The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Hezbollah claims it has targeted a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers in the town of al-Bayada with artillery shells at 10:15pm (2015 GMT), Al Jazeera reports citing a statement by the group.
The group claims that it achieved “confirmed hits”.
Saudi Arabia’s only official alcohol shop has run short of supplies ranging from beer and wine to tequila, as the disruption caused by the Iran war has delayed shipments, Reuters reports citing visitors to the store.
Situated in Riyadh’s diplomatic district, the shop, which has no name and no sign, opened in 2024 to serve non-Muslim diplomats and last year expanded to cater for wealthy non-Muslim foreign residents.
For now, however, the shelves are mostly bare, with only expensive or little-known brands on offer, five people who have visited the Riyadh shop in recent days say.
One Western diplomat, who has spoken on condition of anonymity, says there was no white wine and “only a few bottles of super expensive red”.
“They also got a shipment of random beer,” the diplomat adds.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has slammed recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who said “we act like pirates” when talking about seizing Iranian vessels.
“This was no verbal slip. It was a direct and damning admission of the criminal nature of their actions against international maritime navigation,” he writes on X.
“The international community, UN Member States, and the UN Secretary-General must firmly reject any normalisation of such blatant violations of international law.”
UN humanitarian aid chief Tom Fletcher has echoed a call by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to open the Strait of Hormuz urgently.
“[The] humanitarian community is working to keep lifesaving aid moving: we need governments and business to fast‑track customs and waive logistics, war & fuel surcharges for humanitarian goods,” he writes on X.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports that Israeli aircraft launched attacks on Mount Rihan and Basaliya, and also on the town of al-Sarira in the Jezzine area in the last few minutes, according to Al Jazeera.
A short while ago, Israel hit near a mosque in the town of al-Samaiya, the news agency says.
The foreign ministers of Iran and France have had a phone call, in which they discussed regional and international developments related to the US-Israel war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement released by Abbas Aragchi’s team.
The Iranian foreign minister has reportedly briefed his French counterpart, Jean Noel Barrot, on Iran’s strategic efforts to end the war, while the French foreign minister expressed France’s support for the ongoing diplomatic talks taking place, expressing hope these would lead to lasting peace and security in the region.
The Trump administration has fast-tracked billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel, Qatar<u>, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, CNN reports, citing statements released by the US State Department.
Cumulatively, the weapons are valued at more than $8 billion and include air defence systems for Kuwait and Qatar, and laser-guided rockets for Qatar, the UAE and Israel.
Included in the sales to Qatar are Patriot missiles.
In justifying the State Department’s bypassing of Congress to approve the weapons sales, each statement says that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the arms to the countries.
The White House confirms that Nick Stewart was added as an adviser to the team negotiating a deal to end the war with Iran, CBS News reports.
“Nick Stewart is a sharp, seasoned policy expert who is a valuable asset to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s talented team,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of leadership and Iran policy experience to the role — from serving at the Department of State in the first Trump Administration and on Capitol Hill — and is a trusted voice as Special Envoy Witkoff works in lockstep with President Trump and his entire national security team to make a deal that is good for the United States and the world.”
Stewart was brought on by Jared Kushner, US officials told CBS News, and formerly worked for the lobbying arm of Foundation for the Defense of Democracy — a hawkish group known to have been very supportive of military action against Iran.) reports.
“Nick Stewart is a sharp, seasoned policy expert who is a valuable asset to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s talented team,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales has said in a statement.
“He brings a wealth of leadership and Iran policy experience to the role — from serving at the Department of State in the first Trump Administration and on Capitol Hill — and is a trusted voice as Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff works in lockstep with President [Donald] Trump and his entire national security team to make a deal that is good for the United States and the world.”
US officials tell CBS News that Stewart was brought on by envoy Jared Kushner, and formerly worked for the lobbying arm of the Foundation for the Defence of Democracy — a hawkish group known to have been very supportive of military action against Iran.
The Trump administration has fast-tracked billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, according to statements released by the US State Department, CNN reports.
Cumulatively, the weapons are valued at more than $8 billion. They include air-defense systems for Kuwait and Qatar, and laser-guided rockets for Qatar, the UAE and Israel.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas for India, has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports citing India’s shipping ministry.
The vessel with 20 crew members on board, 18 of them Indian, is expected to arrive at the Indian port of Visakhapatnam on May 13, the ministry has said in a statement.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have had a phone call, during which they discussed the latest developments in the region, as well as issues related to a ceasefire and diplomacy.
In a post on X, Tajani said he had the call to “take stock” of the war on Iran and the broader situation in the Middle East.
“I wanted to highlight Italy’s strong concern over the increase in regional tensions, underscoring the need to avoid further escalation and to intensify efforts for an agreement on a ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, also to avert negative consequences on food security and stability in Africa,” Tajani says.
“I clearly confirmed that for Italy, the development of an Iranian nuclear program for military purposes represents a red line, with the concrete risk of triggering a dangerous nuclear arms race in the region.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports that the Israeli army has carried out an air attack on Burj Qalawiya in the Bint Jbeil district, and also carried out artillery shelling on the area, according to Al Jazeera.
The news agency also claims that the Israeli army has set fire to several houses in the border village of Khiam.
Smoke rises in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh following Israeli strikes on May 2, 2026. — Reuters
A vehicle remains trapped amid the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli strikes in the town of Habboush, in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate on May 2, 2026. — Reuters
A bulldozer clears rubble from a destroyed building following Israeli strikes in the town of Habboush, in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate on May 2, 2026. — Reuters
Rescue personnel clear rubble from buildings destroyed following Israeli strikes in the town of Habboush, in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate on May 2, 2026. — Reuters
Iran’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hamidreza Haji-Babaei, says a new law will prevent Israeli ships from passing through the vital maritime route at any time, according to Al Jazeera.
He also says the bill will prevent ships from hostile states from passing through the strait unless the countries pay war reparations. However, it allows other ships to pass through after obtaining permission and approval from Iran.
“Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to what it was before the war,” Haji-Babaei says.
Iran says it is up to the United States whether or not to pursue a negotiated settlement or to return to open war, noting Tehran is ready for either outcome, AFP reports.
“Now the ball is in the United States’ court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi tells diplomats in Tehran, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
“Iran, with the aim of securing its national interests and security, is prepared for both paths,” he says.
Lebanese armed forces commander General Rudolf Haykal and US General Joseph Clearfield have met in Beirut to discuss the security situation in Lebanon and regional developments, Reuters reports quoting a statement from the Lebanese Army.
Clearfield heads a committee monitoring a US-backed ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The participants at the meeting underlined the importance of the Lebanese army’s role and the need to support it during the current phase, the statement says.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani have discussed the ongoing negotiations between Tehran and the US in a telephone call, according to Doha’s foreign ministry.
“During the call, His Excellency the Iranian foreign minister briefed His Excellency (Al-Thani) on the course of the ongoing negotiations and their developments, as well as the diplomatic momentum currently underway,” a statement from the ministry reads.
It adds that the Qatari PM “affirmed the State of Qatar’s full support for mediation efforts aimed at resolving the crisis through peaceful means, emphasising the need for all parties to engage with these efforts in a way that contributes to creating the appropriate conditions for progress in the negotiations and limits the possibilities of renewed escalation”.
Moreover, the importance of freedom of navigation was among the topics discussed, according to the Qatari foreign ministry.
Al-Thani, “stressed that freedom of navigation is a firmly established principle that admits no compromise, and that closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as a pressure tactic would only deepen the crisis and expose the vital interests of the region’s countries to danger, noting the potential negative repercussions this could have on global energy and food supplies, as well as on market stability and supply chains”, the statement adds.
Hezbollah has released a video which it claims shows fighters targeting Israeli soldiers with rocket fire and artillery rounds in the town of al-Qantara in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.
Hezbollah also claims it carried out strikes on Israeli soldiers in the town of Al-Bayada, with one of them being hit.
Iraq can restore oil output and exports to normal levels within seven days of the end of the crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, Deputy Oil Minister Basim Mohammed says, Reuters reports.
He says production currently stands at 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), with about 200,000 bpd exported via Ceyhan, while two tankers had been prepared and two more were expected depending on security conditions in the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun have discussed bilateral relations, as well as the latest regional developments and initiatives related to diplomacy aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement on the Iranian foreign minister’s Telegram channel.
