DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Marco Rubio says the Strait of Hormuz will reopen "either way" after new American strikes in Iran

The latest Israeli strikes today on southern Lebanon left 31 dead, announced the Lebanese government, while Israel announced the same day that it was intensifying its operations against Hezbollah despite the current truce.

According to a statement from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed during these attacks and 40 others were injured. Fourteen people were killed in Burj al-Shamali, near Tyre, the ministry said.

The Israeli army is calling for the evacuation of nearly 20 villages in southern Lebanon ahead of planned attacks against pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

Arabic-speaking military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, listed 14 villages in a first press release broadcast on X, then in a second text five other localities, whose residents are called to go north of the Zahrani river.

In a press release issued at the start of a meeting of his security cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Israeli army was operating in southern Lebanon with “significant ground troops” and was taking control of “strategic areas”.

“We are intensifying our operations in Lebanon,” writes Benjamin Netanyahu on social networks.

Earlier today, the Israeli military confirmed that the IDF had expanded its ground operations beyond previously occupied areas in Lebanon.

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Contrary to “recent press articles”, notably published by the Wall Street Journal, “Project Freedom has not resumed, and American forces are not currently escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz”, affirms Centcom.

Donald Trump will meet tomorrow the members of his cabinet at Camp David, the vacation spot of the President of the United States, announced several American media, including Fox News and the New York Post.

All members of the cabinet are expected to attend, including the director of national intelligence who has already announced her departure, Tulsi Gabbard.

According to the New York Post, the government meeting must be mainly devoted to Iran but the economy will also be on the menu.

Since his return to power last year, Donald Trump has only visited Camp David once, in June 2025.

The Israeli army confirms having extended its ground operations against pro-Iranian Hezbollah beyond the “yellow line” it established in southern Lebanon to demarcate an area it controls.

Last month, Israel established a zone 10 kilometers deep in Lebanese territory demarcated by a “yellow line” and prohibited access to the press and the population.

The army “operates in a targeted manner beyond the forward defense line in order to eliminate direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and to the soldiers (…) in accordance with the directives of the political echelon”, explains the Tsahal in a communicated, after press information to this effect.

The Iranian authorities have “partially” restored internet access after a cut of almost three months due to the war, triggered on February 28 by the Israeli-American attack, indicates the cybersecurity monitoring NGO NetBlocks.

“Real-time data shows a partial restoration of internet connectivity in Iran (…) after 2,093 hours of near-total isolation from international networks,” Netblocks said on its X account, saying it was “unclear” if this meant the end of the “longest national internet shutdown.”

“The first step towards free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” declared Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref in a message published on X, adding that with this measure, the demands of the Iranians “will be met”.

In his response to Christophe Naegelen, the head of government also addresses the issue of aid measures put in place since the start of the crisis and explains that “many areas of activity will still have to be addressed”, notably convenience stores and industrial activities such as the chemical sector.

“Obviously there are always those forgotten, it’s the principle of not making a general measurement,” recognizes Sébastien Lecornu.

Questioned in the National Assembly by the president of the Liot group, the Vosges deputy Christophe Naegelen, Sébastien Lecornu declares that “you really have to not see the geopolitics of this world not to understand, to hear once and for all that dependence on hydrocarbons is a leash terrible strangler for the French people, for our economy.”

“We must pivot towards all-electric”, pleads the Prime Minister, a few hours after Emmanuel Macron’s call for “collective mobilization” in order to make the transition to electric natural and desirable.

Iranian justice today suspended the presidential body which yesterday ordered the restoration of internet access. This has been blocked by the authorities since the attacks launched by the United States and Israel against the country on February 28.

This decision follows “filings of complaints”, declares the Mizan judicial power website, without further details. It targets the Special Headquarters for the organization and governance of national cyberspace, an organization created on May 12 by President Massoud Pezeshkian.

The British Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an explosion having damaged an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, according to British maritime intelligence services.

According to the ship’s captain, the explosion occurred near the waterline and part of the bunker fuel spilled into the sea. The crew and the ship are, however, safe.

An Israeli strike targeting the town of Machghara, in eastern Lebanon, yesterday evening left at least eleven dead, including two children and a woman, announced the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The latter specifies that this is a preliminary assessment, adding that “the rubble clearance operations are continuing”. Fifteen people were injured, including a child, according to the same source. The Israeli army claimed to have targeted Hezbollah objectives in this area.

Iranian negotiators are seeking, within the framework of peace talks with the United States, the release of some 24 billion dollars (around 20.6 million euros) of funds frozen abroad, says the Iranian press agency Tasnim.

These statements come as Iran said it was finalizing a 14-point framework for an agreement aimed at permanently ending the war with the United States. And the question of assets is among the main subjects of dispute.

“Frozen Iranian assets must be released during the discussions, and the amount is estimated at 24 billion dollars” (around 21 billion euros), explains Tasnim, citing a source close to the negotiating team.

Iran wants the release of “half of these assets at the time of announcement” of the memorandum of understanding, according to the news agency.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry believes that the United States committed a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire after the American strikes carried out last night in southern Iran.

“The perpetration of these aggressive acts, at the same time as the ongoing diplomatic process under Pakistani mediation, has once again revealed the bad faith and perfidy of the American regime in the eyes of the Iranian people,” continues Tehran.

“Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not let any act of aggression go unanswered and it will not hesitate for a moment to defend its sovereignty,” the ministry said.

Wanting to reach an agreement with Tehran while carrying out strikes targeting Iran, as was the case last year, this is the ridge on which the Trump administration is evolving and to which the president of the United Nations seems to be referring. United States on its Truth Social network.

“Peace through strength,” he proclaims, accompanying a photo visibly generated by AI and depicting him in a posture reminiscent of the famous figure of Uncle Sam.

Due to tensions linked to the war in the Middle East, the European Central Bank (ECB) should raise its inflation forecasts in June, says the institution’s chief economist in an interview published by the Japanese daily Nikkei.

Faced with continued upward pressure on inflation, linked to higher oil prices, “we should (…) raise our inflation forecasts again in June”, declares Philip Lane.

“Oil prices are higher than assumed in our March projections and, if they remain high, their impact on the global economy could become more pronounced,” explains Philip Lane.

The ECB has already raised its inflation forecast in March to 2.6% for 2026, compared to 1.9% last December, following the outbreak of war in Iran at the end of February and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Tehran, which caused the price of black gold.

Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, arrived in Moscow, Russia, to participate in an international conference on security, reports the Iranian agency IRNA.

He was welcomed by Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali and a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

China calls on “relevant parties” to respect the ceasefire after the United States announced strikes against missile sites in southern Iran, despite the continuation of negotiations.

“We urge the parties concerned to respect their commitments with regard to the ceasefire, to resolve their differences by peaceful means, to continue to seek through dialogue and negotiation a solution which takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties,” said a spokesperson for Affairs during a regular press briefing. Chinese foreigners, Mao Ning.

The Israeli army is calling on residents of Nabatiyé to evacuate in anticipation of strikes against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in this town in southern Lebanon, already targeted the day before.

“You must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River,” an Arabic-speaking military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, told X.

The director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, denounces “the continuation of attacks against health infrastructure” in Lebanon.

This “further hinders the health system in its ability to respond to the health needs of the population”, he writes on

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they shot down a US drone and fired on other aircraft entering the country’s airspace.

American aircraft “entered Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf region, and air defense units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps identified and shot down an MQ-9 drone,” the latter indicate in a press release published on their Sepah News site.

The air defense also “fired on an RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter plane”, they add, without specifying the date of these incidents.

Three days ago, Jean-Noël Barrot announced that he was banning access to French territory from Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli Minister of National Security, after a video published by the latter showing activists from the Gaza flotilla kneeling and holding their hands linked.

“It’s ridiculous! The decision taken by the French government only helps it (Itamar Ben Gvir, Editor’s note) in its electoral campaign for the elections,” said the Israeli ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, on BFMTV.

Asked about the video shared by Itamar Ben Gvir, Joshua Zarka replied: “He is an elected minister who is part of the government and I owe him respect.”

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Israel’s ambassador to France says Tel Aviv “will do what needs to be done” as long as Hezbollah is a “threat.”

“As long as Hezbollah is a threat to Israel we will do what must be done to defend our populations,” says Joshua Zarka on BFMTV.

“The international community agreed on the total disarmament of Hezbollah (…). We waited for diplomacy to work, for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and we were attacked several times. Now it’s over.”

The Israeli ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, affirms that the Iranians “do not have a nuclear arsenal”, while negotiations continue between Washington and Tehran to end the war.

“They do not have a nuclear arsenal, but a certain residual capacity to resume the nuclear program,” underlines Joshua Zarka on BFMTV.

“For the first time, the negotiations are being done in such a way that we can exert pressure on the Iranians to obtain the total destruction of their nuclear program and not allow it to be resumed,” he specifies.

American bases are no longer protected by the Gulf countries, estimates Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a written statement broadcast by state television.

“It is certain that there will be no going back and that the nations and territories of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases,” declares Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since taking office in early March.

The United States is losing influence in the region, “moving further away from its former status every day”, he adds in this message published on the occasion of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

A senior spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, said any further aggression against Iran would result in a “much harsher” response that would extend beyond the region, reports the Iranian Fars news agency.

The Israeli army announced last night in a press release that it had “struck throughout the day more than 70 Hezbollah sites and infrastructures, using around 85 munitions in several areas of Lebanon”, in order to “neutralize the threat”. She also indicated that she had “neutralized Hezbollah terrorists operating on motorcycles”.

Hezbollah for its part claimed late in the evening a series of successive attacks using drones against three barracks and a military post in northern Israel.

American Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces that an agreement with Iran is still possible, despite the latest American strikes against missile sites in the south of the country.

“There were some discussions in Qatar today, so we will see if we can make progress. I think the discussions revolve a lot around the precise wording of the initial text, so it will take a few days,” says Marco Rubio.

“The president has expressed his desire to reach (an agreement, editor’s note). Either he will conclude an agreement or there will be no agreement,” underlines the Secretary of State.

The head of American diplomacy maintains that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “one way or another”, after the announcement of American strikes carried out in the south of Iran which cast doubt on the possibility of a peace agreement.

“The straits must be opened. They will be opened one way or another,” Marco Rubio told journalists this morning in Jaipur, India, where he is traveling.

“What is happening there is illegal, it is illegal, it is unbearable for the whole world, it is unacceptable,” adds the Secretary of State.

The Israeli army yesterday increased its strikes in the south and east of Lebanon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirming that his country will “intensify” the offensive in Lebanon to “crush” Hezbollah despite the truce in force since April 17.

Several strikes targeted localities near the ancient city of Tyre, as well as the city and region of Nabatiyé, according to the National Information Agency (Ani, official).

In the evening, Israeli aircraft carried out strikes in eastern Lebanon, according to Ani. “Eight strikes targeted Machghara, in western Bekaa, forming a ring of fire around the town,” she said.

Senior Iranian officials traveled to Doha yesterday for negotiations with a view to a peace agreement in the Middle East, even if the two parties tempered hopes of an imminent understanding.

Tehran reported progress in the discussions but ruled out the prospect of an imminent agreement to turn the page on hostilities. And Donald Trump raised the stakes by calling on Qatar and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.

The visit to Qatar by the Iranian delegation, including chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Central Bank Governor, is the first of its kind since Tehran’s retaliatory strikes against its Gulf neighbors during the war.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the evolution of the war in the Middle East.

Yesterday, the United States announced it had struck missile sites in southern Iran, dealing a blow to the ceasefire despite apparent progress in negotiations.

“US forces today conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian craft attempting to lay mines,” the US Middle East Command (Centcom) said in a statement. a press release.