War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

At least two people have been killed in southern Lebanon amid Israeli attacks, an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground reports.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has spoken on the phone with his Bahraini counterpart, Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.

“During the call, they discussed the current developments in the region and the continuation of bilateral coordination in this regard,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Qatar’s Prime Minister and FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani have held a phone call.

“They discussed the latest developments in the region and the two countries’ efforts to promote security and stability,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that it was too early to drop sanctions imposed on Iran, Reuters reports.

“We think the dropping of sanctions would be too early,” she said in Berlin at a meeting of the conservative CDU and its CSU Bavarian sister party, adding that the sanctions were in place due to Iran’s alleged suppression of its own people.

“We first have to see a change, a fundamental change in Iran for the dropping of sanctions,” von der Leyen added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host representatives from the Bank of England at a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee focused on the impact of the war in Iran, AFP reports.

“Tomorrow I’m chairing a meeting of Cobra on the impact (of the war), bringing in people from the Bank of England, so that you can be sure we will stand by working people in this crisis,” Starmer said in a speech to trade union members.

Iranian state-run Press TV reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to call off this year’s mass Lag O’mer ceremony at Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee region, following a new wave of retaliatory strikes from southern Lebanon.

The decision came after fresh restrictions were implemented in the north of the occupied territories by the so-called Home Front Command.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the decision was made because of concern over a mass casualty event, citing the fragile ceasefire with Lebanon, Meron’s proximity to the border, rocket fire toward the area and the difficulty of evacuating large numbers of participants quickly.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon’s planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a “grave sin” that will destabilise Lebanon, reports AFP.

“We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves,” Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to “back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability”.

“These direct negotiations and their outcomes are as if they do not exist for us, and they do not concern us in the slightest,” he added, saying “we will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people”.

“No matter how much the enemy threatens, we will not back down, we will not bow down, and we will not be defeated. “

Global military spending reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, marking an 11th consecutive year of growth, researchers have said according to AFP, as insecurity and rearmament fuelled defence budgets.

The three top spenders — the United States, China and Russia — spent a combined total of $1.48tr, just over half of global expenditure.

Spending rose by 2.9 per cent compared with 2024, despite a reduction by the US, the world’s biggest spender, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Researcher Lorenzo Scarazzato told AFP the decrease from the US was more than offset by increases in Europe and Asia, as the world marked “another year of wars and increased tensions”. Scarazzato said this was also reflected in the global “military burden” — the share of worldwide GDP devoted to military spending — which reached its highest level since 2009.

“Everything points to a world that feels less secure and is spending on its military to compensate for the global landscape,” he said.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, the Saudi foreign ministry says.

“During the call, they discussed regional developments and efforts to de-escalate and ease tensions in the region,” the statement added.

Iran’s IRGC chapter in Hormozgan Province has claimed the “discovery and neutralisation of more than 15 heavy American missiles” used during the current war, IRNA reports.

It said the munitions were largely advanced US-made types, including GBU and BLU models, whose explosive mechanisms had failed to function properly and were recovered intact by specialised forces.

“Following successful neutralisation, the equipment was transferred to technical and research units for reverse engineering,” the report stated.

The statement added that the discovered hardware included bunker-buster and cruise missiles, as well as advanced enemy drones such as Harop, LUCAS, MQ-9, and Hermes models. Many of these systems were reportedly recovered intact.

At least one person has been killed in an Israeli drone attack in the town of Qalila, southern Lebanon, the NNA news agency reports, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran internet blackout has entered it’s 59th day after passing 1,392 hours, according to NetBlocks.

Global orders to build liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGC) are set to rebound this year after a 2025 slump as growing LNG output and vessel fuel efficiency drive demand, industry executives and analysts say, reports Reuters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the United States for the peace talks in Pakistan failing to reach a deal, after arriving in Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, AFP reports.

“The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

He also said that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue”, as the US and Iran continue their rival blockades in the waterway.

Japan’s Nikkei closed above the key 60,000 mark for the first time on Monday as optimism over corporate earnings overshadowed concerns about the Middle East conflict, Reuters reports.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.38 per cent to finish the session at an unprecedented 60,537.36. The broader Topix climbed 0.5pc to 3,735.28. The Nikkei has gained 18.6pc so far this year.

Major indexes on Wall Street closed at record highs on Friday after Intel beat its earnings estimate, helped by surging demand in the artificial intelligence sector. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index extended its record run of gains to 18 consecutive sessions.

Hezbollah says it targeted a group of Israeli army vehicles and soldiers at Tel al-Nahas on the outskirts of Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, reports Al Jazeera.

The Israeli army has confirmed siren alerts in northern Israel, adding that the “hostile aircraft” was launched from Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

The aircraft was “lost”, and no injuries were reported, according to a statement on Telegram.

Missile and rocket alerts were also sounded over concerns about falling debris from interceptions.

Israeli forces reportedly raided the entrance to Kafra in southern Lebanon at dawn and blocked the road leading to the town, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The Israeli military says it’s responding to “hostile aircraft infiltration” in northern Israel, reports Al Jazeera.