Israeli air attacks injure nine in multiple Lebanese towns A series of Israeli attacks targeting multiple towns in southern Lebanon since last night injured nine people in the Zibqin area, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Four women were among the victims of the strikes on residential neighbourhoods in the Zibqin. All of them were evacuated to hospitals in Tyre for treatment, the report said.
Hezbollah claims three separate attacks on Israeli forces Hezbollah announced three separate attacks targeting a gathering of Israeli army vehicles and soldiers stationed south of Lebanon. Meanwhile, the National News Agency reported ongoing Israeli shelling and strikes in several towns located in Tyre. The Litani River, a critical link between southern Lebanon and the rest of the country, was also subject to Israeli shelling overnight.
Lebanon and Israel set to hold new peace talks in Washington Lebanon and Israel are expected to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday amid the ceasefire nearing its end. The ceasefire, which went into effect on 17 April, was intended to halt hostilities that began in early March. However, Israel launched near-daily attacks, killing more than 380 people, including 23 children.
China gains edge over US amid war on Iran: Report A US intelligence analysis suggests that China is gaining an edge over the US amid the war on Iran, US officials familiar with the report told The Washington Post. The assessment, produced for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, details Beijing maximising its advantage over Washington in various arenas, including militarily, economically and diplomatically. China has assisted countries around the world struggling to meet their energy needs following the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most essential waterways for the transport of oil and gas.
South Korean official says 'unlikely' anyone but Iran behind attack on vessel A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters on Thursday that an entity other than Iran responsible for the attack against a South Korean cargo vessel is low. According to the Yonhap news agency, the official indicated that Seoul has been cooperating with the US on investigating the strike, which occurred nearby the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. "We do not yet know the possibility of an attack by any entity other than Iran, but common sense dictates that it is not likely," the official was quoted as saying.
In pictures: China welcomes Trump ahead of high-stakes talks in Beijing Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed US President Donald Trump with a handshake early on Thursday ahead of discussions in Beijing. The summit is expected to cover sensitive issues relating to trade, Iran and Taiwan.
US embargo on Hormuz Strait hits Cuba's energy stock Cuba's Energy Minister said on Wednesday that the country has completely run out of fuel as a result of the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. "We have absolutely no fuel (oil), and absolutely no diesel," Vicente de la O Levy said on state-run media. "We have no reserves.
Settlers kill Palestinian teen in Ramallah Israeli settlers killed a 16 year-old boy on Wednesday in the the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, injuring several others in the rampage. The teen, identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as Youssef Ali Youssef Kaabneh, was shot in the chest with live ammunition during the settler attack. He was transferred to the Martyr Yasser Arafat Governmental Hospital in the city of Salfit, where he was pronounced dead.
Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza says ceasefire 'far from perfect' The high representative for the US President Donald Trump's "Peace Council" in Gaza said on Wednesday that the ceasefire in the enclave was working but was "far from perfect". Nickolay Mladenov admitted that there are "violations every day, and some of them are very serious". More than 850 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire in October 2025.
Netanyahu's office says he visited UAE, Gulf state denies claim Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a "secret" visit to the UAE during the US-Israeli war on Iran, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Wednesday, which sparked an unusual denial from the Gulf state. "During Operation 'Lion's Roar', Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," the statement said. The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a denial of the visit a few hours after the official Israeli statement.
Israeli attacks kill, wound nearly 60 children over the past week, despite truce deal Onoging Israeli attacks across Lebanon have killed and wounded at least 59 children over the past week, despite a ceasefire that came into effect in April. In a press release on Wednesday, Unicef indicated that children in the country "continue to be at the sharp end of ongoing violence, displacement and exposure to traumatic events". Over 23 children have been killed since the ceasefire in 17 April, with 93 others injured during the same period.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and burn land in occupied West Bank Armed Israeli settlers on Wednesday attacked Palestinian homes in Hebron with stones, injuring a Palestinian citizen and a foreign activist, Wafa news agency is reporting. A group of armed settlers threw stones at the home of Mohammad al-Jabarin in the area of Masafer Yatta and physically assaulted his son, Fadi and a foreign activist, causing bruises and damage to al-Jabarin's house. The settlers also set fire to agricultural land in the village of Al-Mughayyir in Ramallah, Wafa is reporting.
UAE denies Netanyahu held secret meeting with Emirati president during Iran war The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry denied on Wednesday claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office that he visited the UAE and held a secret meeting with its president. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said earlier he travelled to the UAE during the war with Iran and met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. A statement by the Emirati foreign ministry said that Emirati relations with Israel "are public" and "not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.
US wants China to press Iran to change course in Gulf: Secretary of State The US hopes to convince China to play a more active role in trying to persuade Iran to walk away from what it is doing in the Gulf, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview aired on Fox News on Wednesday.
Lebanon says 10 more killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon said 10 more people were killed in Israeli strikes in the country's south on Wednesday, bringing the day's toll to at least 22 dead. The health ministry said six people, "including three children and two women," were killed in the town of Arab Salim, while another child was killed in a strike on Harouf, and three more people, "including two children," were killed in Roumin, all in south Lebanon.
'Rogue state behaviour': Israel carrying out covert influence operations in Canada, report says Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 20:17 Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East is calling for Israeli agents to receive the same treatment as Chinese or Indian ones A view of Parliament Hill with construction signs in the foreground, in Ottawa, Canada, on 14 April 2026 (David Kawai/Reuters) Off Israel is running a widespread and deeply embedded, covert influence operation in Canada, and the government has refused to treat it as interference by a foreign actor, a new report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has said. The group is now calling on Ottawa to designate Israel as a "key threat actor" alongside the likes of China and India, expel Israeli diplomats, and ban Israeli spyware, among other recommendations published on Wednesday. "The pattern of deception and disinformation outlined in this report demonstrates the malicious role of the Israeli state in interfering in Canadian public affairs, undermining the rights and safety of Canadians," CJPME said.
Two drone strikes hit Iranian opposition camp north of Iraq’s Erbil, security sources say Two drone strikes hit an Iranian opposition camp north of Iraq's Erbil, security sources said on Wednesday, adding that an arms and ammunition depot inside the camp was targeted.
Chinese-linked ships cross Strait of Hormuz on eve of Trump-Xi meeting Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 20:37 Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude crossed the waterway before turning off its transponder A woman crosses a street near a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz, with a caption in Persian reading 'Forever in Iran’s Hand', in Vanak Square in Tehran, Iran, on 6 May 2026 (AFP) Off Multiple ships linked to China transited the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s arrival in Beijing, where he says he plans to discuss the war on Iran with his Chinese counterpart. The most watched vessel is a Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude. It sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday before turning off its transponder somewhere in the Gulf of Oman, according to ship tracking data.
US ‘making progress’ in Iran talks, US vice president says US Vice President JD Vance says he believes progress is being made in negotiations with Iran after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest proposal as unacceptable. “I think that we are making progress. The fundamental question is do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president’s red line?
Israel's Netanyahu visited UAE during war on Iran Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 05/13/2026 - 18:45 Israeli prime minister's office discloses visit after US confirms Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to Gulf state Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the '60 Minutes' programme on CBS that the conflict was 'not over' (CBS/Screenshot) Off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a "secret" visit to the UAE to meet President Mohamed bin Zayed during the US-Israeli war on Iran, Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday. "During Operation 'Lion's Roar', Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," the statement said. The announcement comes the day after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries, along with soldiers to operate them , to the UAE to defend against Iranian attacks.
