Two Israeli strikes hit south of Beirut
Two Israeli strikes hit areas in Lebanon south of Beirut on Saturday in violation of the ceasefire with Israel, according to Lebanese media and AFP reports.
· Middleeasteye
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Newest first · UTC+11:00UK sending warship to Hormuz, says defence ministry
The United Kingdom will send a destroyer to the Middle East ahead of an international mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the defence ministry announced on Saturday.
· Middleeasteye
The Iran war will change global energy markets in these important ways, oil executives say
The world's energy system will change in big ways as a result of the Iran war, the CEOs of key oil and gas companies told investors on their earnings calls over the past two weeks.
· Spencer Kimball
Frágil alto el fuego se mantiene mientras EEUU espera respuesta de Irán; Baréin detiene a decenas
DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Un frágil alto el fuego parecía mantenerse el sábado después de que Estados Unidos atacó a dos petroleros iraníes, mientras Baréin, que alberga la sede regional de la Marina estadounidense, reportó la detención de decenas de personas que, según dijo, tenían vinculación con la Gua…
· Adam Schreck
Strait of Hormuz closure inflicts more financial woes on Lebanon's generator users | The National
"It's $300. Sorry," the generator operator winced with an apologetic look as he handed over the receipt and did his monthly rounds collecting payments in Beirut's Achrafieh on Thursday.
· Jamie Prentis
Bahrain arrests 41 people it claims linked to Iran | The National
Bahrain's government has arrested 41 individuals it claims are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), labelling them as the “core” of an alleged terrorist network operating within the country.
· The National
Israel allocates $345m for bypass roads in occupied West Bank
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said Israel has allocated 1bn shekels ($345m) for the construction of "colonial" bypass roads on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.
· Middleeasteye
US strikes Iranian oil tankers while awaiting Tehran response on peace plan
The U.S. military on Friday said its forces struck and "disabled" two Iranian-flagged oil tankers to stop them pulling into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
· Leonie Cater
Intel Leak: Russia Mulled Giving Iran Un-Jammable Drones To Fight US Forces
Russia offered Iran thousands of advanced drones built to bypass electronic jamming systems, along with training for attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to a confidential intelligence document obtained and reviewed by The Economist.
· Tyler Durden
Gatchalian presses for urgent passage of ‘Ginhawa’ bill to boost middle class take-home pay
SENATOR Win Gatchalian called for the immediate enactment of the “Ginhawa” measure, or the Granting Increase in Take-Home Pay for All Working Filipinos Act, to help Filipino workers – particularly those in the middle-income bracket – cope with rising costs driven by the Middle East crisis.
· The Manila Times
A fragile ceasefire holds as US awaits Iran response, Bahrain detains dozens
President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire with Iran was holding. Trump also said Iran “trifled with us,” after the U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.”
· Adam Schreck
Israel set to release two Gaza flotilla activists, representatives say
Two Gaza flotilla activists imprisoned by Israel are set to be released from detention, according to a rights group representing them.
· Middleeasteye
Settlers dig up Palestinian grave near Sha-Nur, forcing family to relocate burial
A Palestinian family was forced to remove a body from a grave near the settlement of Sha-Nur in the West Bank on Friday after local Israeli settlers began to dig it up, claiming the burial was too close to the Israeli settlement border.
· AMIR BOHBOT, AVI ASHKENAZI, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Palestinian Christian delegation warns EU of growing threat to Christians in Gaza
A delegation from the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine warned European Union officials that current Israeli policies pose a serious threat to the survival of the historic Palestinian Christian presence in the region, Wafa news agency reported.
· Middleeasteye
Israel kills five in Gaza in past day, raising death toll to 72,736
Israeli forces killed at least five Palestinians and wounded 15 others over the past day, according to medical sources.
· Middleeasteye
U.S. sanctions companies and individuals in the Middle East and China for helping Iran
The U.S. is imposing sanctions on companies and individuals across the Middle East and China for allegedly helping Iran in its war efforts, the State Department said.
· Azhar Sukri
UAE air aid operation delivers 600 tonnes of essentials to 150,000 Gazans | The National
A UAE relief operation in support of Gaza has concluded after flying in more than 600 tonnes of food, medicine and other essential supplies for 150,000 people.
· The National
How Israel's creation mirrors Greek independence - and why it's overlooked - opinion
Much of the criticism directed at Israel goes far beyond policy to a question of legitimacy, challenging the idea that a long-dispersed people can reconstitute a sovereign state in its ancestral homeland. This shadows Israel in ways that shape the entire debate, setting it apart.
· ADAM FISHER
Al-Qard Al-Hasan, Hezbollah main funding source, resumes activities despite IDF strikes during war
The Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association, which works as Hezbollah's bank and funding source, resumed its operations on Saturday, according to a report by Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network.
· ELI LEON
Bahrain arrests 41 individuals linked with Iran's IRGC terrorist activities in the Kingdom
The government of Bahrain arrested 41 individuals linked with the main Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the country, Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.
· TOBIAS HOLCMAN, REUTERS
Iran's 'fake opposition': The controversial campaign to legitimize the MEK
‘People change,” the press “agent” of the front organization for the terrorist group MEK wrote to me, trying to convince me – or himself – that he was not taking blood money for promoting these terror groups.
· JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
Israeli strikes kill at the least three in southern Lebanon
Israeli bombing killed at least three people in the Tyre district in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
· Middleeasteye
Opinion: Germany's 'constructive dialogue' is a sham, a cloak used to shield its support of a genocidal regime
On 21 April, Germany, together with Italy, blocked a motion by Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement over Israel’s human rights violations, its genocidal war against Gaza, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
· Middleeasteye
'Integrity costs something': Eurovision winners want Israel out of the contest
The organisers of the Eurovision song contest have always maintained that they want to keep politics out of the event.
· Middleeasteye
Karim Benzema and Al Hilal gear up for Al Nassr showdown with King's Cup title | The National
Al Hilal showed they were in top shape for a critical week in Saudi Arabian football by clinching the King’s Cup title.
· The National
Russian nuclear agency issues update on Iran’s Bushehr plant
Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr continues to function normally despite reports of renewed US-Iran military exchanges, Aleksey Likhachev, CEO of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has said.
· RT
Xi-Trump summit: why the Iran war could become fresh point of friction
Both China and the US stand to gain from reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but they view the crisis through different lenses
· Laura Zhou
Xi-Trump summit: why the Iran war could become fresh point of friction
Both China and the US stand to gain from reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but they view the crisis through different lenses
· Laura Zhou
Israel: What Went Wrong? by Omer Bartov review – the long view
An erudite account of the foundation of the state and its subsequent moral and political decline
· Avi Shlaim
El caos marca la Bienal de Venecia tras renuncia del jurado por participación de Israel y Rusia
Visitantes disfrutan del pabellón del Vaticano “El oído es el ojo del alma”, en los místicos jardines de las Carmelitas Descalzas, durante la Bienal de Arte, en Venecia, Italia, el 6 de mayo de 2026. (AP Foto/Luca Bruno)
· Colleen Barry
Iran ceasefire fractures
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Israeli air strikes hit southern Lebanon
Israeli air strike hit the outskirts of Nabatieh, along with the towns of Aroun and Kfar Tibnit on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
· Middleeasteye
Israel doubts US optimism in Iran talks as critical issues on nuclear concessions remain unsolved
Senior Israeli officials state that significant gaps still exist between the US and Iran, with the key question for Israel not just being what the Iranians are willing to offer to reach a deal and end the conflict, but how much US President Donald Trump is prepared to concede in order to achieve a diplomatic success.
· ANNA BARSKY/MAARIV
Surfistas en una Gaza devastada por la guerra hallan raros momentos de alegría entre las olas
Los palestinos Tahseen Abu Assi (izquierda), Khalil Abu Jayyab (centro) y Abed Rahim Alostaz calientan antes de surfear en la playa en la Ciudad de Gaza, el 4 de mayo de 2026. (AP Foto/Jehad Alshrafi)
· Wafaa Shurafa
EU Commission clarifies flight compensation rights amid travel disruption
The European Commission on Friday clarified rules on air passenger rights given possible fuel shortages and travel disruption amid conflict in the Middle East.
· The Local
Trump’s threats against Iran are historically illiterate
The US president’s threats to end Iranian civilisation expose his ignorance of the country’s long history
· Amin Saikal
Trump’s threats against Iran are historically illiterate
The US president’s threats to end Iranian civilisation expose his ignorance of the country’s long history
· Amin Saikal
Opening of Ras Al Khaimah's landmark Wynn gaming resort delayed by Iran war | The National
The launch of Ras Al Khaimah's multi-billion dollar Wynn Al Marjan Island gaming resort will be delayed after "logistical and shipping challenges" caused by the Iran war.
· The National
Israeli settlers set fire to homes and cars in violent West Bank raids
Israeli settlers have launched another wave of raids in the occupied West Bank, with houses and cars set on fire and a Palestinian child attacked.
· Al Jazeera Staff
US sanctions 9 mainland China and Hong Kong entities over alleged Iran military links
Treasury and State Department announcements come days ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected China visit and summit with Xi Jinping
· Laura Zhou
US sanctions 9 mainland China and Hong Kong entities over alleged Iran military links
Treasury and State Department announcements come days ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected China visit and summit with Xi Jinping
· Laura Zhou
What Beijing has learned about the US from the Iran war
The increasingly intractable conflict between the U.S. and Iran is revealing American military and strategic vulnerabilities — and offering important lessons to its biggest rival.
· Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary
The Iran war did not create the UAE's industrial push but accelerated it | The National
Regional conflicts have a way of exposing what economic policy really means. When shipping routes are disrupted, supply chains become more expensive, households begin to think differently about savings and security, and companies about investment, the question for governments is no longer simply how to grow. It is h…
· Rami Kiwan
Israel issues evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for nine villages in southern Lebanon ahead of planned airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions. Residents of Tayr Debba, Aabbasiyyeh, Burj Rahal, Maaroub, Barish, Arzoun, Jannata, Zrariyeh and Ain Baal were instructed to move at least one kilometre away from the targe…
· Middleeasteye
Iran says response to US proposal coming at 'appropriate time'
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is still reviewing the latest US proposal related to negotiations over ending the conflict, adding that a response would be delivered “at the appropriate time”.
· Middleeasteye
Arab countries condemn 'reprehensible' Iranian attacks on UAE | The National
Live updates: Follow the latest news on Iran war
· The National
IDF strikes over 85 Hezbollah sites in 24 hours, following rocket fire in southern Lebanon
The IDF struck over 85 infrastructure sites belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the past 24 hours, the military announced on Saturday.
· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Trump waits on response to peace plan as Iran accuses US of ‘reckless military adventure’
The US said it expects Iran to respond to its latest proposal to end their war imminently, as clashes in the Strait of Hormuz threatened to further fracture a month-long ceasefire.
· Courtney Subramanian, Courtney McBride, Jen Judson
States must change frameworks for cooperation, former Indian adviser says
Shivshankar Menon served as Indian ambassador to China and Israel before becoming the national security adviser from 2010-2014 under the administration of Manmohan Singh. (Photo by Satoshi Iwaki)
· Staff Writer