Israel strikes south Lebanon; 250,000 attend London Nakba protest amid far-right march

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Millions of documents chronicling the Nakba (catastrophe) and the history of Palestinian refugees since their enforced displacement by Israel in 1948 were secretly evacuated from Gaza and occupied Jerusalem during a covert months-long operation led by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The mission was carried out amid fears the archive could be destroyed, seized, or lost during Israel’s war on Gaza.

The operation lasted around ten months and involved dozens of staff members from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) across at least four countries, according to a report published by The Guardian.

The mission involved transporting documents under bombardment from Gaza to Egypt before they were flown to Jordan aboard military aircraft.

The archive includes original refugee registration cards dating back to the Nakba, which refers to the violent killing and mass expulsion of at least 700,000 Palestinians by Zionist militias to pave the way for the creation of Israel in 1948.

Read more here.

Israeli forces detained several Palestinians, including children, after a settler attack in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

The police detained a 16-year-old boy with health conditions after Israeli settlers attacked him and other Palestinians. A 64-year-old man was also detained after settlers attacked him inside his shop, and settlers injured a 15-year-old, who was also detained by the forces.

Outspoken Spanish star Javier Bardem told AFP he was "getting more work than ever" despite his public campaigning against Israel's war in Gaza, something he attributed to "the narrative changing" around the conflict.

At the last Oscars ceremony in February, the openly political star of "No Country for Old Men" used his time presenting the award for best international feature film to state: "No to war and a free Palestine."

Acclaimed actress Susan Sarandon, a fellow pro-Palestinian campaigner, as well as other lesser-known figures, have complained about their work drying up after their statements condemning Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

"I think it's important to be able to express your point of view, knowing that there will be people who agree and people who don't," Bardem told AFP at the Cannes Film Festival, where he is starring in "The Beloved" by Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

Hezbollah said Saturday it struck a military target in northern Israel, as the fragile ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has not stopped fighting in the war that began on 2 March.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said its fighters targeted "the Ya'ara barracks... with a swarm of attack drones", after announcing multiple operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, where they are occupying territory near the border between the two countries.

Iran's World Cup squad will travel to Turkey on Monday for a training camp, friendlies, and to complete visa applications before heading to the United States, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said on Saturday.

Team Melli will be returning to Antalya, where they trained and played friendlies in March.

They are taking a squad of 30 players, which will have to be trimmed to the World Cup maximum of 26. Perhaps the best known is 33-year-old former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, now with Olympiacos.

"Selecting 30 players for this final training camp ahead of the World Cup was the most difficult technical decision of my coaching career," Ghalenoei told the Iranian football federation website, adding that he had selected players solely on "technical criteria".

FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom held a constructive and positive meeting with Iran's FA (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj on Saturday, he told Reuters, expressing confidence about the country's participation at this year's World Cup.

Iran is scheduled to play all three of their group matches in the United States, but the team's participation in the 11 June to 19 July tournament has been in question since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

"We've had an excellent meeting and constructive meeting together with the Iran FA," Grafstrom said during a visit to Istanbul. "We're working closely together and looking very much forward to welcoming them in the FIFA World Cup."

Iran will reopen its stock market on Tuesday after a suspension during the conflict with the US and Israel, Iran's IRNA ​news agency cited a senior official as saying on Saturday.

"The suspension of stock market activities from the start of the war was aimed at protecting shareholders' assets, preventing panic-driven trading and allowing for more transparent pricing conditions," said Hamid Yari, deputy supervisor at the Securities and Exchange Organisation.

"Now, with the reopening of the stock market, we will see the full resumption of all capital market sectors," he added. 

Israel's military said Saturday that one of its soldiers died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 21 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March.

Captain Maoz Israel Recanati, 24, "fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the military said, without providing additional information.

Since the war began, 20 Israeli soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed.

The Eurovision Song Contest's final takes place in Vienna on Saturday, amid a boycott by five nations over Israel's participation, although protests in the city were muted.

The garish and usually good-natured competition between pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, now in its 70th year, has been plunged into crisis by a dispute over Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The public broadcasters of heavyweights Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia, are not taking part in the protest at Israel's participation.

"We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on Friday.

Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday for the annual Nakba Day protest, in what organisers described as a mass mobilisation against Israel’s war on Gaza and the far right.

Organisers estimated turnout at around 250,000 people, significantly larger than the separate anti-Islam, anti-migrant "Unite the Kingdom" rally led by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, elsewhere in the capital.

More than 4,000 Metropolitan Police officers, alongside mounted units, drones, helicopters, and live facial recognition technology, were deployed across London amid fears of clashes between the rival demonstrations.

The Nakba march commemorates the mass killing, displacement, and expulsion of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948, while also protesting Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

This year’s demonstration was explicitly framed by organisers and speakers as both a show of solidarity with Palestinians and a counter-mobilisation against Robinson and the far right.

Read more here:

Israel and the Trump administration have treated the talks with Lebanon largely as a PR exercise, giving the appearance of progress while leaving the ceasefire largely unenforced, according to Lebanese political analyst Karim Bitar.

"Yesterday’s talks, even though the communique tries to put a positive spin on it, seem meaningless because Israel is unwilling to accept a genuine ceasefire or commit to withdrawing from Lebanese territory," he tells The New Arab.

Israel has continued to attack towns in south Lebanon and displace civilians in the hours since the US said it had brokered a 45-day extension to the "ceasefire".

Since the so-called truce was announced on 16 April, the Israeli military has kept up daily attacks in the south, issue new displacement orders, and raze civilian infrastructure to the ground.

Lebanese health authorities said Saturday that 2,969 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since 2 March, when Hezbollah intervened in the Iran war.

Another 9,112 have been wounded, the health ministry said.

Police arrested 31 people at the Nakba and Unite the Kingdom rallies in London this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police wrote on X.

Both protests proceeded "largely without significant incident", it said.

The police has not yet provided a breakdown of the arrests.

The rallies for both protests are ongoing.

There have so far been 31 arrests across the whole operation. We will provide a more detailed breakdown at the conclusion.

While this may seem high, to this point both protests have proceeded largely without significant incident.

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 16, 2026

A quarter of a million people joined the pro-Palestine march through London this afternoon, protest organisers have said.

• Israel bombs Lebanon despite agreeing 'ceasefire' extension: Warplanes and drones have launched new waves of strikes across the south in the hours after the US said it had brokered a 45-day extension to the 'ceasefire' between Israel and Hezbollah.
   
• Lebanon death toll nears 3,000: Lebanese health authorities say that 2,969 people have been killed and 9,112 others wounded in Israeli attacks since 2 March.
   
• Pro-Palestine, far-right protesters descend on London: Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters rallied in London to commemorate the Nakba, at the same time as far-right activist Tommy Robinson led an anti-immigration march through the capital.
   
• Hamas confirms death of military leader: Hamas officials said the head of the group's armed wing, Izz al-Din Al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.
   
• Iran doubles down on its control over the Strait of Hormuz: An Iranian lawmaker said Tehran will soon unveil a new system for maritime traffic in the strait involving transit fees.
   
• Pakistan pushes for US-Iran peace talks: Pakistan's interior minister is in Tehran in a bid to arrange a new round of negotiations to end the war.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has commemorated the anniversary of the Nakba by sharing the story of Inea, a Palestinian resident of New York who was forcibly displaced by Zionist militias almost eight decades ago.

Watch below:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@nycmayor)

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Iran conflict with his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Kremlin said in the statement on Saturday.

"Both sides emphasised the importance of continuing the political and diplomatic process aimed at reaching compromise-based peace agreements," it said.

London's Metropolitan Police say they have made 11 arrests as tens of thousands of protesters descend on the capital for rival pro-Palestine and far-right marches.

Pakistan’s interior minister travelled to Tehran for an unannounced visit to meet with Iranian officials, according to Iranian state media.

"Mohsin Naqvi arrived today in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pakistan's ongoing efforts to facilitate talks and promote regional peace," the Tasnim news agency reported.

Two people were killed and five others were injured in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, according to the country's state news agency.

The attack, which targeted a house in the village of Tayr Falsay, killed a woman and her paramedic son, the National News Agency said.

An Iraqi national accused of involvement in multiple attacks against U.S. interests in Europe has been arrested and brought to the U.S. to face six terrorism-related counts, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was a senior member of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and accused him of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Al-Saadi is accused of coordinating or supporting nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, "including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York in a statement.

U.S. officials said he was taken into American custody overseas and transported to the United States, where he appeared before a magistrate judge and was ordered detained pending trial. ABC News reported he was detained in Turkey and handed over to the Americans.

Fire breaks out in engine oil plant in northwestern Iran, with no immediate reports of casualties, the Iranian Mehr news agency reported.

Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries had been in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries notably China, Japan and Pakistan we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy" to get permission to pass, state television reported, without specifying which countries.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has issued a sharp condemnation of Israel's repeated attacks against paramedics in Lebanon.

Three paramedics were among six people killed in Israeli bombing earlier on Saturday.

"We are outraged over the killing of paramedics who were simply doing their job, taking huge risks to save lives. Attacks on healthcare are unacceptable and must not be normalised," Jeremy Ristord, MSF head of mission in Lebanon, said in a statement.

More than 100 emergency medical services and healthcare workers have been killed in Israeli strikes since Hezbollah intervened in the US-Israel attack on Iran on 2 March.

Many have been killed in "double-tap" strikes that target emergency workers arriving at the scene of an attack.

The World Health Organisation has recorded 161 separate Israeli attacks on healthcare in Lebanon between 2 March and 12 May.

The United Arab Emirates' decision to withdraw from OPEC was a sovereign and strategic choice based on a comprehensive assessment of its production policy and future capabilities, the UAE energy minister, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said on Saturday in a post on X.

Mazrouei added that the move was not politically motivated and did not reflect divisions with partners.

The UAE announced late April that it was quitting OPEC on 1 May, dealing a blow to the oil producers' group as an unprecedented energy crisis caused by the Iran war exposes discord among Gulf nations.

Iran is preparing to unveil a mechanism to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, an MP said on Saturday, defying calls from dozens of countries to return the strategic waterway to its pre-war status quo.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the parliament's national security committee, said Tehran would impose fees on passing ships and only cooperate with vessels linked to non-hostile countries to pass through the strait.

A Paris magistrate will investigate the 2018 assassination of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi after rights groups filed a complaint against Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, French sources told AFP on Saturday.

Both Mohammed Bin Salman and the kingdom faced intense international uproar over the killing in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, which the US intelligence services believe the crown prince was directly responsible for.

A US resident who wrote critically about the oil-rich kingdom in The Washington Post, Khashoggi was strangled and then dismembered inside the Saudi consulate.

Khashoggi's employer, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), and the rights group Trial International had petitioned the French courts on the matter during Mohammed Bin Salman's visit to France in July 2022.

They were subsequently joined by a complaint from press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF.

"An investigating judge from the crimes against humanity unit will now investigate the complaint" for torture and enforced disappearances, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office confirmed when contacted by AFP.

Two Hamas officials told AFP on Saturday that Izz al-Din Al-Haddad, the head of the group's armed wing, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza the day before.

"Senior commander ... Izz al-Din Al-Haddad was assassinated in an Israeli strike targeting a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City yesterday," one senior Hamas official said.

A member of Hamas's armed wing separately confirmed his death.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine activists gathered in the Eurovision host city Vienna on Friday to protest against Israel's participation in the annual song contest.

The No Stage For Genocide event saw musicians and protesters gather in the Austrian capital ahead of Saturday's Grand Final, where Israeli entrant Noam Bettan will perform.

"It is a mistake from the Austrian government to invite Israel on this stage. It is supposed to be a stage of music, art, of coming together, of love and peace, and inviting such a genocidal country is absolutely a no-go," protest organiser Topoke told The New Arab.

Eurovision has plunged into crisis last year after five countries - Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland - said they would boycott the 2026 competition over Israel's involvement.

 

 

 

 

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Thirteen people have been killed and 57 others wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 48 hours, the local health ministry said on Saturday.

The number of people to have been killed during the 10 October "ceasefire" has now reached 870 while 2,543 others have been wounded.

A total of 771 bodies have been recovered from the rubble during the period.

Mosques in Gaza City on Saturday announced that Hamas' military wing commander, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, had died, witnesses told Reuters.

This comes a day after the Israeli military said it had targeted him in airstrikes.

Hamas is yet to comment on the fate of the military leader.

Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz plunged by 90 percent in April as Iran continued to throttle shipping through the strategic waterway.

"Iraq previously exported 93 million barrels per month through the Strait of Hormuz, but last April we exported only 10 million barrels due to the war," the country's new oil minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said on Saturday.

Gulf energy producers have raced to find alternative export routes after Iran  closed the strait 11 weeks ago in response to the US-Israeli attack.

Iraq has been among the hardest hit countries in the region and was forced to shutter production at some of its fields earlier on in the war. 

The government depends on oil for some 90 percent of its revenues.

Iraq recently reached an agreement with Tehran to allow it to ship some crude through the strait, Reuters reported this week.

Two tankers carrying about 2 million barrels each passed through the strait on Sunday. The government is now trying to get Iran's approval for further shipments.

Israeli forces shot dead a man near the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials.

The health ministry named the victim as 34-year-old Nour al-Din Kamal Hassan Fayyad, saying he was "killed by occupation forces' fire in the Jenin camp".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams in Jenin received a man "with no signs of breathing or pulse from inside Jenin camp after he sustained a live bullet wound to the thigh".

The Israeli military has launched a wave of new attacks in the Sidon and Tyre districts of southern Lebanon in the past half an hour, the country's state news agency is reporting.

Five of the towns targeted - Al-Marwaniyah, Kawthariyat al-Sayyad, Al-Ghasaniyya, Qaaqaaiyet El Snoubar and Al-Baisariyah - were among the nine subject to new displacement orders by the Israeli military earlier this morning.

Minutes ago, the Israeli military announced that it had begun "striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas of southern Lebanon".

Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in London on Saturday afternoon for two major protests, one commemorating the 78th anniversary of the Nakba in Palestine and another led by far-right political activist Stephen Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.

Some 4,000 police officers will be dispatched to manage the protests, including hundreds from outside London.

The annual pro-Palestine event will start at Exhibition Road in Kensignton and a gathering will be held at Waterloo Place, while Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' march will meet a few hundred metres away at Parliament Square.

Millions of Palestinians around the world are marking the anniverasary of the Nakba, Arabic for "catastrophe", which refers to violent Zionist militias killing and expelling around 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948, to pave the way for the creation of Israel. 

The Metropolitan Police will for the first time deploy live facial recognition to monitor the protests and impose conditions on speakers for hate speech.

The Israeli military has issued new displacement orders in nine towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

In a statement on Saturday morning, the army's Arabic-language spokesperson told residents to immediately leave their homes in advance of an attack.

#عاجل ‼️انذار عاجل الى سكان لبنان المتواجدين في البلدات والقرى التالية: قعقعية الصنوبر, كوثرية السياد, المروانية, الغسانية, تفاحتا, ارزي (صيدا), البابلية, انصار (النبطية), البيسارية

🔸في ضوء قيام حزب الله الارهابي بخرق اتفاق وقف اطلاق النار يضطر جيش الدفاع للعمل ضده بقوة. جيش… pic.twitter.com/kw3qIceK1A

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 16, 2026

Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon on Saturday despite the two countries agreeing to extend the "ceasefire" just hours earlier.

At least six people were killed, including three paramedics, and 22 were wounded in an Israeli strike on a civil defence center in the town of Harouf, the country's state news agency said early Saturday.

Israel has been bombarding the south of the country on a daily basis in violation of the 16 April ceasefire.

The countries agreed to extend the truce for 45 days on Friday following two days of talks in Washington.