Israel's military is clashing with the militant Hezbollah group along a strategic river in Lebanon. The clashes come as Israeli troops are pushing farther north, just days before Lebanese and Israeli delegations are to meet for talks in Washington. Lebanon is hoping for an agreement that would lead to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The Litani River has been a de facto boundary, with areas to the south under Israeli control despite a nominal ceasefire. Tuesday's intensified strikes follow a warning by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. One Israeli strike killed a family of 12 in the eastern village of Mashghara. Hezbollah launched several attacks on Israeli troops along the river.
Iran has fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them. The intensification of Iran's assault on shipping in a waterway crucial to global energy supplies comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire but pressed on with an American blockade of Iranian ports. The White House says the seizures didn't violate ceasefire terms but the latest salvos complicate efforts to bring the United States and Iran together for talks to end the war. The effective closure of the strait has already sent gas prices skyrocketing worldwide and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products.
By MUNIR AHMED, JON GAMBRELL and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
President Donald Trump says the United States is extending its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request as he waits for a unified proposal from the Islamic Republic. The announcement came as last-minute ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran looked uncertain Tuesday as a two-week truce was set to expire. A White House official says Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to lead the U.S. delegation if talks resume in Pakistan, called off a trip to Pakistan. Pakistan's information minister says Iran has not formally confirmed whether it will participate. The ceasefire had been set to expire on Wednesday.
A truce took hold Friday between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, providing relief on both sides of the border and an opening for Iran and the United States to reach a deal to end the wider war. The ceasefire appears to have paved the way for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing the global energy crisis. But major obstacles remain, as Hezbollah has not formally agreed to the truce and wants Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israel says it is "not finished" dismantling the Iran-backed militant group and shows no sign of ending its occupation.
By KAREEM CHEHAYEB, AAMER MADHANI and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels. But President Donald Trump says the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports will stay in force until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted Friday on X that the crucial waterway is now fully open to commercial vessels. This comes as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appears to hold. Trump initially celebrated the Iranian announcement. But minutes later, he issued another post saying the U.S. Navy's blockade would continue.
A senior Hezbollah official says the Lebanese militant group will not abide by any agreements made in upcoming direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in the United States. The talks, which are to start on Tuesday, will be the first in decades. Hezbollah opposes these negotiations, viewing Israel as an enemy. Lebanese officials hope for a ceasefire, while Israel is seeking Hezbollah's disarmament and a potential peace agreement. Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah's political council, told The Associated Press in a rare interview on Monday that Hezbollah is "not interested in or concerned with" these negotiations in the U.S.
Friday marks six months since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect, but progress remains limited. The fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants has mostly stopped, yet challenges persist. Disarming Hamas, deploying an international stabilization force and beginning reconstruction are pending. The U.S.-created Board of Peace has not met since its initial meeting, and Hamas has not responded to a disarmament proposal. Such challenges could represent what's to come in the latest war in the Middle East, as U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to peacemaking appears to focus on stopping bombardment while leaving the bigger picture for others to work out.
By BASSEM MROUE, JON GAMBRELL, SAMY MAGDY and SAM METZ Associated Press
A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appears to be hanging by a thread after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded Wednesday that the channel be reopened and sought to keep peace talks on track. The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, killing least 112 people in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.
By JON GAMBRELL, ELENA BECATOROS and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. is talking with a "respected" Iranian leader and claims the Islamic Republic is eager for a deal to end the war. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants, saying Monday that it has an additional five days. Trump's turnaround, which held out the possibility of resolving the war now in its fourth week, served to drive down oil prices and jolt stocks. It offered a reprieve after the U.S. and Iran traded threats over the weekend with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.
President Donald Trump has announced at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package. He also says five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory. While lauding the pledges, Trump faces the unresolved challenge of disarming Hamas, a sticking point that threatens to delay or even derail the Gaza ceasefire plan that his administration notched as a major foreign policy win. The dollars pledged on Thursday, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
