Al Jazeera

By Zaid Sabah and Danai Nesta Kupemba

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli leader “secretary visited” the United Arab Emirates amid attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran and called the trip “historic”, a revelation which the UAE’s Foreign Ministry has denied.

    Iran’s foreign minister said Netanyahu has “publicly revealed” what was already known by the Iranian security services, warning that “collusion” with Israel is “unforgivable” and those doing so will be “held to account”.

    US Vice President JD Vance said progress is being made with Iran in negotiations to end the war as US President Donald Trump embarks on a state visit to China.

    A mother and her two children were among at least 20 people reported killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, including at least three strikes on vehicles on a major highway.

    Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have now killed at least 2,896 people and left 8,824 people injured.

S Korea warns of ‘diplomatic retribution’ over Hormuz ship attack

    The South Korean government has promised a retaliatory diplomatic offensive once the party responsible for the attack on one of its cargo vessels is officially confirmed, according to a report by the country’s Yonhap news agency.

    Yonhap, citing a high-ranking official, suggested it was highly unlikely that anyone other than Iran was behind the recent attack in the Strait of Hormuz.

    South Korea’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that a technical analysis team has been sent to Dubai to investigate the origin of the incident on the Panama-flagged and South Korean-operated HMM Namu, which involved an explosion and fire on board the vessel on May 4.

Second Japan-linked crude oil tanker passes Strait of Hormuz, shipping data shows

    The Reuters news agency reports that a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker managed by Japanese refining ⁠group Eneos has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the second instance of a Japan-linked ship making it through the largely blockaded waterway.

    Ship-tracking data from LSEG showed the transit on Thursday of the tanker, which is carrying 1.2 million barrels of Kuwait crude and 700,000 barrels of Emirati Das Blend ‌oil, which was loaded on the vessel in late February.

    The vessel is expected to arrive in Japan on June 3, according to data from shipping monitor Kpler.

    Reuters said it was not immediately clear under what arrangements the tanker transited the strait, and Eneos, Japan’s biggest refining group, declined to comment.

    On Wednesday, a Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the strait after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Iran war on Iran, LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data showed.

    The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Yuan Hua Hu was seen heading to eastern China’s Zhoushan port on Thursday and is expected to arrive on June 1, the data showed.

Israeli military to conduct ‘large-scale’ drill in occupied West Bank

    The Israeli military said a “large-scale military exercise” will take place in the occupied West Bank today.

    As part of the drill, there will be a large movement of Israeli forces and vehicles throughout the occupied territory, the military said.

    The military also said there was no reason for people to be concerned about a “security incident”.

Israeli settlers stole his sheep then an Israeli soldier shot his son dead

    On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers provided security cover for Israeli settlers as they stole hundreds of sheep near the Palestinian town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah area.

    When 16-year-old Yusuf Kaabneh confronted the settlers while in the act of stealing his father’s sheep, an Israeli soldier shot him dead.

    At least one Palestinian child has been killed every week on average by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since January 2025.

    Ullman suggests that Israeli military operations throughout the region are intensifying the pressure on Arab leaders to act, making it more difficult for them to maintain a stable balance between security and diplomatic interests.

US hosts new round of Lebanon-Israel peace talks as ‘ceasefire’ deadline looms

    Officials from Lebanon and Israel will convene in Washington, DC, later today for a new round of peace negotiations as their “ceasefire”, which is in name only and due to expire, remains technically active despite Israel killing dozens of Lebanese daily.

    Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said on X that Beirut’s primary objective in the direct talks with Israel is securing a permanent ceasefire.

    Raggi, speaking with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, clarified that while Lebanon seeks a lasting truce, Tel Aviv “is demanding the prior disarmament of Hezbollah”.

    Although the “ceasefire” was prolonged until Sunday, it has been marked by significant violence. Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 people since its April 17 inception, according to Lebanese government data, cited by the AFP news agency.

US lawmakers react as vote to stop Trump’s war on Iran fails – again

    US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have reacted to the failure of the seventh vote to curb Trump’s war powers:

    Senator Chuck Schumer lambasted Republicans for blocking the resolution to “limit Trump’s ability to continue waging this war without authorization” and “put an end to the economic fallout from this historic blunder”.

    Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar applauded the three Republicans who voted in favour of stopping the war, saying that “more of them need to stand up” and join the Democrats in stopping the “reckless war”.

    Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said she changed her position on the matter because Trump has misinterpreted the end to hostilities in the Middle East region, as there is a blockade of Iran and “continued fire” at US service members.

    Republican Senator John Barrasso, however, argued that the Senate should reject the vote because it is “partisan” and “weakens” Trump and “encourages Iran to doubt the resolve of our nation”.

US Republicans break ranks, but Senate fails to curb Trump’s war powers

    Three Republican senators have joined Democrats in the Senate in voting to advance a bill to limit Trump’s ability to wage war on Iran without congressional approval.

    While the bill ultimately fell short in a 50-49 vote on Wednesday, it showed cracks appearing in support for the war in Trump’s own party.

    It was the seventh such vote since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, receiving the highest level of support so far.

    Among those breaking ranks with her own party was Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted in favour of the War Powers Resolution for the first time.

Oil prices edge up as markets monitor Trump-Xi summit amid Iran conflict

    Oil prices have edged higher as investors anticipate a high-stakes meeting between President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping later today in Beijing, but focus remains firmly fixed on the war with Iran.

    As of 00:15 GMT on Thursday, Brent crude oil futures rose $0.13, or 0.12 percent, to reach $105.76 per barrel.