Al Jazeera

By Alex Milan Durie, Edna Mohamed and Stephen Quillen

    For a second day straight, the United Arab Emirates says its air defence systems are currently engaged in shooting down missiles and drones launched from Iran.

    US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the ceasefire with Iran is “not over” despite escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, adding US President Donald Trump will determine whether any escalation constitutes a “violation of ceasefire”.

    The Israeli military has launched new air attacks on southern Lebanon while issuing forced displacement orders for two more towns.

    Hezbollah has reported several attacks targeting Israeli forces in the region.

    An Israeli court has extended the detention of two abducted foreign activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla until Sunday while Israeli forces have conducted multiple raids in the occupied West Bank.

    Visit our live tracker for the latest casualty figures from across the region.

Latest developments

    UAE says it was targeted by “missile and drone attacks originating from Iran” for the second consecutive day.

    Trump reiterated claims that the US had “completely destroyed” the Iranian army and said that they would not allow “madmen to obtain a nuclear weapon”.

    Israeli forces have continued their attacks on southern Lebanon and launched three raids on al-Sayyad and al-Mansouri in the Tyre district.

    Israel’s army said its air force has downed numerous “aerial targets” in areas where Israeli soldiers are positioned in southern Lebanon.

    Four pro-Palestinian activists in the UK have been convicted of causing criminal damage during a 2024 raid on a facility run by Israeli military tech firm Elbit.

    Minor among two Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Trump: We have completely destroyed Iran’s army

    The US president has said a few words on his country’s joint war with Israel on Iran during the signing of a proclamation on children’s physical fitness at the Oval Office in Washington, DC.

    “We beat them very badly, now they’re reduced to little boats with machine guns on the front of them”, he said, of Iran, adding an often-repeated line on the destruction of its navy.

    “Every single ship they had is resting underwater at the bottom of the sea”, he said.

    On Iran’s nuclear programme, he said: “These are sick people, and we’re not going to let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.”

    On the war a large, he said the US is doing “Well… We have beaten them badly”.

    He also said the US engaged in a small military skirmish, without providing details. Yesterday, US Centcom had claimed it sunk at least six small Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz during Trump’s new “Operation Freedom”, which is designed to move ships trapped in the strait to safety.

Minor among two Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza

    At least two Palestinians have been killed and many wounded by Israeli strikes near Gaza City, Wafa news agency is reporting.

    Israeli bombing hit the vicinity of Bahloul Station, west of Gaza city, killing a minor and wounding several people.

    Israeli strikes also targeted the vicinity of Kuwait Roundabout, killing one person and wounding three.

Pakistani FM says consultations are ongoing to end the war in a ‘win-win way’

    Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says “significant progress” has been made during negotiations, adding that efforts have been made to prevent attacks on Gulf states.

    “Consultations are ongoing to end the conflict, and we are hopeful that with the support of several capitals, we will succeed in ending the conflict. The goal is to end the conflict in a win-win way for both sides,” Dar said.

Former Lebanese PM Hariri calls out Iran’s ‘logic of aggression’

    Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who was in power from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020, has released a statement calling out Iran’s “aggression” in the region.

    “What happened yesterday [attack on the UAE] left no room for new illusions. The narrative has fallen, and the scene has revealed its true face,” he said. “It is direct aggression without masks, without preliminaries, and without need for pretexts.”

Israel extends detention of Gaza flotilla activists, lawyers say

By Urooba Jamal

    An Israeli court has extended the detention of two Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla activists who were abducted by Israeli authorities last week.

    The Ashkelon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday granted the state’s request to extend the detention of Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Brazilian Thiago Avila until May 10, Miriam Azem, the international advocacy coordinator at Adalah, told Al Jazeera.

    The pair were among dozens of activists who set sail for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece on April 30. Organisers say of the 180 activists seized, Abu Keshek and Avila were the only ones taken to Israel for “questioning” where they remain in detention.

    Read more here.

Iran’s football team shows World Cup readiness with social media posts

By Hafsa Adil

    Iran’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup appear to be on track, as social media posts from the team’s official account hint at an upcoming tournament kit reveal and show the squad training at an undisclosed location.

    Videos posted by Team Melli’s Instagram account showed players taking part in a photoshoot for what appears to be Iran’s home kit for the World Cup.

    Iran are in Group G of the World Cup and will play all their group matches in the US, which is cohosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico.

What to know about the latest attacks in the UAE

    As we’ve reported, the UAE says it is responding to more missile and drone attacks from Iran, in what is the second straight day of attacks. Here’s a breakdown of the latest strikes targeting the Gulf country:

    On May 4:

    The UAE said it intercepted 15 missiles and four drones fired from Iran, marking the first time it had been targeted since the US-Iran ceasefire on April 8.

    One drone attack set off a “large” fire at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone and wounded three Indian nationals.

    Iran also attacked an empty crude oil tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi state oil firm as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Emirati officials.

    Iran’s government issued no official comment on the attacks, but the state broadcaster carried a statement blaming “US military adventurism”.

    The UAE said it reserves the right to respond to the “treacherous” attacks.

    On May 5:

    At around 6:15pm [14:15 GMT], the UAE’s Defence Ministry said its defence systems were “actively engaging” missile and drone threats from Iran.

Four pro-Palestine activists convicted over 2024 raid on Israeli military-linked factor

    Four pro-Palestinian activists in the UK have been convicted of causing criminal damage during a 2024 raid on a facility run by Israeli military tech firm Elbit.

    Prosecutors in London said the convicted individuals, who denied the charges, were members of the now-banned group Palestine Action, which organised ‌the assault on the facility in Bristol, southwest England, in ‌August last year.

    Two others on trial were acquitted of the charges.

    Palestine Action has accused the UK government of complicity in Israeli war crimes in Gaza and says it is “committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.

    Iran attacked a UAE petroleum site in Fujairah, just days after the UAE announced it was leaving OPEC.

As the Strait of Hormuz crisis deepens and oil prices keep rising, could this accelerate the shift to renewables

    Al Jazeera’s The Take unpacks whether or not we are heading into an era of energy volatility.

    Listen to the discussion below:

How UK universities ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine students

    A joint investigation by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates has found 12 universities paid a private company, led by ex-military intelligence officials, to profile academics and scan social media use by students.

    Al Jazeera’s Linh Nguyen explains.

UAE says dealing with ‘missile and drone attacks’ from Iran

    UAE says its “air defenses are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran”.

    “The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the UAE’s air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” the ministry said on X.

Israeli forces launch raids and artillery shelling in southern Lebanon

    Israeli forces have continued their attacks on southern Lebanon and launched three raids on al-Sayyad and al-Mansouri in the Tyre district, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) has reported.

    Earlier, Israeli aircraft launched two raids on the town of Qounine in the Bint Jbeil district.

    Also in the Bint Jbeil district, the towns of Qounine and Beit Yahoun were subjected to artillery shelling with internationally prohibited phosphorus shells, which ignite upon contact with oxygen.

    Israeli warplanes also raided the towns of Kfar, Barashit and Safad al-Batikh.

Iran’s FM spokesperson urges Gulf states to stop ‘borrowing security’

    Speaking to Iran’s Press TV yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Gulf states should stop “borrowing security” from countries outside the region.

    Baghaei said the US’s military presence in the Gulf “is a liability and brings nothing but insecurity”, accusing Washington of using military assets and logistical support in Gulf states to “further their act of aggression against Iran”.

    “We feel no animosity towards any country of the region. The only reason we had to target their territories was simply because we had to defend ourselves against an act of aggression by the US and Israel,” he added.

    As we’ve reported, the UAE said at least 15 missiles and multiple drones from Iran targeted its territory yesterday, including an oil facility in Fujairah that was hit.

Massive plume of smoke rises in Lebanon’s Tyre region

    Footage shows a huge plume of smoke rising above al-Mansouri in Lebanon’s Tyre region, where our correspondent Obaida Hitto says there have been recent Israeli air attacks.

    Hitto says the smoke cloud is close to areas in which there has also been “intense fighting” between Israeli troops and Hezbollah forces.

    “The fighting is ongoing. The strikes continue,” said Hitto from Tyre.

Israeli army says downed ‘aerial targets’ heading towards Israel

    Israel’s army says its air force has downed numerous “aerial targets” in areas where Israeli soldiers are positioned in southern Lebanon.

    The “aerial targets” were shot down before entering Israeli territory, it said.

US making it clear that ceasefire was not breached

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from The White House

    The significant worry here is that one spark could reignite the fire, and that is why they’re making it clear that although the Iranians did attack American ships, it didn’t rise to the level of a breach of the ceasefire.

    So that suggests the Americans are willing to be patient.

    There are some who suggested that when “Project Freedom” started, that was about trying to goad the Iranians to attack the Americans, and then the Americans could restart their operations and put the blame fairly and squarely on the Iranians, saying they’re under attack.

    What is clear about the wording that were hearing from both Trump and now Hegseth is that the US isn’t quite willing to go as far as to say these attacks are a breach of the ceasefire, this is all part of a separate operation.

    That further suggests that talks are ongoing. We know that both sides have given each other red lines.

Iran losing ‘more of its negotiating power’ due to US action in Hormuz

    Iran is starting to lose its grip of control in the Strait of Hormuz, says Alexandru Hudisteanu, a maritime security analyst.

    “For every situation where the US can push ships through the strait, Iran loses more and more of its negotiating power,” Hudisteanu told Al Jazeera.

    “The US has said: ‘Look, we’ve done it. At one point we might stop doing it, but you [the rest of the world] should take advantage of this moment because we have shown there is a passageway and we can share that passageway with you’.”

    Hudisteanu also claims that Washington has gained a strategic victory over Tehran by opening up a path for ships in the strait and “differentiating Project Freedom from Operation Epic Fury”.

    “This is a huge strategic loss [for Iran], and in desperation, they attack other states like the UAE,” he said.