File image of the Strait of Hormuz

EA on International Outlets: Trump’s Indecision on Iran Deal

US-Israel Wars, Day 96: Trump’s Confusion from Iran to Lebanon

UPDATE 1720 GMT:

At least three people have been killed in the latest Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon.

The fatalities were in the Nabatieh district —- a young man in Doueir and two people, as well as two injured, on the road between the towns of Zifta and al-Namiriya.

UPDATE 1711 GMT:

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has said of the US, follow Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut:

They are neither committed to a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue, and through the naval blockade and violation of agreements regarding Lebanon they showed that they only understand the language of power.

The naval blockade against the Iranian nation and America’s green light today to the Zionist regime turn American and regime bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets. The hand of our armed forces is open, as always.

UPDATE 1232 GMT:

Israel has killed at least two people and at least 11 wounded in airstrikes on Dahiyah, a southern suburb of Beirut and Hezbollah’s administrative and political center.

Two apartments were targeted. Israeli officials claimed they hit Hezbollah headquarters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the attacks, saying they were in response to Hezbollah rocket fire on northern Israel.

UPDATE 1133 GMT: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has visited Iran to deliver a message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Supreme Leader.

The content of the note, handed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi amid Pakistani mediation for an end to the US-Israel War, has not been disclosed.

UPDATE 1129 GMT:

The Israel Defense Forces have issued an evacuation order for Tyre in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes.

Residents of the city and its suburbs are instructed to head north of the Zahrani River.

UPDATE 0724 GMT:

Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon have continued overnight and early Sunday.

At least two people were killed and 22 wounded, including three children and a woman, in a raid on the town of Saksakiyeh.

Targets includes the towns of Qalawiya, al-Qatrani, Byblos and Rihan in the Jezzine district. The town of Deir Kifa in the Tyre district was also bombed, while Barashit and Chaqra were subjected to intermittent artillery shelling.

Four Israeli reservists were injured by a Hezbollah drone attack.

UPDATE 0718 GMT:

Trying to avoid or limit any unfreezing of Iranian assets in a framework deal to end the US-Israel War, the Trump Administration is trying to redirect the assets to Gulf States, says a “source familiar with the matter”.

The official said the funds would help rebuild and repair facilities damaged by Iran’s retaliatory attacks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has directed a team to assess costs, and the US will consider using Iranian assets for repairs of any future destruction as well.

Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said on Friday that any framework deal must release of $24 billion in Iranian assets.

More than $100 billion of assets have been frozen for decades as part of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

UPDATE, JUNE 7:

An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon, announced the Israel Defense Forces.

UPDATE 1920 GMT:

Two men have been killed in Israel’s latest attacks on southern Lebanon.

One of the men was killed by an Israeli drone on the Zifta-Nabatieh highway and the other in an airstrike in the municipality of Habboush.

UPDATE 1915 GMT:

The UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) has implicitly criticized Israel’s strike on a vehicle that killed three Lebanese troops, including a brigadier general and a captain, on Saturday.

Such attacks in Lebanese territory constitute gross violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Security Council Resolution 1701 [which ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006].

UPDATE 1509 GMT:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has condemned Israel’s killing of three Lebanese troops, including a brigadier general and a captain.

Baghaei posted that Israel “is laying claim to Lebanon in all its components” with “a heinous crime against Lebanon, its army, and its sovereignty, and a clear message of aggression stating that Israel desires no security, stability, or prosperity for Lebanon”.

The statement echoed Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who also called out “a heinous crime and an attack on Lebanon and all Lebanese people”.

UPDATE 1040 GMT:

Bahrain’s army says air defense systems intercepted and destroyed drones and three missiles launched by Iran.

It criticized Tehran for its “systematic hostile approach” through “unlawful” attacks.

Kuwait, which was also attacked overnight, condemned the “direct threat” to the “lives of citizens and residents”.

The Foreign Ministry said, “These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the state….They represent a dangerous escalation.”

UPDATE 1000 GMT: The Lebanese military has updated details of troops killed by an Israeli strike on a military vehicle in the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon this morning (see 0820 GMT).

The victims are a brigadier general, a captain, and another soldier.

The Israeli military insisted that the vehicle was “moving suspiciously” toward its forces near the village of Kfar Tebnit.

It said, “This is a combat zone that requires coordination of movement with the Israel Defense Forces.”

UPDATE 0844 GMT:

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected the statement of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Tehran was interfering in Beirut’s affairs amid Israel’s war on Lebanon.

Based on Mr. Aoun’s comments, one would think it’s Iran that has occupied 1/5 of Lebanon, displaced 1/4 of Lebanese and bombed his country on a daily basis….

Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President.

Aoun told the US outlet CNN on Friday that Iran is using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its negotiations with the US, with the Lebanese people paying the price for Tehran’s interests.

Iran’s ally Hezbollah has rejected the extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announced last week.

UPDATE 0832 GMT:

The Pentagon has raised the counterintelligence threat level from Israel to “critical”, its highest designation, according to current and former US officials.

The Defense Department is concerned that Israel is spying on top US officials to gather information on internal American deliberations. In a seven-page document, the Pentagon has described specific incidents that sparked its worries.

The targeted individuals include Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff; Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby; and one of his deputies, Michael P. DiMino IV.

The White House and Israel’s embassy in the US both denied the report.

UPDATE 0820 GMT:

Israel has killed several Lebanese troops, including a brigadier general, in a strike on a military vehicle in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders to residents of five villages, ahead of more airstrikes.

Residents of Aaramta, Machghara, Kafr Houna, Sejoud, and Ansariyeh were directed to flee north of the Zahrani River.

UPDATE, JUNE 6:

The US and Iran have renewed strikes on each other in the Strait of Hormuz, on the Iranian coast, and in Gulf States.

The US military shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait and struck coastal surveillance radar sites. Central Command claimed the drones “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic”, and said it targeted the coastal sites to “defend against further attacks”.

Iran then targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. CENTCOM said Iran fired seven ballistic missiles, declaring that six were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target.

“There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” it posted.

UPDATE 1647 GMT:

At least 3,558 people have been killed and 10,870 wounded by Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, reports the Lebanese Health Ministry.

UPDATE 1640 GMT:

Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei says a framework deal to end the US-Israel War depends on the release of $24 billion in Iran’s frozen assets.

Rezaei, an advisor to the Supreme Leader, said:

The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock.

If [Donald Trump] wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump – this is a test that America must pass and the path will be opened.

This is our own money, not America’s money.

UPDATE 0859 GMT:

Four people have been killed in a pre-dawn wave of Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon.

Israel has issued evacuation orders to another six villages.

UPDATE 0855 GMT:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told a Cabinet meeting on Thursday night that he will not call a vote on the extension of ceasefire with Lebanon until Hezbollah has accepted its terms.

Some ministers criticized the extension, agreed in Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington on Wednesday, and demanded that it be brought to a vote.

Netanyahu responded, “At the moment, there is no deal….Hezbollah is opposed, and therefore I am not making a decision….If it agrees, I will bring it for your approval.”

Hezbollah is demanding the stiplulaton of the full withdrawal of Israeli forces in any agreement.

UPDATE 0844 GMT:

Elite Israeli troops have been deployed in Azerbaijan in a secret mission during the US-Israel War on Iran, say “sources familiar with the matter”.

Several dozen troops and operatives of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad were stationed at points along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, including around 60 miles from Tabriz in northwestern Iran.

Like compatriots secretly stationed in western Iraq, the troops initially served as an emergency rescue team in the event of Israeli planes being downed over Iran. The mission expanded to include intelligence-gathering and drone operations.

One of the most significant operations was the killing of the commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guards’ Special Operations Division, Rahman Moqadam.

Moqadam recruited and trained operatives, both inside and outside of Iran, to gather intelligence on Israeli political leaders, security officials, Israeli and Western military installations, ports, and Israeli ships.

The sources said Israel also set up a military position in Somaliland allowing its aircraft to refuel while en route to Iran.

UPDATE 0652 GMT:

Iran’s crude oil exports dropped by 84 percent in May, assesses shipping industry journal Lloyd’s List.

The US military began enforcing a blockade of Iran’s ports on April 13.

Iran reportedly has been using smaller oil tankers to ship crude, since Very Large Crude Carriers are at a higher risk of being intercepted by American forces.

UPDATE 0548 GMT:

One person has been killed and two wounded in overnight Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.

Israel also injured 12 people with four missiles near the Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre. A bank building was destroyed.

This morning the Israel Defense Forces have ordered residents to evacuate Aarnaya, Aanqoun, and Kfar Fila ahead of airstrikes.

UPDATE, JUNE 5:

Oman’s Mina al Fahal terminal has suspended oil loading after an explosion from a suspected drone attack.

Traders said scheduled loadings have been pushed back by several days.

UPDATE 1552 GMT:

Four Iranian-flagged oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the first confirmed transit since the US imposed a blockade on Iran’s ports on April 15.

The vessels are carrying a total of seven million barrels of oil, loaded in mid-April on Kharg Island in the northern Persian Gulf, through which 90% of Iran’s crude oil normally transits.

The ships crossed the Strait with their AIS transponders turned off.

US Central Command said 127 commercial ships have been redirected and six disabled under blockade.

It said 36 vessels “supporting humanitarian aid” were allowed to pass.

UPDATE 1543 GMT:

Hezbollah have rejected the terms of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension.

The Lebanese group’s leader Naim Qassem said the demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals”.

What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal.

We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation.

UPDATE 1041 GMT:

At least three people have been killed by an Israeli airstrike on the town of Sohmor in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

Israel also attacked Tell al-Aqareb, north of Sohmor, and the towns of Haddatha, Tibnin, Haris, Kfar, and Harin in southern Lebanon.

UPDATE 1034 GMT:

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says the extension of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is a “last opportunity”, reached after “very difficult” talks in Washington on Wednesday.

The head of the Lebanese delegation, Simon Karam, suspended the discussion at one point. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened to restart the negotiations.

“We are awaiting the responses of all concerned parties and guarantees of compliance, and implementation could begin within 24 hours of final approval,” Aoun said.

UPDATE 0941 GMT:

The Israel Defense Forces reportedly presented a proposal for a large-scale ground operation in Lebanon, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed reservations because of US pressure against further escalation.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir supported the initiative in last night’s meeting.

UPDATE 0935 GMT:

A UN peacekeeper from Serbia, Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, has died from injuries suffered during a mortar attack near Marjayoun in southern Lebanon on Wednesday night.

Two peacekeepers were wounded. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has launched an investigation “to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident”.

UPDATE 0802 GMT:

The Israeli military has warned residents of southern Lebanon to refrain from traveling south of the Zahrani River until further notice.

The Israel Defense Forces said anyone moving south of the river, halfway between the Israeli border and the city of Sidon, puts their life at risk.

A man, his wife, and their daughter were injured by an Israeli drone attack on a car along the road between Zifta and Numairiyah.

UPDATE 0621 GMT:

Bahrain has arrested 20 Shia Muslim activists, including five prominent religious scholars, in raids on multiple homes.

At least 53 Shia leaders have been seized since early May. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has accused detainees of “collaborating with a foreign state” and maintaining “operational links” to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

UPDATE 0610 GMT:

Three paramedics were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

The third paramedic was slain last night in the fourth attack in less than 24 hours on medical facilities and staff. Another paramedic was injured in the strike on an ambulance team in the town of Zibdine in the Nabatieh district.

Two paramedics were killed earlier in the day in a separate Israeli strike.

Israel has slain at least 130 emergency and health workers since launching attacks on March 2.

UPDATE 0606 GMT:

Iran’s military claims it targeted a US warship approaching Iranian waters in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday.

US Central Command disputed the assertion minutes later.

UPDATE 0557 GMT:

The US House of Representatives has adopted a war powers resolution requiring Congressional authorization of military operations in Iran.

Four Republicans joined Democrats in the 215-208 vote for Donald Trump “to remove United States armed forces from hostilities with Iran”.

Passage came on the fourth attempt. The vote was delayed on May 21 by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who feared he did not have enough Republicans in line to block the resolution.

The measure now goes to the Senate, which adopted a similar resolution last month. Donald Trump’s approval is not required, as the step falls under the 1973 War Powers Act.

UPDATE, JUNE 4:

After further talks in Washington, the Israeli and Lebanese Governments have agreed an extension of their ceasefire that began April 16.

The two sides said they would create “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon from which Hezbollah fighters would be banned.

Despite the nominal ceasefire, Israel has expanded its ground and air assault across southern Lebanon. The delegations said in a statement that the halt in operations “is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives” from areas south of the Litani River, 30 km (19 miles) from the border.

The Lebanese Army will take control of the areas, the joint statement asserted.

UPDATE 1933 GMT:

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told pro-Hezbollah outlet Al Mayadeen TV, “Any attack on Beirut will have grave consequences and will lead to a full-scale resumption of the war. Our armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut.”

Araghchi said of talks to end the US-Israel War:

Communications with the Americans have not been cut off, and messages have been exchanged regarding the need to stop aggression against Beirut, but no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process.

Returning to the negotiating table is conditional on ensuring the rights of the Iranian people, ending the war in Lebanon, and stopping tensions in the region.

UPDATE 1925 GMT:

Kuwait denied Tehran’s claims that Tuesday’s US strikes on Iranian territory were launched from the Gulf State.

The Kuwaitis summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires, with Deputy Foreign Minister Hamad Suleiman Al-Mashaan issuing “Kuwait’s categorical rejection of the use of its territory or airspace in any hostile acts against any country, emphasizing that the false Iranian claims are baseless and do not rely on evidence”.

UPDATE 1900 GMT:

Israel has attacked three hospitals in southern Lebanon in less than a week, killing nine people and wounding more than 150, reports the Lebanese Health Ministry.

On Monday, an attack next to the Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre killed four people and injured 127, most of them medical staff. Strikes followed on the Hiram Hospital in Tyre, and then near the public hospital in Tebnine on Wednesday. Two emergency responders were killed and a third critically wounded by an Israeli strike on an ambulance.

At least 130 medical workers have been killed and 162 ambulances and healthcare facilities have been hit during Israeli attacks since March 2.

UPDATE 1853 GMT:

The toll from Iran’s strikes on Kuwait International Airport has risen to one person killed and 63 injured.

UPDATE 0908 GMT:

One person has been killed and others injured by Iran’s drone and missile strikes on a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry expressed “condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks”.

Kuwait reserves its “full and inherent right” to take measures and respond to the “sinful and repeated Iranian aggressions”, the Ministry said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Kuwait and Bahrain bore “direct and clear responsibility” for US attacks, alleging their territory and facilities were used. It also claimed the right to self-defense and all available means to respond.

UPDATE 0625 GMT:

Kuwait has suspended commercial flights after Iranian drones attacked the Kuwait International Airport, severely damaging the passenger terminal and injuring “a number of individuals”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Amid stalled negotiations for an end to the US-Israel Wars, the Trump camp and Iran have renewed strikes on each other.

Meanwhile, Israel has pushed away Donald Trump’s unilateral proclamation of a ceasefire through continued attacks across southern Lebanon.

US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable Botswana-flagged unladen tanker M/T Lexie, as it tried to break the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The vessel was near Kuwait and moving toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main hub for maritime oil exports, in the Persian Gulf. The US said the crew ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they retaliated with missile fire on the Liberian-flagged container ship Panaya.

The Americans then attacked sites, including a military ground control station, on Iran’s Qeshm Island.

Soon after the interception of the tanker, Kuwait reported interception of missiles and drones. US Central Command said two Iranian missiles “fell short or broke apart en route”, and another three were intercepted. It later said it defended against a wave of drones targeting US forces, with no harm to personnel.

The Revolutionary Guards claimed that they attacked the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones in response to the strike on Qeshm. CENTCOM denied the assertion.

US forces also said they shot down three one-way attack drones “launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters”, providing no further details.

Israel’s Assault on Lebanon

On the Lebanon front, more than 30 Israeli strikes were reported. Rescuers recovered the bodies of six members of the same family, including two children and a woman, near the city of Sidon.

Six people were killed in two Israeli drone attacks on the al-Hawsh area in the Tyre district. A paramedic was slain in the al-Ain neighbourhood. The Lebanese Health Ministry said five people were killed and 48 wounded, including a doctor and health workers at Tebnine Hospital, in the Bint Jbeil area.

The Israeli military also issued a new evacuation warning for Nabatiyeh, as it threatens to move into the city.

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz reworked Trump’s announcement on Monday of a ceasefire between the Israelis and Hezbollah. He said Trump is now backing Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s capital Beirut in response to any firing of rockets by Hezbollah into northern Israel.

Katz hailed the Israeli military’s warnings for Lebanese civilians to flee their homes, saying it has led to “the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents – 600,000 out of 950,000 by last night”.