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US and British soldiers killed during training exercise in Iraq
One American soldier and one British soldier died during a training exercise in Iraq, US and UK officials said on Monday without releasing further details.
The deaths occurred on Sunday at an air base in Irbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, where the US has retained a presence, the US Army said in a post on X. The statement said the soldier’s identity is being withheld until 24 hours after his or her family has been notified.
The UK Ministry of Defence said in a separate post that the family of the British soldier has been notified and requested a “period of grace” before more details are released.
Oil prices hold near recent highs as uncertainty clouds US-Iran talks
Oil prices held on to most of the previous session's sharp gains in early trade on Tuesday amid uncertainty over the status of ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran and the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that talks with Iran were ongoing, while Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran had suspended indirect negotiations with Washington.
Brent crude futures inched up 6 cents, or 0.06%, to $95.04 a barrel at 0001 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate fell 17 cents, or 0.18%, to $91.99 a barrel.
Israeli military intercepts projectiles from Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel early on Tuesday, and that a suspicious aerial target later fell inside Israeli territory near the Lebanese border.
No injuries were reported, the military added in a statement.
Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli targets in south Lebanon
Hezbollah claimed several attacks late Monday on Israeli targets in south Lebanon, hours after US President Donald Trump said the Iran-backed group had agreed that "all shooting will stop".
In one statement, Hezbollah said that in the town of Hadatha, its fighters targeted a Merkava tank with an attack drone, and Israeli troops with "barrages of rockets and artillery shelling", adding in another statement that fighters subsequently attacked two Israeli tanks in the same area.
In a third statement, which like the others also indicated an attack time of after 11:00 pm (2000 GMT), Hezbollah said its fighters targeted a Merkava tank in the town of Bayada "with a guided missile".
Trump hopes Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire will last ‘for eternity’
US President Donald Trump said Monday he hoped Israel and Hezbollah would stop fighting forever, doubling down on claims of a ceasefire despite Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu reserving the right to strike the Lebanese group.
Trump said on his Truth Social network that Hezbollah had "agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let's see how long that lasts – Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!"
Trump says he will have an agreement with Iran secured 'over the next week': ABC
UN chief says peacekeepers needed in Lebanon after current mission ends
UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday that it will be necessary to maintain peacekeepers in Lebanon after the mandate of the current mission expires at year-end.
In a report to the Security Council seen by AFP, Guterres proposes three options ranging from nearly 2,000 to more than 5,500 uniformed UN personnel to monitor the ceasefire and support the Lebanese armed forces.
Iran's Quds Force commander warns of similar traffic situation in Hormuz and Bab El Mandel straits
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Esmaeil Qaani has said that Israeli operations in Lebanon and Gaza will lead the Resistance Axis, Iran and its allies, to establish a similar traffic situation both in Bab El Mandeb and Hormuz Strait, according to state media.
"The evil of the Zionists (Israel) in Lebanon and Gaza, in the shadow of the shameless support of America, will mark the determination of the Resistance Axis to expand support from both fronts, take steps to activate other fronts, and equate the traffic situation of the Bab El Mandeb Strait with the Strait of Hormuz", Qaani said.
The Bab El Mandeb Strait is a major chokepoint between Yemen and the Horn of Africa connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and beyond it, to the Indian Ocean.
Netanyahu says he told Trump Israel will strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks persist
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he had told US President Donald Trump that Israel would attack "terror" targets in Beirut if Hezbollah did not cease its attacks on Israeli cities.
"At the same time, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to the Israeli military.
Lebanon's US embassy says Hezbollah accepted US proposal on 'reciprocal cessation of attacks'
The Lebanese presidential office has posted a statement by Lebanon's embassy in Washington saying Hezbollah has accepted a US proposal calling for a "reciprocal cessation of attacks".
Following a conversation between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "the Lebanese authorities received confirmation of Hezbollah's agreement to the US proposal, which calls for a reciprocal cessation of attacks," said the statement posted on X in Arabic.
"Under the proposed arrangement, Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from carrying out attacks against Israel, with the ceasefire framework to be expanded to encompass all Lebanese territories," the statement noted.
President Donald Trump the held a call with Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Maawad and informed her that he had obtained the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the proposed arrangement. The Lebanese ambassador in Washington relayed the outcomes of the discussions to Aoun, who in turn notified Hezbollah about them, the statement noted.
Further discussions are scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday, said the statement.
Trump says Netanyahu agreed not to send troops to Beirut
President Donald Trump has said he persuaded Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreeing not to send troops to southern Beirut and the Lebanese militant group promising to stop attacks.
"There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back," Trump said on his Truth Social network after a "very productive" call with Netanyahu.
"Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop -- That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel."
Trump says he doesn't care if negotiations with Iran are over, US media reports
President Donald Trump shrugged off the suspension of indirect talks with Iran in an interview with CNBC on Monday, saying he did not care if they were over.
"I don’t care if they’re over, honestly ... I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told Eamon Javers in a phone interview.
Israeli media say Netanyahu spoke with Trump by phone
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Monday, several Israeli media outlets reported, without providing further details.
The call came as Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to open "new fronts" and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed over Israel's offensive in Lebanon.
Trump says he has not heard from Iran that they are suspending talks
President Donald Trump has said that he had not heard from Iran that they are suspending talks with the US, but he believes there has been too much talking and some silence would be good.
"I think we've been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time," Trump said in an interview with NBC News.
"It doesn't mean we're going to go and start dropping bombs all over there," Trump was quoted as saying. "We'll just go silent. We'll keep the blockade," he said.
"I think I can wait as long as they want. They're losing a fortune."
Iran Guards threaten 'new fronts' over Israel's Lebanon offensive, state TV reports
Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to open "new fronts" and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed over Israel's offensive in Lebanon, state media has reported.
"Iran considers crossing the red lines in Lebanon and Gaza to mean direct war," state TV quoted the Guards' intelligence organisation as saying, adding: "in return, it is determined to carry out defensive operations by taking meaningful actions and opening new fronts, in addition to preserving the Strait of Hormuz equation"
US-Iran truce very likely to end if attacks on Lebanon continue, Iran state TV says
Iran's state TV has said the probability of the ceasefire between Iran and the US ending is high if Israeli attacks on Lebanon do not stop.
State TV did not give further details.
'Chaotic scenes' in southern Beirut after Israel issues evacuation orders
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning and ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, sparking a chaotic exodus from the area known in Arabic as Dahiyeh.
Reporting from Beirut, FRANCE 24’s Renée Davis says that since this morning, “we've seen lots of chaotic scenes in the suburbs, huge traffic jams, people rushing to gather their things. These are people who have only just come back to the southern suburbs since the ceasefire,” she notes, referring to the fragile April 16 ceasefire deal mediated by the US. “So they've only just moved back in and now they're having to move back out once again.”
Israeli defence ministry says France bans Israeli offensive weapons from defence show
The French government is limiting Israeli defence companies to exhibiting only air defence products at this year’s Eurosatory international exhibition for the defence and security industry, according to an Israeli Defence Ministry spokesperson.
The Eurosatory exhibition runs from June 15 to 19 this year.
The French government’s restrictions on Israeli defence companies at Eurosatory are “disgraceful”, the spokesperson said.
Israel military issues evacuation warning for Beirut's southern suburbs
The Israeli military on Monday issued an evacuation order for residents of Beirut's southern suburbs and warned that it would strike targets in the area if Hezbollah continued firing rockets at Israeli cities and towns, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
Yesterday's key events:
- Iran 's chief negotiator warned on Sunday the United States was not to be trusted, saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secured Iranian rights.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after his military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort on Sunday.
- The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday over Israel 's expansion of its offensive in Lebanon, following the capture of the medieval castle of Beaufort.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
