Smoke billows from an Israeli strike near Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon, May 15, 2026 (Reuters)

EA on WION: Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon Despite “Ceasefire”

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: US Intelligence Exposes Trump’s Lies Over Iran War

UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 78 — Iran Retains Most of Its Missile Sites

UPDATE 1654 GMT:

A sanctioned tanker evaded the US naval blockade to load liquefied petroleum gas at Iran’s Kharg Island on Saturday.

The vessel disappeared from the Automatic Identification System almost two weeks ago off the coast of India. Satellite imagery confirmed the loading at Kharg Island.

UPDATE 1648 GMT:

The toll has passed 3,000 killed from Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon since March 2.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said 3,020 people have been slain, including 211 juveniles and 116 healthcare workers. Another 9,273 have been injured.

UPDATE 1330 GMT:

The US has proposed a temporary waiver of sanctions on Iran’s oil for a deal reopening the Strait of Hormuz, says a “source close to the negotiations”.

But the source says the offer is confirmed and will not take effect until a final agreement is reached.

Another Iranian official said the Trump Administration has also shown flexibility on allowing Iran to maintain limited peaceful nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

UPDATE 1239 GMT:

The Revolutionary Guards say they have struck groups linked to the US and Israel in the Kurdistan Province in western Iran near the border with Iraq.

The Guards claimed the groups were attempting to smuggle a large shipment of American weapons and ammunition” into Iran when they were hit in the city of Baneh.

UPDATE 1145 GMT:

Preparing for its latest attacks, the Israeli military has ordered residents of three towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately by a “distance of no less than 1000 meters to open areas”.

The affected towns and villages are Harouf, Burj Al-Shamali, and Dibal.

UPDATE 1056 GMT:

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, says commercial oil inventories are depleting rapidly, with only a few weeks left.

Birol said at the G7 meeting in Paris that the release of strategic oil reserves has added 2.5 million barrels of oil per day to the market, but reserves are not limitless.

UPDATE 0858 GMT:

The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirms that it has sent a revised proposal, via Pakistan, to the Trump Administration.

The Trump camp rejected Tehran’s document “in its entirety” last week. Iran is proposing discussions of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, and a long-term ceasefire in the first stage. The Iranian nuclear programme would be considered in the second stage.

“We don’t have much time,” a Pakistani official said, adding that both countries “keep changing their goalposts”.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also reaffirmed that Iran is in discussions with Oman over administration of the Strait of Hormuz. Oman has objected to a toll; however, Iran is proposing an environmental charge for passage.

UPDATE 0609 GMT:

Dozens of people have marched in the Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Baalbek, Lebanon, following an Israeli strike on an apartment block that killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Wael Abdel Halim and his 17-year-old daughter, Rama.

Protesters chanted in support of Hezbollah and Hamas, as rescue teams searched rubble for survivors.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said eight people, including four children, were killed by Israel on Sunday.

UPDATE, MAY 18:

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted three drones launched from Iraq on Sunday.

Three drones also were launched towards a nuclear plant in the UAE (see 1308 GMT). Two were intercepted, while the third hit an electrical generator and triggered a fire.

UPDATE 1656 GMT:

Iran’s Mehr News Agency says of the Trump Administration’s response to Tehran’s proposal to end the US-Israel War: “The United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations.”

After speaking by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump snapped on social media on Sunday afternoon, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Pakistan and Qatar, trying to facilitate US-Iran talks, have been in a series of discussions with the Iranians. Pakistani Interior Mohsin Naqvi has met with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has spoken by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and then with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

UPDATE 1314 GMT:

One person has been killed by an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Zrarieh in southern Lebanon.

Warplanes have also attacked the towns of Majdal Selem and Barashit. The Israeli military warned residents in Arzi, Al-Marwaniyah, Al-Babiliyah, and Al-Baysariyah to leave ahead of strikes.

UPDATE 1308 GMT:

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi has expressed “grave concern” over a drone strike near a UAE nuclear plant that triggered a fire.

“Military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable,” he said.

Emirati officials said two UAVs were successfully intercepted while the third “struck an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter” of the plant. “Investigations are underway to determine the source of the attacks. Further details will be announced upon completion of the investigations.”

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the drone attack as a “flagrant violation of international law” and a “serious threat to regional security and stability”. It called for de-escalation, stressing the need to avoid the consequences of “unjustified attacks” and to restore stability at both regional and international levels.

UPDATE 1249 GMT:

Israel built two covert bases in Iraq in the lead-up to the wars with Iran in 2025 and 2026, killing Iraqi soldiers and civilians to protect the secret, Iraqi officials have told The New York Times.

The Wall Street Journal published earlier this month that Israel had built one base in Iraq’s western desert for use in the war that began on February.

An official said the earlier base was built in late 2024 in preparation for the 12-day war on Iran in June 2025. It is no longer operational.

The Trump Administration knew about at least one of the bases.

Israel used the bases as a hub for logistics to support the Israeli Air Force, reducing flight time for strikes in Iran. They also housed special forces troops and search-and-rescue teams for any downed Israeli pilots.

On March 3, 2026, an Israeli helicopter chased down a shepherd’s truck, riddling it with bullets, setting it on fire, and killing him.

Before he was slain, Awad al-Shammari contacted Iraq’s regional military command to report that he had soldiers, helicopters, and tents clustered around a landing strip.

UPDATE, MAY 17:

Israel’s attacks since March 2 have cost Lebanon up to $2 billion, around 7% of GDP, says Lebanese Economy Minister Amer Bisat.

“The impact has been fairly major. We think of them in terms of multiple challenges. One challenge is the economic impact itself, people losing their jobs, farms not producing, manufacturing companies closing [and] tourists not showing up,” he said.

UPDATE 1906 GMT:

An Israel Defense Forces officer was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon on Friday

The slain officer is named as An IDF officer, Capt. Maoz Israel Recanati, was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon on Friday.

Recanati is the seventh IDF soldier slain since the start of a purported ceasefire on April 16. Twenty soldiers and a civilian contractor have been killed since Israel launched attacks on March 2.

UPDATE 1640 GMT:

Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Kuwaiti counterpart Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al Sabah have spoken on the sidelines of an Europe-Gulf summit in Athens, Greece.

The two men spoke about “efforts aimed at de-escalation” of the US-Israel Wars.

Al Thani, who is also Foreign Minister, stressed “the need for all parties to respond positively to the ongoing mediation efforts, which would pave the way for addressing the root causes of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a sustainable agreement that prevents renewed escalation”.

UPDATE 1634 GMT:

Israeli warplanes have killed a husband and wife in an airstrike on the town of Haboush in southern Lebanon.

The strike destroyed the home of the young man, Muhammad Hassan Jammoul, and Sakina Muhammad Abbas Makki.

UPDATE 1011 GMT:

Images from the funeral of Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad, killed by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Friday:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: An alleged Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has been extended by 45 days after talks in Washington, says the US State Department.

Moments later Israel — which has continued its attacks across southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire which supposedly began April 16 — killed six people, including three paramedics, and injured 22 in a strike on the Islamic Health Committee in the town of Hanuf.

Israel also attacked the city of Tyre after issuing evacuation orders, and Hezbollah said it targeted barracks in the city of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel with drones.

Earlier on Friday, at least 37 people were wounded in the Tyre district by the Israelis. The casualties included six hospital personnel, nine women, and four children.

One strike targeted a center run by a local NGO near a hospital. It housed people who fled their the war, adjacent to a hotel where more displaced were staying.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, condemned the “unacceptable” toll from ongoing attacks, saying “diplomatic efforts now offer a critical opportunity to stop the violence”.

Israel has killed at least 2,902 people, including 592 women, children, and medics since March 2. Around 1.2 ‌million ‌people have been driven from their homes, with more than 10,000 residences damaged or destroyed, as the Israelis expand their zone of occupation.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott claimed the Israel-Lebanon talks on Thursday and Friday were “productive”. More negotiations will be held on June 2-3.

Pigott posted on social media, “We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border.”

Iran has demanded an “end to all conflicts”, including in Lebanon, in any resolution of the US-Israel Wars.

On Friday night Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he hoped to “mobilize all Arab and international support to bolster our position in the negotiations”.

Implicitly chiding Hezbollah, Salam said Lebanon has had “enough of these reckless adventures serving foreign projects or interests”. The Lebanese military should be the only armed body in the country.