Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon ahead of US-mediated talks
Twelve people were killed by a series of Israeli strikes on cars in Lebanon, the health ministry said, as conflict between Hezbollah and Israel continued on the eve of a third round of US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel.
More than 10 weeks into the war that spiralled out of the Iran conflict, Hezbollah confirmed that the commander of its elite Radwan force was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last week.
Hezbollah and Israel have been trading blows despite a US-mediated ceasefire announced last month, with hostilities largely focused in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying a self-declared security zone. (Reuters)
Iran releases prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh: Daughter
Iranian authorities released on bail the prize-winning rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh following her latest arrest last month, her daughter said.
Sotoudeh was arrested at her home on April 1 as part of what activists say is a crackdown on civil society during Iran's war with Israel and the United States.
Sotoudeh, who has won awards including the 2012 Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the 2020 Right Livelihood Award, has repeatedly been arrested over her work in the past.
Her husband and Mehraveh's father, Reza Khandan, has been held in an Iranian prison since December 2024. (AFP)
Trump arrives in China for talks with Xi
US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a three-day visit during which he will discuss a host of global issues, including the Iran war, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump, who is visiting China at the invitation of President Xi, was received by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the airport.
The leaders of the world's two largest economies will hold their seventh face-to-face talks. They last met face-to-face in October 2025 in Busan, South Korea. (PTI)
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE to win NATO summit invites with Iran war on agenda
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Iran hangs man on Israel spy charges, sixth since war started
Iranian authorities hanged a man in his early 30s convicted of spying for Israel, the sixth person to be executed on such charges since the start of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website described Ehsan Afreshteh, 32, as "a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel".
But the Norway-based Hengaw and Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGOs said in separate statements that Afreshteh had denied he shared top secret documents with Israeli intelligence and said he had been subjected to televised "forced confessions" obtained through torture. (AFP)
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Israeli strikes kill 8 people in south of Beirut: Lebanon Health Ministry
Israeli strikes targeting cars on a highway south of Beirut killed eight people, including two children, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said, "The three raids carried out by the Israeli enemy on the Saida-South coastal highway - specifically in Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat - resulted in 8 martyrs, including two children". (AFP)
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | War in the Middle East is depleting global oil inventories at record pace, IEA says, after 246 million bbl drawn down in March-April
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | IEA sees world oil demand falling by 420,000 bpd in 2026 (previous forecast 80,000 bpd drop)
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Israeli strikes hit two cars south of Lebanese capital, state media says
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel: Mizan
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Stopping Iran's nuclear program outweighs Americans' economic pain: Trump
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Americans' financial struggles are not a factor in his decision-making as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Iran war, saying that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is his top priority.
Asked by a reporter to what extent Americans' financial situations were motivating him to strike a deal, Trump said: "Not even a little bit."
"The only thing that matters, when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said before departing the White House for a trip to China. "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all. That's the only thing that motivates me."
(Reuters)
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Vietnam state oil company urges US Navy to allow tanker through blockade
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Israel reports launch of 'several' rockets by Hezbollah in south Lebanon
Iran, US-Israel War Updates | Kuwait says four people affiliated with Iran's IRGC arrested trying to enter by sea
Kuwait's interior ministry said it had arrested four people affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards who attempted to infiltrate the Gulf state by sea, the state news agency KUNA reported.
Iran condemned Kuwait's arrest of four people, saying they were on maritime patrol and entered the Gulf country's territorial waters due to "disruption in their navigation". Tehran also rejected Kuwait's statements that Iran was planning "hostile actions" against the Gulf country and demanded that its embassy in Kuwait be granted access to the detained Iranian nationals. One member of Kuwait's armed forces was injured in clashes with the infiltrators, the Kuwaiti interior ministry added.
(Reuters)