Iran-US war latest: Trump says war will be ‘over quickly’ as Israel hits Beirut for first time since ceasefire

Donald Trump said that the war with Iran would “be over quickly” as Tehran reviewed a new US peace proposal aimed at ending the conflict

The US president said he had “very good talks” with Iran over the past 24 hours but stressed that there’s “never a deadline” on when Tehran will respond back to the proposal.

“We’re in good shape,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Now we’re doing well, and we have to get what we have to get. If we don’t do that, we’ll have to go a big step further. But with that being said, they want to make a deal.”

Iran said a US proposal to end the war is "still being considered".

It comes as sources claimed the proposal could formally end the war, though major disagreements remain over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also announced a pause in his plan for the US to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed “Project Freedom”.

Meanwhile, Israel launched strikes on Beirut for the first time since the 16 April ceasefire. The Israeli military said it is targeting the commander of the militant ⁠group's elite Radwan ​force.

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Israeli strikes kill 13 in Lebanon

Israeli air strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon killed at least 13 people and wounded more than a dozen on Wednesday.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, at least four people were killed and three others injured in an Israeli strike on the town of Zellaya in the western Bekaa region.

Israel also carried out strikes across southern Lebanon using fighter jets and drones, while artillery shelling on the village of Mayfadoun killed two people, the agency reported.

In separate attacks later in the day, five more people were killed and 15 wounded in an Israeli strike on Siksikiyah, while two others were killed and one person injured in the town of Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 07:30

Iran 'categorically denies' involvement in South Korean vessel blast

Iran has denied any involvement in the explosion aboard a South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.

In a statement, Iran’s embassy in Seoul said it “firmly rejects and categorically denies” allegations that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic were linked to the incident involving damage to the Korean ship.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the exact cause of the explosion and subsequent fire would only be determined after the vessel is brought to port for inspection.

US president Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that Iran had fired on a South Korean cargo ship in the strait.

The Iranian embassy also said that recent actions by the US and Israel had led Tehran to view the Strait of Hormuz as a key part of its “defensive geography”.

It added that security protocols in the strategic waterway had changed amid heightened tensions caused by what it described as “hostile forces and their allies”.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 07:15

Israel says it is investigating photo of soldier holding up cigarette to Virgin Mary statue

A picture of a statue of the Virgin Mary appearing to show a man in uniform holding a lit cigarette to its mouth is being investigated by the Israeli military.

The image, which circulated on social media, appeared to depict a statue of the Virgin Mary in Debel.

It was the same town where Israeli soldiers were photographed destroying a crucifix last month.

The man in the picture, who appears to be wearing an Israeli military uniform, makes it seem as though the statue is smoking.The IDF said it is reviewing the image and “views the incident with the utmost severity.”

It added that the picture was taken “several weeks ago”.

“The incident will be investigated, and command measures will be taken against the soldier in accordance with the findings,” the military said in a statement.

“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.”

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:46

In pictures: Damage in Beirut after Israeli strike

Israel struck Beirut for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group's elite Radwan force in the city's southern suburbs.

Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah.

Lebanon's health ministry ​said an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man in the town of ‌Zelaya in southern Lebanon.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:30

Rubio to meet Pope Leo as Trump keeps up attacks on pontiff

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, in a potentially fraught encounter as ⁠president Donald Trump has issued a series of disparaging remarks against the leader of the Catholic Church over the Iran war.

Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, was due to arrive at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace around 11.15am for the visit, the first between the Pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.

The closed-door meeting is ⁠expected to last about half an hour, after which Rubio will ​also ⁠meet the Vatican's top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Leo, the first American pope, drew Trump's ire after criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration's ⁠hardline anti-immigration policies.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:26

Oil prices fall sharply towards $100 on hopes of Iran deal

Oil prices fell sharply and Asian stock markets surged to record highs as hopes grew that the US and Iran were nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though optimism was tempered by continuing military tensions in the waterway.

Brent crude fell 7.8 per cent to $101.27 a barrel on Wednesday – down from more than $115 earlier in the week – after US president Donald Trump said the strait could be "open to all" if Iran accepted a reported agreement, the details of which he did not disclose.

Axios reported the US believed it was close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, citing four sources, which would declare an end to hostilities and begin a 30-day period of negotiations on reopening the strait, limiting Iran's nuclear programme and lifting US sanctions.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the US proposal was still being considered.

Oil prices fall sharply towards $100 on hopes of Iran deal

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson says US proposal is still being consideredShweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:15

Iran to respond to US peace proposal Thursday: report

Iran is expected to respond to a US proposal to end the war on Thursday, CNN has reported.

The report cited a regional source after Iran said it was reviewing the proposal.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:50

Uncertainity and confusion within Iran amid talks for end to war

Scepticism has emerged from within Iran’s political establishment after Tehran said it was considering a US peace proposal.

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, dismissed the proposal as “more of an American wish-list than a reality”.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also appeared to ridicule reports suggesting a breakthrough was imminent.

Writing in English on social media, he said “Operation Trust Me Bro failed”, arguing that reports of progress amounted to American spin after Washington failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that an agreement to end the war – now in its 69th day after beginning on 28 February – is within reach, though negotiations have repeatedly stalled over several contentious issues.

Chief among them are Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the conflict erupted.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:40

Four Israeli soldiers injured in Lebanon

Four Israeli soldiers were injured in an explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military, which blamed the incident on Hezbollah.

One soldier sustained serious injuries, while three others were lightly wounded.

The troops were evacuated to hospital for medical treatment and their families have been informed.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:05

Israel launches first strikes on Beirut in three weeks

The Israeli military carried out a strike ⁠on Wednesday on the southern suburbs of Beirut in a Hezbollah ⁠stronghold known ​as ⁠Dahiyeh, saying it targeted the commander of the militant ⁠group's elite Radwan ​force, ⁠according to an official ‌Israeli statement.

The strike was the first to ‌hit Beirut's suburbs ‌since the 16 April ceasefire, although hostilities in ⁠the south of Lebanon have not halted.

"Radwan operatives, led by this commander, were responsible for firing at Israeli communities ‌and harming IDF ​soldiers," a joint statement ‌by Israeli ⁠prime minister Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu and defense minister Israel ‌Katz said.

Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 04:46NewerOlder

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