China

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad firing a military commander and ordering an investigation. The Houthis completed their seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast, capturing Perim Island and halving ship traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for Rome next week were postponed to October, with ambassadors to meet in Washington instead. US officials linked Chinese satellite imagery to Iran's July attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American troops.

Iran fired on two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Qatari gas tanker, amid the ongoing funeral procession for Supreme Leader Khamenei, which reached Qom. The IDF conducted extensive operations in southern Lebanon, while Hamas dissolved its Gaza government. Israel advanced a gender segregation bill and a national inquiry into the October 7 massacre.

An IDF reservist was killed and a brigade commander wounded in separate Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon. The US Senate advanced a war powers resolution to limit President Trump’s authority to strike Iran, while Vice President Vance warned the US is 'locked and loaded' if talks fail. Israel is reportedly preparing for a possible renewal of the Iran war, and Trump said Tehran has days to make a deal. Chinese President Xi told Russia’s Putin that Middle East hostilities are 'inadvisable.'

President Trump postponed a planned military strike on Iran at the request of Gulf Arab leaders, citing 'serious negotiations.' Lebanon's death toll surpassed 3,000 amid continued Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah attacks. The IDF intercepted a Hezbollah drone over southern Lebanon. Hamas appointed Mohammed Odeh as its new Gaza leader.

An IDF soldier was killed by Hezbollah mortar fire in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah launched rockets at the Galilee, as President Trump warned that the “decimation” of Iran’s military “will continue” and said his patience with Tehran is running out. Trump and Xi Jinping discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz but reached no firm deal. CENTCOM’s commander told Congress that Iran’s military is severely degraded but still able to strike. Netanyahu said Israel now holds 60% of Gaza territory, and a new activist flotilla departed Turkey for Gaza.

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.

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest ceasefire response as ‘totally unacceptable,’ while an IDF reservist was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone near the Lebanon border. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the war with Iran is ‘not over’ until enriched uranium is removed, and the UK and France are hosting a multinational defense ministers’ meeting on securing the Strait of Hormuz.

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.