Iran says it struck US-linked targets as Bahrain reports attack

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Israel's defence minister said on Saturday that Israeli forces had been ordered to prepare for an extended stay in the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, after Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework to end hostilities.

"The prime minister and I have instructed the [Israeli military] to prepare for an extended stay in the security zone," Israel Katz said in a video statement, referring to an area up to 10 kilometres (six miles) inside the Lebanese territory.

"The important principle established in the agreement is that there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon," he said.

Tensions across the region escalated on Saturday as Iran said it carried out strikes against US-linked targets in response to recent US airstrikes, while Bahrain reported that multiple drones had entered its territory in the early hours of the morning.

The developments come amid continuing accusations between Washington and Tehran over violations of an interim ceasefire agreement, with each side blaming the other for renewed attacks following a fragile period of de-escalation.

Iran said its actions were carried out in retaliation for US strikes on its southern coast, which it described as a breach of international law and existing understandings governing military conduct in the region. Tehran did not identify the locations of the targets it claims to have hit.

In Bahrain, authorities said several drones were detected over its territory, calling the incident a threat to national security and regional stability. No immediate casualties or damage were reported.

Separately, maritime authorities have warned of heightened risks to vessels in the Gulf, with shipping lanes near Oman being adjusted to accommodate growing security concerns and maintain traffic flow.

Inflation in Iran rose sharply in June, driven by the Middle East war, reaching a peak of 88.6 percent year-on-year according to official figures released on Saturday.

According to the Statistical Centre of Iran, during the Persian month of Khordad (May 22-June 21), food prices more than doubled year-on-year. Even before the war, Iran was plagued by high inflation.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi says he received a phone call from his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, who congratulated him on Lebanon’s signing of a US-mediated framework agreement with Israel.

Safadi “expressed his hope that the agreement would advance the interests of Lebanon,” including strengthening its sovereignty and restoring stability, Raggi said on X.

“In turn, I thanked him for Jordan’s steadfast support for Lebanon and reaffirmed that this agreement marks a victory for diplomacy and for the authority of the State and its institutions above all else.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday welcomed the US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement as a "critical step" away from conflict in the Middle East.

"I welcome the agreement between Israel and Lebanon. This is a critical step away from escalation. Because there can be no peace in the Middle East with Lebanon in flames," she said in a statement posted on X, thanking Washington for its mediation role.

"Key next steps are the disarmament of non-state groups and preserving Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity," she stressed.

Von der Leyen added that "the EU stands ready to support this path to lasting regional stability, also with the continued delivery of much needed humanitarian aid with EUR100 million mobilised for the displaced."

Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has accused the United States of violating Article 5 of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which stipulates that safe passage for commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored. It also sets out that Iran and Oman would discuss the future administration and maritime services of the waterway.

Rezaei said on X that the US, “by continuing to create tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, has violated the fifth article”.

“The response to the violation of any article of the memorandum of understanding will be swift and decisive.”

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement on Saturday, saying it a major mistake by Beirut and that his group deemed it null and void.

"The framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty. This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented," Qassem said in a statement, accusing Lebanese authorities of "legitimising" Israeli occupation through this "grave blunder".

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri has called on the Lebanese people to resist division after Friday's agreement with Israel triggered outrage among the country's Shiite community.

"My people in Lebanon, all of Lebanon, it is strife," he said, before quoting an Arabic proverb advising people not to be drawn into conflict. 

Lebanon's state-run news agency is reporting an Israeli drone strike in the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the first such attack since the two countries signed a framework agreement in Washington.

An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP that the strike targeted "suspected terrorists who posted a threat to IDF soldiers".

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement condemning an alleged Iranian attack on Bahrain, after Manama said Iranian drones targeted its territory earlier this morning.

“The continuation of these aggressions, amid regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tensions, represents a dangerous undermining of efforts for peace and stability and a threat to the security and stability of the region,” the statement posted on X said.

Kuwait expressed its “full solidarity” with Bahrain and its support for “all measures it takes to protect its sovereignty, security, and the safety of its territories,” it added.

 An Israeli drone struck the Nabatiyeh area in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency said.

The reported strike came a day after Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-brokered security arrangement aimed at reducing tensions along their border following months of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah. 

Iran says cargo clearance has resumed after US attacks on Iran following a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to the IRNA news agency.

An Iranian trade official said containers that could not be processed due to “wartime conditions” are now being cleared from the UAE’s Jebel Ali Port to Iran, adding that trade is expected to gradually return to pre-war levels.

The UAE’s Jebel Ali Port is a major regional transit hub for Iranian goods. Trade between the UAE and Iran has long been affected by regional tensions and Western sanctions on Tehran.

A tanker has reported being struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Saturday.

The vessel sustained damage to its bridge, but all crew were reported safe and no environmental damage had been reported at the time of the report, UKMTO added.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry has issued a statement strongly condemning Iranian drone attacks in the early hours of the morning, describing them as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty and international law.

It said several drones targeted its territory, without specifying the exact location or nature of the intended targets.

The statement added that the incident endangered civilians and undermined efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.

The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 73,043 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel's war on the territory in October 2023.

According to the ministry, 1,031 people have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, while a further 3,309 have been injured during the same period.

Overall, the ministry said that 173,417 Palestinians have been wounded in Israeli attacks since the war began.

War, loss and remembrance shaped the observances this year in Lebanon and Iran of Ashoura, one of Shiite Islam's most important religious days, commemorating the death of a grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

In Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, tens of thousands gathered in synchronized processions, beating their chests in remembrance of Hussein — Muhammad's grandson — and in remembrance of loved ones killed in the recent war between the Hezbollah group and Israel.

In the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, smaller commemorations unfolded next to the scars of Israeli airstrikes. Smoke from an airstrike on the outskirts of the city underscored the fragility of the current ceasefire. Some participants performed ritual bloodletting by making ceremonial cuts to their heads.

In Iran's capital, Tehran, residents gathered for ceremonies and processions, many beating their heads and chests. Devotees with torches set fire to tents in a reenactment of the battle in 680 A.D. when Hussein was killed.

 US Vice President JD Vance said that "violence will be met with violence" after the US struck Iran in the wake of an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

"If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone," Vance said on X.

Iran on Saturday accused the United States of a "blatant violation" of the peace deal reached between the two sides to end the Middle East war after the latest American strikes on the country.

"These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation" of the memorandum of understanding to end the war, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The US military said its forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar locations on Friday in response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Welcome to The New Arab's live coverage of the US and Israel's war on Iran amid a recently implemented ceasefire agreement.

Here's a recap of the latest developments:

• The US military says it carried out "powerful" strikes on Iran in response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US attack "violated" American commitments
• Israel and Lebanon have signed a "framework agreement", which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as a "first step" in negotiations
• Israeli forces have killed several people in attacks across the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.