Naim Qassem

Israel and Hezbollah renewed a ceasefire brokered by the US and Qatar through Tehran after a night of fighting that killed four IDF soldiers and 47 Lebanese. The IDF will remain in southern Lebanon while US-Iran MoU implementation faces hurdles, including a still-closed Strait of Hormuz and Iranian demands for US restraint on Israel. Gaza peace plan talks in Cairo made slow progress on disarmament and security, while Norway moved to ban trade with Israeli settlements.

The US and Iran digitally signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, formally ending hostilities and opening the Strait of Hormuz, while an IDF reservist was killed and seven others wounded by a Hezbollah explosive device in southern Lebanon. President Trump, at the G7, sharply criticized Israel, suggesting it was in no position to oppose the deal and questioning its reliance on US support. The IDF continued operations in Lebanon and the West Bank, and Hezbollah’s leader hailed the MoU as a victory.

President Trump warned the US would resume bombing Iran if the MOU fails, while Hezbollah explosive drones wounded five IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon. The US-Iran memorandum of understanding is set for signing Friday in Switzerland, though its text remains undisclosed. The IDF killed two Hamas October 7 infiltrators in Gaza and confirmed earlier strikes eliminated a hostage-holder and a PIJ commander. In the West Bank, Israeli forces blocked roads near Hebron and settlers burned a mosque. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite diplomatic progress.

President Trump described the Lebanon war as a “minor conflict” and suggested Syria handle Hezbollah, while the Israeli Air Force chief confirmed a major strike on Iran was called off one hour before departure on June 8. The US-Iran memorandum of understanding is set for signing in Geneva on Friday, with both sides preparing for immediate follow-on talks. Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon continued, and Israeli drone strikes near Nabatieh killed four, according to Lebanese media.

The US and Iran have reached a peace deal, mediated by Pakistan, with a formal signing set for Friday in Switzerland. The agreement includes an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the lifting of the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the deal, Israeli forces continued operations in southern Lebanon, with drone strikes and artillery fire reported, and a Hezbollah drone was intercepted over northern Israel. Tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu escalated, with Trump calling Netanyahu a 'very difficult guy' and criticizing the IDF's Beirut strike.

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents wounded when IDF troops fired on their vehicle in Hebron. Hezbollah rejected the US-brokered ceasefire, launching rockets and surface-to-air missiles at northern Israel, while the IDF killed two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. France opened a war crimes probe into Israel's treatment of flotilla activists, and Ireland banned Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lemberg, 21, was killed by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile in southern Lebanon, hours after Hezbollah formally rejected a US-brokered ceasefire accepted by Israel and Lebanon. The IDF struck Hezbollah infrastructure in response, while overnight strikes in Gaza killed senior Hamas security officials. The US Embassy in Jerusalem issued a security alert urging increased caution across the Middle East.

Hezbollah explosive drones killed an IDF soldier and seriously wounded another in southern Lebanon, as President Trump declared it 'mandatory' for six Muslim nations to join the Abraham Accords as part of an Iran deal. The US and Iran voiced cautious optimism but tempered expectations of an imminent breakthrough, while Israeli opposition leaders accused Netanyahu of being sidelined.

President Trump announced a US-Iran ceasefire deal is ‘largely negotiated,’ while a Hezbollah explosive drone detonated in northern Israel without injuries and the IDF dismantled a 100-meter Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon. Israel expressed deep concerns over the emerging deal’s nuclear terms, and Bahrain sentenced nine to life for IRGC-linked terror plots.

Hezbollah launched coordinated quadcopter strikes on Israeli Iron Dome platforms in the western Galilee, while the IDF struck Hezbollah sites in Beqaa and Tyre overnight. The US and Iran are reportedly close to a 60-day ceasefire extension, with Pakistan’s army chief mediating in Tehran. France banned Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of Gaza flotilla activists, and an IRGC-linked operative was extradited to the US for plotting to assassinate Ivanka Trump.

An IDF brigade commander was severely wounded and a reservist killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on artillery bunkers in southern Lebanon. The Knesset advanced a bill to dissolve parliament, moving Israel closer to early elections. The IRGC threatened to expand the war beyond the region if the US resumes strikes on Iran, while international outcry grew over a video showing Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists.

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.

President Trump declared the US will “finish the job” against Iran “peacefully or otherwise,” as Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon. Reports reveal Saudi Arabia conducted covert retaliatory strikes on Iran in late March, while Iran sets five preconditions for resuming nuclear talks with Washington.

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.

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.

The IDF launched airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon for the first time in three weeks, while Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem rejected negotiations and vowed to continue confrontation. Iran's foreign minister arrived in Moscow for talks as Tehran reportedly proposed a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.