UN News — Middle East

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began at 16:00 local time (13:00 UTC) after a night of intense fighting that killed four IDF soldiers and wounded five others in southern Lebanon. The IDF struck over 150 Hezbollah targets in response, while the US conveyed to Iran that Israel would not escalate further. The US-Iran memorandum of understanding faces new strain as Iran canceled participation in Switzerland talks, and the Hormuz Strait remains closed.

Israel has publicly rejected the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, with Defense Minister Israel Katz declaring the IDF will remain indefinitely in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. The deal, set for formal signing on Friday in Switzerland, includes a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. International reactions have been largely positive, but Israel faces isolation as tensions with Washington escalate.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait and Bahrain, killing one and wounding 63 at Kuwait’s airport, while the US struck Iran’s Qeshm Island in self-defense. President Trump confirmed calling Netanyahu ‘f***ing crazy’ over Lebanon fighting. Hezbollah continued rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel, and the IDF struck targets in southern Lebanon, killing a Lebanese soldier. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks continued in Washington.

Clashes continued in southern Lebanon despite a US-brokered partial ceasefire, with Hezbollah launching rocket and drone attacks and the IDF striking targets in the south. The fourth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, while Israel’s defense minister threatened to treat Beirut’s Dahiya suburb like northern Israeli towns. The IDF acknowledged inadvertently damaging a hospital in Tyre. In Gaza, the IDF killed five operatives planning imminent attacks. Iran’s leadership deliberated a US peace deal, and Netanyahu vowed the Iranian regime would fall.

US President Donald Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations against Iran, frustrated by stalled negotiations and Tehran’s continued uranium enrichment. In Lebanon, the IDF completed a weeklong raid north of the Litani River, while Hezbollah launched multiple drone and glider attacks on Israeli forces. Kuwait announced it had stopped an armed IRGC team from infiltrating Bubiyan Island. The Knesset passed a law establishing a special tribunal with death penalty powers for October 7 detainees. Israel confirmed it sent Iron Dome batteries to the UAE.

US President Donald Trump is seriously considering resuming combat operations against Iran after rejecting Tehran’s latest ceasefire proposal as “unacceptable,” while reports reveal the UAE secretly struck an Iranian oil refinery during the war. In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike killed six civilians in Kafr Dounine, and Hezbollah claimed a guided-missile hit on an IDF Merkava tank. The Knesset passed a law establishing a special tribunal and allowing the death penalty for October 7 perpetrators, and EU foreign ministers approved sanctions on violent Israeli settlers and Hamas leaders after Hungary lifted its veto.

President Trump suspended Project Freedom naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, citing “great progress” toward a US-Iran agreement, while Hezbollah explosive drones wounded three Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and the IDF struck 25 Hezbollah targets. A Washington Post satellite analysis revealed Iranian strikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 US military assets across 15 Middle East bases, far exceeding official US acknowledgments. A joint World Bank-UN-EU report priced Gaza reconstruction at $71 billion.

Iran launched cruise missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, striking a petroleum facility in Fujairah and triggering air defense alerts in Dubai, in a major ceasefire violation. The US said two American-flagged merchant vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz under Navy escort as part of 'Project Freedom,' while Iran claimed it fired warning shots at US destroyers and hit a warship with missiles, a claim CENTCOM denied. Israel elevated its military alertness to the maximum level and convened its expanded security cabinet for Wednesday.

Hezbollah launched multiple rocket and drone attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on May 2, with no IDF injuries reported. The IDF struck over 50 Hezbollah targets since Friday, killing at least 13 in southern Lebanon. The US announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany amid a diplomatic spat over the Iran war, while China urged the UN to reverse the termination of UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon.

Trump announced an open-ended ceasefire extension hours before the Wednesday deadline, conditioned on Iran producing a 'unified proposal,' while explicitly maintaining the naval blockade of Hormuz. Simultaneously, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at an IDF position in Kfar Giladi — the first confirmed kinetic exchange on the Lebanon front since the prior SITREP — and the US issued fresh sanctions on 14 Iran-linked arms entities.