to the UAE, which Abu Dhabi denied, as President Trump met with Xi Jinping in Beijing amid tensions over Iran. Hezbollah launched multiple attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, and IDF officers warned that Jewish terror accounts for up to 80% of incidents in the West Bank. Saudi Arabia reportedly struck Iran-backed militias in Iraq during the war.

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. Hezbollah launched rockets and explosive drones at northern Israel, wounding three soldiers, and the IDF struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon.

President Trump expressed doubt that Iran's 14-point peace proposal is acceptable, warning strikes could resume, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 13 in southern Lebanon and the IDF issued evacuation orders for 11 towns. The US fast-tracked $8.6 billion in arms sales to Middle East allies, and Spain demanded the release of a Spanish activist detained from a Gaza aid flotilla.