Xi Jinping

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the UN General Assembly that 'no one speaks on behalf of Lebanon' and demanded Israel withdraw from the south, as Israeli strikes continued in Nabatieh and other areas. Iran's foreign minister outlined a seven-day roadmap to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts sanctions and halts regional operations, while President Pezeshkian said Iran 'will not bend the knee' and would respond powerfully to any attack. The IDF announced it killed two Hamas operatives in Gaza City, including a commander who held four hostages, and launched an interceptor at a 'suspicious aerial target' over southern Lebanon.

Israel targeted Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a Gaza City airstrike, while the US announced a 45-day extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire after Washington talks. Hezbollah launched drones and rockets at northern Israel and IDF troops in southern Lebanon. President Trump said he is open to a 20-year suspension of Iran's nuclear program, as Iran and the US rejected each other's proposals to end the war. An Iraqi militia commander linked to Iran was arrested in the US for plotting attacks on Jewish sites.

Hezbollah launched explosive drones at northern Israel and rockets at IDF troops in southern Lebanon, while the IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Tyre and destroyed a rocket launcher used in an overnight barrage on Kiryat Shmona. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the full annexation of the West Bank and the elimination of the Area A/B/C division. Iran’s foreign minister expressed distrust of the US at a BRICS meeting in India, and the UAE announced the acceleration of a second oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz by 2027.

An IDF soldier was killed by Hezbollah mortar fire in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah launched rockets at the Galilee, as President Trump warned that the “decimation” of Iran’s military “will continue” and said his patience with Tehran is running out. Trump and Xi Jinping discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz but reached no firm deal. CENTCOM’s commander told Congress that Iran’s military is severely degraded but still able to strike. Netanyahu said Israel now holds 60% of Gaza territory, and a new activist flotilla departed Turkey for Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes on vehicles in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 people, including a woman and her two children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The IDF said it struck Hezbollah weapons depots, rocket launchers, and infrastructure. Hezbollah claimed an ambush and a loitering-glider hit on an Israeli tank. UNIFIL accused Hezbollah of drone attacks that damaged its headquarters. President Trump arrived in Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping, with Iran, trade, and Taiwan on the agenda. Iran warned it will block US weapons transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Reports revealed that Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs secretly visited the UAE during the Iran war to coordinate.