Israel intensifies attacks in Lebanon as Iran talks stall

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage from today here.

Internet access monitor Netblocks has said that there has been a rise in connectivity following Iran's decision to connect the country back to the internet.

"Metrics show a further rise in connectivity as mobile networks and other segments are reconnected to the internet," Netblocks said.

🫶 Welcome back #Iran! Metrics show a further rise in connectivity as mobile networks and other segments are reconnected to the global internet:

• Filternet remains in place but can be worked around
• WhatsApp now restricted, requiring circumvention
• Some users still offline pic.twitter.com/8vtc9hT1pR

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) May 26, 2026

The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday condemned the attack on Barakah Nuclear Plant in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement, adding that the attack constituted a violation of international law.

The council did not attribute blame for the attack.

The UAE said last week that six drones had been launched against it from Iraq, including one that caused a fire at the nuclear power plant in the Gulf state. Iraq is home to powerful Iranian-backed militia groups which have claimed attacks against "enemy bases in Iraq and the region" during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Lebanon said Israeli strikes on the country's south killed 31 people on Tuesday, as Israel said it was intensifying attacks despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed in attacks and 40 wounded. Fourteen were killed in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre.

The Israeli military issued two new displacement orders on Tuesday for residents of 19 towns and villages across southern Lebanon, as it expanded its ground operations deeper inside Lebanese territory.

The military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, wrote on X, listing 14 places. Minutes later, he issued another warning calling on residents of five more places to evacuate.

Included in the list of towns and villages include: 

• Toura
• Deir Qanun al-Nahr
• Bdeias
• Burj Rahhal
• Maarakeh
• Al-Abassiya
• Tayr Debba

Israel said it targeted the new chief of Hamas' armed wing in a strike in Gaza on Tuesday, just days after his predecessor was killed in a similar attack in the Palestinian territory.

"Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the [military] has just carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Odeh - the new commander of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organisation and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre," a joint statement issued by Netanyahu and Katz said.

Odeh was appointed as chief of the Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades after his predecessor Izz ad-Din Al-Haddad was killed in a strike in Gaza earlier in May.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday he hoped parties in the Iran conflict can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway.

Wang spoke to reporters at the United Nations in New York after chairing a meeting of the 15-member Security Council because China has held the council's presidency in May.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Tuesday that a tanker had reported an external explosion on the vessel's port side, close to the waterline, 60 nautical miles off Oman's capital Muscat.

UKMTO said the vessel, identified as the Olympic Life, and its crew were safe, although the tanker reported some bunker fuel had been discharged into the sea. It said the cause of the incident was unknown.

According to MarineTraffic vessel-tracking data, the Greek-owned Very Large Crude Carrier was sailing past Muscat at around 0700 GMT, heading out of the Gulf of Oman, and was not carrying cargo.

The vessel is owned by Athens-based Olympic Shipping & Management, the successor to Olympic Management founded by late shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, according to the Onassis Foundation's website.

The company was not immediately available for comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the military was operating with "large forces on the ground" in southern Lebanon and taking control of "strategic areas", according to a statement.

His comments at the opening of a security cabinet meeting came after the Israeli military expanded their ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond a demarcation line and occupation zone that Israel has set up several kilometres inside Lebanese territory after an 16 April ceasefire with Hezbollah.

A military delegation from Lebanon is heading to Washington on Tuesday for a security meeting with Israeli officials at the Pentagon scheduled for Friday, as intensified Israeli strikes on the country continue to kill dozens of people.

President Joseph Aoun reportedly briefed the delegation before their departure, outlining key principles to be presented at the negotiating table.

The security meeting comes amid renewed Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as heightened Israeli threats to expand attacks against Lebanon all the way to Beirut.

On Monday, 11 people including two children, were killed in Israeli strikes on the village of Mashghara in eastern Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "press the pedal even harder" against Hezbollah.

At the same time, Hezbollah has increased military operations against Israeli troops and military positions. Its Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, has also intensified his criticism of the Lebanese government, threatening to bring it down through street protests and confront what he called "the American-Israeli project".

You can read more from Rita el-Jammal's report on the new meeting between Lebanese and Israeli officials below:

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports that the US Navy is escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "Project Freedom has not resumed, and US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz."

The denial comes after reports in the Wall Street Journal that the US Navy was guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz, specifically, a Greek super tanker with two million barrels of oil.

The WSJ did correct its original claim that it was part of a renewed push of 'Project Freedom', however.

🚫CLAIM: Recent media reporting claims that the U.S. Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz. FALSE.

✅TRUTH: Project Freedom has not resumed, and U.S. forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through… pic.twitter.com/JD9cY5FUNN

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 26, 2026

Iran's lead negotiator and speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has returned from Qatar to Iran, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Ghalibaf had been in Qatar as part of mediation efforts to push through a deal between Iran and the US, which had been on the horizon over the weekend but stalled with renewed exchanges of fire overnight.

Israeli forces have begun operating beyond its so-called "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, which runs around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory, a military official confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.

"The [army] is operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defence Line in order to remove direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and [army] troops, in accordance with the directives of the political echelon," the military official said when asked about reports that the military had begun ground operations beyond its demarcation line.

"Specific details regarding soldiers' locations cannot be provided," the official added.

The new offensive came amid Israeli deliberations on whether to expand its war on Lebanon, which it has continued in violation of an April ceasefire, in a bid to combat Hezbollah drones that have, in recent days, killed a number of soldiers.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would continue providing support for peace talks during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Turkish presidency said on Tuesday.

Erdogan said the conflicts in the region had cast a shadow over the Muslim Eid holiday period, adding that he believed the Iranian people would overcome the challenges.

Iran's vice president said on Tuesday that the government has taken the first steps to restore the internet after a near-total blackout since war with the United States and Israel broke out in late February.

"The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said in a post on X, adding that the demands of Iranians "will be fulfilled."

"Live metrics show a partial restoration to internet connectivity in Iran on day 88," of the shutdown, Netblocks, an internet access monitor, said on X, saying it was "unclear" if this meant a permanent end to the "longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history".

Under the shutdown, Iranians have been using Iran's intranet, being able to communicate within Iran's local telecoms infrastructure. However, those close to the government use so-called white SIM cards to get uncensored access to the global internet.

You can read more about Iran's internet blackout, which had previously been enforced during January's protests, here: 

Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the military had expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond the "Yellow Line", an Israeli-drawn demarcation line near the border, though the reports gave no further details on the extent of the advance.

Cross-border fighting has been escalating between Israel and Hezbollah, despite the declaration of a ceasefire several weeks ago.

The Iranian Fars Agency quoted a source it described as knowledgeable as saying, "Any negotiation without receiving Iranian money is not possible."

The source added that the latest serious dispute between Iran and the United States, over the mechanism for accessing frozen Iranian resources, is on the verge of being resolved through mediation and a Qatari initiative.

According to Fars, Iran's insistence that no agreement could be reached unless the agreed-upon funds were transferred ultimately led, through consultations held in Qatar, to progress in addressing this problem.

The Iranian source confirmed that the Iranian negotiating team, in light of the United States' record of "breaking pledges," does not consider these understandings to be final, adding that "Iran is prepared for all possible options."

Iran's Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Bagheri, arrived in Russia to attend a Moscow security forum.

Bagheri is scheduled to deliver a speech at the conference and hold meetings with senior Russian political and security officials, Iranian state media reported.

The International Security Forum is Russia's most important annual event in regional and global security, attended by officials from various countries and international organisations. The 14th edition opened on Tuesday with representatives from 120 countries attending the four-day event.

The visit comes as Moscow and Tehran have deepened military cooperation during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Netblocks, an organisation that monitors internet access, reported that internet access in Iran has been partially restored.

The report was published following a decree issued by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordering the reopening of internet access, which had been shut down for 87 days.

The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson issued additional forced evacuation warnings for the villages in the Lebanese Beka'a region, after they had already been attacked.

Qatar has denied that it offered Iran $12 billion to finalise an agreement that would end the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"Reports claiming that the State of Qatar 'offered' $12 billion to Iran to ensure the conclusion of an agreement are utterly baseless and are being circulated by parties seeking to derail the agreement and undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions and promoting stability in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on the social media platform X.

Read more below:

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an "external explosion" near a vessel some 60 nautical miles (111 km) from Oman's Muscat.

Some of the vessel's bunker fuel has leaked into the sea, while its crew and passengers are safe, according to the report.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that a paramedic from Al-Resala Society was killed, and two other paramedics were injured, in an Israeli raid on the town of Srifa in the Tyre district.
 

The Health Ministry in Gaza says seven people have been killed and 34 injured over the past 24 hours, with several victims remaining trapped under rubble or on roadsides after Israeli attacks.

Since the alleged one-sided ceasefire with Israel took effect in October 2025, the ministry put the total number of Palestinians killed at 906, with 2,747 wounded.

Iranian Foreign Ministry accused the US of breaching the ceasefire agreement with "aggressive acts" in the Hormozgan region, where Bandar Abbas is located.

In a published statement shared by Iran's IRIB, the ministry said the action showed the US government's "malice and hypocrisy" towards Iran.

The ministry further said that Iran would "not hesitate to defend itself".

The Israeli army spokesperson announced that starting today, the Home Front Command will provide advance warnings for rocket and missile fire from Lebanon "when operational conditions allow."

Palestinian media outlets report that two people were killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in western Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel's escalating attacks in Lebanon risk collapsing a fragile US‑Iran agreement that appears closer than ever, turning Lebanon once again into a key testing ground for whether regional deals can hold.

Read more below:

The pound slipped on Tuesday after optimism about an Iran peace deal was tempered by US attacks on Iranian targets and comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that talks could still take a few days.

Sterling was last down 0.2% at $1.348 after rallying 0.6% on Monday on hopes of a deal to end the war and reopen the key Strait of Hormuz. The euro was 0.2% higher against the pound at 86.36.

Markets have dealt with conflicting headlines on the talks in recent days, as they have throughout the conflict.

Sterling has wavered throughout the war, largely as investors have bought and sold the safe-haven US dollar amid developments in peace talks.

It is now little changed against the dollar since the start of the conflict on 27 February, though it has climbed more than 1% against the euro in that time.

Politics has also influenced Britain's currency, which fell after the 7 May local elections as investors braced for a challenge to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer from within his own Labour Party, before rebounding in recent days.

"The prospect of a leadership challenge from (Manchester mayor) Andy Burnham has added to the headlines, but we expect only limited fiscal policy change regardless of the outcome," said Constantin Bolz and Dominic Schnider, currency strategists at UBS, in a note to clients.

Israel's military says it attacked more than 100 targets in Lebanon overnight, including in the Bekaa Valley and various parts of southern Lebanon.

It also acknowledged carrying out a series of strikes in the Mashghara area, where the Lebanese National News Agency reported at least 12 people killed in a horrific massacre.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has retaliated with a swarm of drone attacks across the border, which is reportedly still ongoing at the moment. 

Tasnim news agency has cited a source close to Iran's negotiating team as saying $24bn of frozen Iranian assets must be released in any potential deal with the United States.

The source said Tehran's position is that half of the amount must be released when a memorandum of understanding is announced, with the remaining released within 60 days.

The news agency said Iran's top negotiator travelled to Qatar to reach an agreement on a mechanism to implement this demand.

The Israeli occupation army sent an urgent warning to the residents of the city of Nabatieh, demanding that they evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River.

Almost daily now, Israeli military drones can be heard hovering over the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Hezbollah announced that it had confronted, at dawn, an Israeli armed force that advanced towards the eastern town of Zawtar in southern Lebanon, after Israeli airstrikes and violent artillery shelling struck throughout the area.

Hezbollah said that its forces confronted Israel with missile weapons, artillery shells, and attack drones, and in direct engagement.

Hezbollah also said that a Merkava tank was destroyed in the morning, indicating that the clashes are still ongoing.

Iranian authorities on Tuesday executed a man after convicting him of cooperation with and espionage for Israel's Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said.

"Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favour of the Zionist regime," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, adding that the Supreme Court had upheld his sentence.

The Tuesday hanging is the latest in a string of executions by the Islamic Republic for security-related cases following the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on 28 February.

Mizan described Shekarab as "one of the operational ringleaders of Mossad abroad... who was seeking to recruit individuals inside the country" for "anti-security actions".

"Ultimately, in a complex operation and using intelligence deception tactics, the accused was guided into the country and arrested," it said, adding that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence forces detained him.

The report also said that Shekarab had been tasked by Israel's Mossad spy agency "to travel to one of the regional countries with the aim of identifying and preparing the groundwork for the assassination of a Jewish rabbi... to accuse Iran of anti-Jewish actions".

It was not immediately clear when Shekarab was arrested or sentenced.

"Finally, after reviewing the case... and after legal proceedings and confirmation of the sentence in the Supreme Court, the accused was executed by hanging this morning," the report added.

On Monday, Iran executed another man after convicting him of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January.

The day before, Iran hanged Mojtaba Kian over espionage in the first reported execution linked to spying offences during Iran's war with the United States and Israel.

Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

Asian stocks fell, and crude prices diverged on Tuesday after fresh US strikes on Iran deflated optimism that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was imminent.

The United States and Iran have been trying to reach a deal to end the Middle East war and reopen the crucial waterway since a fragile ceasefire on 8 April.

Stocks had rallied on Monday, and crude futures contracts dropped below $100 a barrel after reports that a deal was on the cusp of being struck.

But these hopes were dashed on Monday when US forces said they attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines.

North Sea Brent, the international benchmark that establishes pricing for a majority of globally traded petroleum, jumped more than three per cent on Tuesday.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate, meanwhile, was down around four per cent at 0825 GMT.

Asian markets were mostly lower, with Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Taipei and Sydney all down while Hong Kong was flat.

Seoul was up more than 2.5 per cent after opening at a record high over 8,000, as chipmakers, carmakers and shipbuilders continued to outperform. Bangkok and Wellington also advanced.

In Europe, London climbed while Paris and Frankfurt dropped at the open.

Despite a cease-fire, Gaza health officials say five killed in an Israeli airstrike. 

Since the so-called ceasefire on October 2025, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israel. 

China on Tuesday urged "parties concerned" to observe a fragile ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran, after US forces claimed they had attacked missile sites in southern Iran as well as boats trying to lay mines.

"We urge the parties concerned to fulfil their ceasefire commitments, resolve disputes through peaceful means... and promote the early restoration of peace," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing when asked for China's reaction.

In a statement to the press, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says Iran has the "right to respond" to any US breach of the ceasefire. 

The IRGC added that they had downed one Mq9 drone.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday that Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for United States bases and the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region, as Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end the three-month-old war launched by the US and Israel. 

Israeli defence company Elbit Systems says it has secured a $1.4 billion deal to supply an unnamed European country with a broad range of its advanced military modernisation systems.

As part of the five-year defence contract, the European country will be equipped with Elbit's autonomous uncrewed vehicles, ground-based electronic warfare solutions, precision-guided munitions for artillery and air-to-ground strikes, electro-optical designation systems, and reconnaissance systems.

Rescue workers have recovered 12 bodies following Israeli strikes on the town of Mashghara in the south of Lebanon, National News Agency reports.

Several people were also wounded, according to authorities.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the Israeli army began calling up reserve forces to expand its operations beyond the "yellow line" in Lebanon.

Shin Bet chief David Zini met with the Palestinian Authority’s exiled former Gaza security chief Mohammad Dahlan during a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Dahlan has been the main candidate for Israel to oversee Gaza in the postwar era.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has long resisted calls to reconcile with Dahlan, whom he expelled from the occupied West Bank in 2011 after a bitter political dispute.

Dahlan moved to Abu Dhabi, where he became a close confidant and employee of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

Hezbollah said in a statement, on the centenary anniversary of the Lebanese constitution, that Lebanon cannot be a homeland for all its people simply by slogans, but rather by protecting its land and people, and with a clear national consensus to reject occupation and aggression, and by fully adhering to the right of the Lebanese to defend their country, sovereignty and dignity, especially against the occupation and Zionist ambitions that are clearly present today.

The party stressed that resisting the occupation and aggression is not a departure from the state, nor a violation of the constitution, but, rather, a legitimate national right, protected by the principles of the Lebanese constitution and Lebanon's Arab and international obligations, and no political or governmental decision can rob our people of their natural right to defend their land, nor delegitimise resistance to the occupation.

Once again, overnight and well into the morning, Israeli military forces launched strikes in Gaza and southern Lebanon, killing and injuring several civilians. 

Two US officials confirmed that the United States remains committed to the ceasefire despite the increase in violence in southern Iran and the Gulf on Monday.

The Wall Street Journal quoted officials as saying that the US strikes that targeted Iranian missile sites and mine-laying ships yesterday, Monday, were considered "defensive measures" to protect US military forces.

Iranian Armed Forces spokesman, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarji, confirmed that Iran will manage the Strait of Hormuz, this vital waterway, "with full determination and ability," to establish security and protect international trade and economy.

Brigadier General Shikarji added that if his country were exposed to any attack, the Iranian attacks "will be more severe, heavier and stronger," declaring that the Islamic Republic of Iran is on alert for war, and has set its goals if the United States and Israel launch a new attack.

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted Shekarchi as confirming that the response to any new aggression will differ from what preceded it, and that the enemies will "certainly face new surprises and tactics," noting that Iranian strikes, if the region enters another round of conflict, will cross regional borders and will be much more severe, more violent, and more powerful than the two previous wars.