Iran International

The US launched a third consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, as Iran retaliated with attacks on UAE-flagged tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and US bases in Jordan and Bahrain. President Trump reversed his plan for a 20% Hormuz toll, replacing it with Gulf investment deals, while Israel and Lebanon resumed talks in Rome focused on an IDF withdrawal pilot. Houthi rebels threatened a siege on Saudi Arabia after strikes on Sanaa airport, and oil prices rose amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew their ceasefire and create pilot zones free of Hezbollah control, while President Trump suggested an Iran deal could be reached by the weekend despite Tehran denying progress. The US House passed a symbolic war powers resolution to limit Trump’s authority on Iran, and Kuwait released CCTV footage of the deadly Iranian drone strike on its airport.

The US struck Iranian military sites in Qeshm and Goruk, prompting an IRGC retaliatory strike on a US air base. An IDF soldier was killed and three wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon. Sirens sounded in Tiberias for the first time since the ceasefire. A car-ramming attack in the West Bank injured two teenagers. President Trump said Iran 'really wants' a deal and claimed an agreement would bar nuclear weapons.

US forces struck Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats near Bandar Abbas in self-defense, while Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the IDF to intensify strikes against Hezbollah after a surge in drone attacks. US-Iran talks continue in Qatar, but Tehran warns that an Israeli strike on Beirut would jeopardize negotiations.

Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Tyre overnight, while the IDF intercepted a suspected drone near Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah claimed it forced an Israeli Heron 1 drone to retreat with a surface-to-air missile. The US is preparing a fresh round of strikes on Iran, with military staff canceling weekend leave, though no final decision has been made. Iran’s foreign minister accused the US of excessive demands in talks, as Pakistan’s army chief shuttled between Tehran and Washington. In Gaza, Israeli forces struck central refugee camps despite a ceasefire. A report revealed Iran moved billions through Binance to fund military networks.

Hezbollah launched multiple explosive-drone attacks on northern Israel on Friday, triggering sirens and reportedly causing impacts, while the IDF struck Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. US-Iran ceasefire talks saw slight progress, with Pakistan’s army chief visiting Tehran as a mediator, but deadlock persists over uranium stockpiles and Strait of Hormuz tolls. US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigned, citing her husband’s health, amid reports she was forced out over Iran war dissent. Freed Gaza flotilla activists alleged sexual abuse and other mistreatment in Israeli custody, which Israel denied.

US House Republicans abruptly delayed a vote on a war powers resolution that would have limited President Trump’s authority to strike Iran, as the administration sanctioned nine Hezbollah-linked Lebanese officials. On the ground, the IDF killed two armed suspects approaching the Israel-Lebanon border, while an Israeli strike on a Civil Defense center in Hanaweih killed four paramedics. Diplomatic signals between Washington and Tehran continued, with both sides citing progress but stuck on uranium enrichment and Hormuz tolls.

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 conducted 10 attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on April 30, the highest single-day total since the April 16 ceasefire, killing one IDF soldier and wounding two others. The escalation coincided with a US War Powers Resolution deadline on May 1 requiring congressional authorization for the Iran conflict, which the Trump administration argues is paused by the ceasefire. Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 15 people, including a Lebanese Army soldier and his family, while the IDF reduced artillery fire in Gaza under US pressure. The UK raised its terror threat level to 'severe' after an antisemitic stabbing in London, and the US delivered 6,500 tons of military equipment to Israel.