David Gritten

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and four seriously injured by an explosive device during an operation in Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. Israel responded with strikes across the south, including an attack in Tibnin that Lebanon said killed one person and injured 12, and ordered residents of Mansouri to evacuate. The escalation occurred as Israeli and Lebanese officials held US-sponsored ceasefire talks in Rome. A proposed framework links Israel’s gradual withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanese territory to Hezbollah’s disarmament, a condition Hezbollah rejects. The violence has also slowed the return of displaced residents, with hundreds of thousands still displaced across Lebanon.

Egyptian authorities say a drone struck the US-owned floating storage and regasification vessel Energos Winter at the port of Damietta, causing a fire that spread to the Greek-owned LNG tanker GasLog Salem. The fires were extinguished, no casualties were reported and both ships moved offshore while the port continued operating. No group has claimed responsibility, but US President Donald Trump suggested Iran or its proxies may be involved. The incident followed US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq and further US strikes on Iran, intensifying regional tensions around energy infrastructure and maritime trade.

Israeli airstrikes in northern and southern Gaza killed several people, including a senior Hamas-linked police officer and a 10-year-old boy, according to health and police officials. Israel said the primary target was a Hamas military security official and identified three others killed as Hamas operatives, while relatives of one victim disputed this characterization. Additional casualties were reported in Khan Younis and Rafah. Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of repeated ceasefire violations, with over 1,110 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reportedly killed since the truce began. The conflict continues against the backdrop of the 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent military campaign.

Missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport followed Saudi-led coalition strikes that hit Sanaa’s airport amid a dispute over an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation. The confrontation marked the most serious escalation in years, disrupting an informal truce and raising fears of renewed conflict. The Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the Sanaa strikes, while the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia and warned of further retaliation. International actors, including the UN and the UK, urged restraint as regional tensions increased.

Houthis fired missiles and drones at Abha airport in Saudi Arabia after air strikes hit Sanaa’s airport amid a dispute over an Iranian plane. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted the attacks. The escalation is the most significant since a truce began four years ago in Yemen’s civil war, which has caused extensive casualties and humanitarian suffering. Both Yemeni government and Houthi officials traded accusations, while the UN urged restraint to avoid renewed regional escalation.

Massive crowds gathered in Mashhad for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking the end of six days of national mourning across Iran and Iraq. The funeral took place amid heightened tensions following reciprocal attacks between Iran and the United States, raising concerns about the collapse of a preliminary de‑escalation agreement. Iranian authorities accused the US of targeting infrastructure ahead of the funeral, while US officials said their strikes aimed to disrupt Iranian military capabilities. Mojtaba Khamenei, newly appointed leader and injured in the same attack that killed his father, was absent from the ceremonies. Diplomatic progress mediated by Qatar stalled after President Trump declared the existing memorandum of understanding void, leaving uncertainty over nuclear talks, sanctions relief and a permanent ceasefire.

A bomb planted inside a crowded cafe near Damascus’s Palace of Justice killed six people and injured 22. No group claimed responsibility, though the attack follows previous bombings blamed on jihadist factions. Officials vowed to punish those responsible, while eyewitnesses described scenes resembling violence from the civil war. The incident comes amid instability under interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and ongoing sectarian tensions following the fall of Bashar al‑Assad.

Syria’s interim president appointed the final 70 members of a new transitional parliament, adding women, former detainees and figures from across all provinces to address imbalances created by earlier electoral college selections. Civil society groups and Kurdish parties criticised the electoral system for structural flaws and presidential influence. UN officials warned that the transition remains fragile despite progress in implementing a ceasefire with the SDF and integrating some of its brigades, while unresolved issues in Suweida and calls for secession continue to threaten stability and national unity.