News 0404 IL

US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington have been extended by an extra day, with progress reported but gaps remaining on IDF withdrawal. An IDF officer was moderately wounded in a close-quarters encounter with a terrorist in southern Lebanon. The IAEA chief reported an initial exchange with Iranian authorities, while the US is considering relocating some Gulf bases damaged by Iran to Israel. The UN says the evacuation of sailors from the Strait of Hormuz has been halted after an Iranian drone struck a cargo vessel.

President Trump warned Iran that he will do 'what I have to do' to prevent a nuclear weapon if Tehran does not abide by the emerging deal, while Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to maintain Israel's security zone in southern Lebanon ahead of direct Jerusalem-Beirut talks in Washington. Iran's top negotiator insisted the Strait of Hormuz will be managed by Tehran, and the Pentagon is seeking $80 billion from Congress for Iran war funding. The IDF confirmed killing an Oct. 7 Nukhba terrorist in a recent Gaza strike, and a Jewish man was critically wounded in a shooting in Montreal.

Hezbollah explosive drones killed an IDF soldier and seriously wounded another in southern Lebanon, as President Trump declared it 'mandatory' for six Muslim nations to join the Abraham Accords as part of an Iran deal. The US and Iran voiced cautious optimism but tempered expectations of an imminent breakthrough, while Israeli opposition leaders accused Netanyahu of being sidelined.