Israeli forces hit an army patrol that was accompanying Civil Defense medical teams and bulldozers during a rescue operation at the site of a previous Israeli strike, the Lebanese army and Civil Defense said. Some of the responders were trapped under rubble by the second strike, they said.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, saying it was part of a pattern of Israeli attacks on rescue and emergency workers in violation of international law.<\/p>\n
The Western-backed Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines during the recent rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, although dozens of its soldiers have been killed.<\/p>\n
Israeli president invites Netanyahu and prosecutors for talks on settling corruption charges<\/p>\n
President Isaac Herzog\u2019s office asked for a response by Sunday to his invitation, which came days after he announced he would not decide on Netanyahu\u2019s request for a pardon and instead urge the sides to reach a settlement.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu asked Herzog last November to cancel his trial, saying that dropping the charges would help unify the country. Trump has made multiple appeals to Herzog<\/a> to end the trial.<\/p>\n Herzog\u2019s invitation says he believes that efforts to reach a settlement \u201cmust be exhausted first\u201d before he can consider the pardon request. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu\u2019s office or the attorney general\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Netanyahu is charged with breach of trust, fraud and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy associates. He denies all charges.<\/p>\n The trial has dragged on for six years<\/a> in a case that has bitterly divided the Israeli public. Netanyahu and his supporters claim he is the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt by the media, police and prosecutors.<\/p>\n Gulf Arab countries jointly condemn Iran\u2019s actions in the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n The leaders of several wealthy Gulf nations rejected Iran\u2019s \u201cillegal actions\u201d to close the strait and threaten navigation, warning against any disruption to shipping or charging fees for safe passage.<\/p>\n The statement followed a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attended by leaders from Qatar and Bahrain, Kuwait\u2019s crown prince, and the United Arab Emirates\u2019 foreign minister.<\/p>\n They called for restoring \u201csecurity and freedom of navigation\u201d to prewar levels and urged deeper military integration, including joint infrastructure projects and a ballistic missile early warning system.<\/p>\n US budget airlines seek billions in aid amid soaring fuel costs<\/p>\n Their trade group is asking the Trump administration for $2.5 billion to offset rising jet fuel costs and keep ticket prices affordable. The Association of Value Airlines said smaller carriers are being hit hardest by the jump in fuel prices, despite carrying more than 90 million passengers last year.<\/p>\n \u201cTemporary government support\u201d would help \u201cpreserve vital industry competition,\u201d the association said.<\/p>\n The trade group represents Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country. Another member, Spirit, is separately in talks with the U.S. government on a potential financing deal aimed at keeping the struggling carrier flying as it navigates fuel price shocks during its second bankruptcy since 2024.<\/p>\n Protesters urge boycott of Eurovision Song Contest over Israel\u2019s participation<\/p>\n Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Serbian state RTS broadcaster on Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags and accusing Israel of atrocities in Gaza<\/a> while demanding that the Balkan country pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest<\/a> because of Israel\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n The year\u2019s main competition<\/a> with 35 competing countries is scheduled to be held May 12-16 in Vienna. Serbia, which has close ties with Israel, will be represented by Lavina, a six-member metal band.<\/p>\n The contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a>. The decision to allow Israel to compete prompted the walkout<\/a> of Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain.<\/p>\n RTV Slovenia said it will air a Palestinian program at the time of the Eurovision contest.<\/p>\n Israeli ambassador says Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s government has demanded that Hezbollah disarm, but Israel says this has not happened. A ceasefire in the latest Israeli-Hezbollah conflict was recently extended for three weeks.<\/p>\n Danon said that if the U.N. Security Council wants to help Lebanon, it should ask the government how many Hezbollah weapons it has seized, \u201cwhich tunnels have been destroyed and what is being done to stop arms smuggling from Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInternational support for Lebanon must depend on results on the ground and not more empty statements,\u201d Danon said.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s UN envoy says Hezbollah is ‘Lebanon\u2019s greatest obstacle to sovereignty\u2019<\/p>\n Ambassador Danny Danon said it\u2019s impossible to talk about peace in Lebanon without mentioning Hezbollah, the militant group with areas of influence in the south bordering Israel and elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cHezbollah is not just set on Israel\u2019s destruction. It is Lebanon\u2019s greatest obstacle to sovereignty. It has weakened the Lebanese government,\u201d he told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n This item has been updated to correct the quote. The previous quote was in remarks distributed by Israel\u2019s U.N. Mission but was changed when the ambassador delivered his speech to the U.N. Security Council.<\/p>\n Palestinian minister tells UN that Israel must stop killing civilians<\/p>\n Varsen Aghabekian accused Israel of seeking the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli settlers of terrorizing Palestinians in the West Bank on a daily basis.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has to stop immediately,\u201d she said. \u201cThe situation of the Palestinian civilian population must be a top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Aghabekian said there is no justification for Israel preventing shelter materials from entering Gaza and restricting aid and access for humanitarian workers.<\/p>\n Palestinian minister says ‘Palestine must remain a priority\u2019 for action toward an independent state<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said the ceasefire in Gaza must be upheld and Israel\u2019s pursuit of \u201cforcible displacement and annexation,\u201d not only in Gaza but in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, must be stopped.<\/p>\n As phase two of the Gaza peace plan gets underway, she said, \u201cWe reiterate our vision of one state, one government, one law and one gun and the need for full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.\u201d<\/p>\n Aghabekian told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Gaza\u2019s transition must be in line with its reunification with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, \u201cleading to Palestinian self-determination and independent statehood.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaza hospital director\u2019s detention is extended<\/p>\n Physicians for Human Rights-Israel says a court in Israel has indefinitely extended the detention of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya<\/a>, who became the face of health workers\u2019 struggle in Gaza to keep treating patients under Israeli bombardment.<\/p>\n The Israeli military has said Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas. Staff and international aid groups that worked with him have denied the claims.<\/p>\n The rights group in a statement Tuesday says he is held in harsh conditions in Negev Prison. It says the Beersheba District Court approved the extension of his detention without charges having been filed, after his defense had sought his immediate release.<\/p>\n BP earns online backlash as its profit more than doubles during Iran war<\/p>\n The British energy giant reported quarterly earnings Tuesday of $3.84 billion, or $1.47 per share, far exceeding last year\u2019s $687 million, or 26 cents per share. The huge profits beat analysts\u2019 heightened expectations and generated immediate online vitriol.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies are being pushed to the brink by spiraling energy bills, while fossil fuel companies turn a war into a windfall,\u201d wrote Cl\u00e9mence Dubois, global campaigns director at 350.org.<\/p>\n \u201cThese astronomical profits are a startling reminder that when conflict drives up the price of oil and gas, energy companies profit and households pay,\u201d wrote Simon Francis, coordinator with End Fuel Poverty Coalition.<\/p>\n BP shares rose more than 1%, close to a 52-week high, as did shares of other major oil producers. It was BP\u2019s first earnings report since the Iran war<\/a> began, previewing what to expect when Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips report earnings later this week.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli strike wounds 2 soldiers, traps 3 rescuers in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n Two Lebanese soldiers were wounded and three Civil Defense personnel were trapped under rubble after an Israeli strike targeted an army patrol accompanied by rescue teams and two bulldozers in the southern town of Majdal Zoun, near Tyre, according to the Lebanese Army and Civil Defense.<\/p>\n The Israeli army has not immediately commented on the attack, which came as clashes and intermittent air strikes continue despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.<\/p>\n At least seven Lebanese army soldiers have been killed since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2.<\/p>\n Oil prices climb again amid more uncertainty over the Iran war<\/p>\n Another climb in oil prices because of the Iran war<\/a> is helping to halt Wall Street\u2019s record-setting rally<\/a>. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil to be delivered in June climbed 2.7% to $111.18. Brent to be delivered in July, which is where traders are focusing more in the oil market, rose 2.6% to $104.33 Tuesday.<\/p>\n After sitting around $70 in late February, Brent prices are moving closer to their peak of $119, reached when worries about the war were at their heights.<\/p>\n The Trump administration seemed unlikely Tuesday to accept Iran\u2019s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> if the U.S. lifts its blockade. Iran also wants to postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic\u2019s nuclear program, which Rubio appeared to rule out.<\/p>\n Average U.S. gasoline prices reached $4.18 a gallon on Tuesday, the most since 2022, according to the auto club AAA.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n US envoy says Hamas is the \u2018obstacle\u2019 to Palestinians in Gaza living in peace and prosperity<\/p>\n Ambassador Mike Waltz urged countries with influence on Hamas to press the militant group to demilitarize and accept that it will not have a direct or indirect role in Gaza \u201cthrough weapons and terrorism and violent intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe moment Hamas agrees to demilitarize, a new chapter in Gaza\u2019s history will be written,\u201d he told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day we either move closer to a future where Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank live in freedom and prosperity, at peace with Israel \u2014 or we drift back toward chaos, rockets, hostages and rubble,\u201d Walz said.<\/p>\n He said there is a plan for reconstruction and development of Gaza and financing, and there is a pathway to peace and eased security restrictions, but Hamas is holding Gaza back.<\/p>\n US military boards another ship as it enforces blockade on Iranian ports<\/p>\n The U.S. military said Tuesday in a social media post that it boarded and released another commercial ship that was suspected of heading for Iran.<\/p>\n The post by U.S. Central Command on X included a video showed marines fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel, which it said was the Comoros-flagged M\/V Blue Star III. It happened in the Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u201cU.S. forces released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming the ship\u2019s voyage would not include an Iranian port call,\u201d the command said.<\/p>\n The command said it has now redirected 39 vessels since start of the blockade on ships going to and from Iranian ports.<\/p>\n Israel destroys alleged Hezbollah tunnel network in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n The military detonated a large explosion late Tuesday in Qantara, and Israel\u2019s Geological Survey said the blast was so powerful it registered as a \u201cseismic event.\u201d<\/p>\n The army said the network included two large tunnels \u2014 one about 800 meters (yards) long and the other 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) \u2014 that were equipped with sleeping rooms, toilets, kitchen facilities and launchers aimed at Israel. It released photos and video footage of what it said were the tunnels.<\/p>\n An Israeli military official said the network included large rooms where over 100 Hezbollah fighters could gather at once. He also said it ran underneath and alongside a mosque, school and soccer field.<\/p>\n The official spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules.<\/p>\n In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army has been instructed to destroy any Hezbollah infrastructure it finds, \u201cjust like in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 By Josef Federman<\/p>\n Amnesty International urges Israel to stop destroying civilian property in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n The human rights organization made the statement Tuesday after a video circulated on social media showing Israeli military excavators destroying solar panels for the Lebanese border village of Debel and its water station.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was investigating the incident after the footage emerged. Debel is the same village where a soldier was filmed earlier this month smashing a statue of Jesus, prompting international condemnation.<\/p>\n \u201cAmnesty International has previously documented extensive destruction by the Israeli military along Lebanon\u2019s border before and after the November 2024 ceasefire,\u201d the group said, adding it had called for reparations and war crimes investigations. \u201cSo far, neither has appeared.\u201d<\/p>\n Away from the spotlight, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is \u2018steadily worsening,\u2019 UN official says<\/p>\n U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said Gaza is facing \u201congoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions,\u201d with 1.8 million people \u2014 nearly its entire population \u2014 living in camps and dependent on aid.<\/p>\n He told a U.N. Security Council ministerial meeting Tuesday that in the West Bank, \u201cviolence, including rampant settler attacks, displacement and accelerating settlement activity, is threatening entire communities and further eroding prospects for a political process\u201d toward a two-state solution.<\/p>\n In Gaza, he said, \u201cthe ceasefire is increasingly fragile as Israeli strikes and armed activity by Hamas and other groups continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Khiari, whose portfolio includes the Middle East, warned that while diplomatic efforts are underway to consolidate the ceasefire and implement Phase II of the peace plan, \u201ctalks on the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups have thus far not resulted in an agreement, raising concerns over the potential return to widespread hostilities.\u201d<\/p>\n The UAE\u2019s exit from OPEC won\u2019t expand global oil supplies right away<\/p>\n The UAE\u2019s move appears to be part of an effort to assert themselves as leaders and independent actors in the region, and sell oil and gas when and how they see fit, said Karen Young, senior research scholar at Columbia University\u2019s Center on Global Energy Policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis exit of OPEC fits into the UAE need for flexibility with key energy consumers as well \u2014 including a future relationship with China and a more competitive relationship with Saudi Arabia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The exit won\u2019t immediately change export capacity, since the UAE\u2019s lone pipeline around the Strait of Hormuz to the port at Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman is already running at full capacity, she noted.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry raises death toll of Israel-Hezbollah war to 2,534<\/p>\n The ministry added on Tuesday that 7,863 have been wounded since the war broke out on March 2.<\/p>\n The war has displaced more than 1 million people and caused destruction worth billions of dollars.<\/p>\n Peak oil means sell barrels now or leave money on the table<\/p>\n Leon said the approaching peak in global oil demand has shifted the incentive for producers from collective restraint to earning money from their reserves now.<\/p>\n He said the UAE, with its 4.8 million barrels per day of production capacity and potential to increase output, is \u201cparticularly well positioned to pursue such a strategy outside the group.\u201d<\/p>\n An OPEC without the UAE could increase global energy supply volatility, analyst says<\/p>\n The UAE\u2019s withdrawal removes one of OPEC\u2019s few members with ability to quickly increase production \u2014 the mechanism through which the cartel manages oil prices, said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy.<\/p>\n \u201cA structurally weaker OPEC, with less spare capacity concentrated within the group, will find it increasingly difficult to calibrate supply and stabilize prices,\u201d Leon said. \u201cThe net effect points to a more fragmented supply landscape and a potentially more volatile oil market over time as OPEC\u2019s capacity to smooth imbalances diminishes.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump claims Iran has \u2018just\u2019 informed the US it\u2019s in a \u2018State of Collapse\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThey want us to \u2018Open the Hormuz Strait,\u2019 as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,\u201d Trump posted on social media.<\/p>\n He added that he believes they will be able to sort out reported divisions within the Islamic Republic government about negotiations with the U.S.<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who on the Iranian side delivered the message, who in the Republican administration received it and whether the communications were conducted directly with the U.S. or through an intermediary.<\/p>\n Israel to investigate ship carrying what Ukraine says is \u2018stolen grain\u2019<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Israel\u2019s tax authority has opened an investigation into a ship expected to dock in the Haifa port that Ukraine said carries stolen grain.<\/p>\n Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukraine is preparing sanctions against companies that profit from grain harvested from areas of Ukraine under Russian control. Saar dismissed Zelenskyy\u2019s comments as \u201cTwitter diplomacy\u201d and said Ukraine had not provided information about the cargo\u2019s contents or a request for legal assistance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vessel has not entered the port and has yet to submit its documents. It is not possible to verify the truth of the Ukrainian claims regarding the forgery of the bill of lading,\u201d Saar said.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Israel has \u2018no territorial ambitions\u2019 in Lebanon, Israel\u2019s foreign minister says<\/p>\n Gideon Saar said the Israeli military-occupied \u201cbuffer zone\u201d that stretches 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon is necessary to protect residents in Israel\u2019s north.<\/p>\n \u201cHezbollah has transformed the entire front line of southern Lebanon into a network of terrorist infrastructure, and this threat has not been properly addressed by the Lebanese government,\u201d he said during a press conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko \u0110uri\u0107 in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Saar refused to comment on the fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah, which both sides have violated multiple times since Trump announced it last week, and whether Israel might expand its military operations beyond southern Lebanon. He did note Israel\u2019s first direct negotiations with Lebanon in decades.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s economy has been battered. Its leaders still think Trump will blink first<\/p>\n U.S. and Israeli airstrikes crippled thousands of factories<\/a> in Iran, and the economic damage is reverberating \u2014 millions more<\/a> Iranians could lose their jobs. Most damaging, Israeli strikes knocked out most steel and petrochemical production, causing a surge in prices for metals and plastic. Things could get worse as the U.S. blockades Iranian ports<\/a>.<\/p>\n