War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke last night with Turkiye’s FM Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Office says.

“The two leaders exchanged views on the evolving regional situation and welcomed the encouraging progress towards an understanding between the United States and Iran,” it said.

Dar and Fidan expressed hope that “these positive developments would pave the way for lasting peace and stability in the region”.

Both agreed to remain in close contact on further developments, the FO said.

Sirens sounded in Jordan, state TV reported earlier today, before the Public Security Directorate said a technical malfunction was to blame and a fault in one of the sirens was being repaired, Reuters says.

The directorate said technical teams were able to fix the malfunction immediately.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the “unity and resilience” of the Iranian people in a message marking the first anniversary of the 12-day war launched by Israel last year, according to Al Jazeera.

In the message, cited by the official IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian described the conflict as a “symbol of national solidarity” and paid tribute to those who died during the conflict.

He said the Israeli government had miscalculated by assuming that attacks on senior military figures and strategic facilities would weaken the Iranian nation and destabilise the country.

He added that the “resistance” shown by the Iranian people, together with the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the readiness of the armed forces, prevented Israel from achieving its goals and ultimately forced it to accept a ceasefire.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has wished a happy 80th birthday to his US counterpart Donald Trump and thanked him for his support for Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

“The people of Israel are grateful for your leadership in confronting Iran’s empire of evil and for your steadfast commitment to the security of Israel,” Herzog told Trump in a post on X.

He said Trump’s “remarkable journey to the White House represents the breadth of the American dream”.

He added: “We will never forget your tireless efforts in securing the release of our beloved hostages. May you lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security and continue to strengthen the unique US-Israel partnership.”

Israel’s military has said air sirens have sounded in the north of the country following the infiltration of “hostile aircraft”, Al Jazeera reports.

It said that “two impacts of suspicious aerial targets in Israeli territory were identified near the Israel-Lebanon border”.

The military added that no injuries were reported and said the incident was under review.

Dozens of low-fishing boats lay anchored in flat waters off Mozambique’s capital, stranded for days as surging fuel costs kept their owners from heading out to sea, AFP reports.

Since the government hiked prices in early May because of the impact of the Middle East conflict on supply, many fishermen in Maputo’s quiet Pescadores quarter have not had the cash to fuel a fishing trip.

“The impact is dramatic for us,” said Carlos Nguenha, vice president of the local community fisheries council, as wooden boats bobbed idly behind him, some piled with nets.

“These conflicts don’t only impact those countries, they affect the whole world,” Nguenha said. “We appeal to them to sit down and talk so that we can overcome this.”

Nguenha’s council covers 1,800 fishermen and nearly 290 boats on the Costa do Sol just north of the city. Members are young and old and mostly family breadwinners, with no other work, he said.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon has expressed “collective hope that peace is imminent with the signing of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran”.

“Notwithstanding all the challenges that were faced and the setbacks which were suffered, against all the odds, it was the relentless shuttle diplomacy of Pakistan under the stewardship of PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir, so ably supported by FM Ishaq Dar and Mohsin Naqvi, that has played a crucial role,” he said.

Some Republicans have criticised Tehran even as the US-Iran deal seems to inch closer.

Al Jazeera reports that Republican Senator Ron Johnson said in a video published by the Iran International outlet that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an “existential threat” to the US.

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, meanwhile, shared an old video of former US president Jimmy Carter, who spoke about his hope for a lasting relationship with the Iranian government.

He wrote: “The [Iranian] regime absolutely hates us. When it comes to Iran’s regime, hope is not a strategy. They’ll only respond to power and resolve.”

Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, widely known as Cirro, is expected to visit Israel, according to Israeli media reports.

The trip would be his first visit to the country since Israel became the first country to recognise the breakaway region of Somalia.

In a post on X, Ismail Shirwac, a Somaliland diplomat, shared an image of Somaliland and Israeli flags displayed in Tel Aviv and said the president was expected to arrive on Tuesday.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah claims it attacked an Israeli military position in the town of Hula, which lies less than a kilometre from the border with Israel, according to Al Jazeera.

The group says it attacked the site with two drones at 12:50am local time (2:50am PKT), but did not mention the outcome.

It follows a series of other recent drone strikes Hezbollah has claimed across the region.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said Hezbollah must not be allowed “to exploit” the situation to attack northern Israel, in an apparent reference to the US-Iran talks, according to Al Jazeera.

“For every shot fired towards our territory, 10 buildings will fall in Dahiyeh,” he said, referring to the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The Israeli army has claimed no casualties were reported as it accused Hezbollah of firing a rocket at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

It added that sirens were activated following the interception attempts.

Yair Lapid has delivered a scathing critique of the Israeli prime minister, saying the emerging US-Iran deal has failed to secure any of Israel’s war objectives, Al Jazeera reports.

“The [Iranian] regime survives, the missile programme remains intact, and Iran can rebuild its nuclear programme,” the Israeli opposition leader said in a social media post.

Lapid described the US-Iran deal as the result of a “complete failure” by Netanyahu, whom he accused of turning Israel into “a client state”.

“No press conference, no media spin, and no AI-generated video will be able to hide this failure,” he added.

Hezbollah claims it has launched 22 attacks on Israeli forces over the last 24 hours, adding that it used drones and rocket barrages in its attacks on sites and Israeli troop deployments in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

The group also claimed it intercepted Israeli drones using surface-to-air missiles several times.

Al Jazeera correspondents in southern Lebanon are reporting Israeli drone strikes on the towns of al-Majadel and al-Kawthariyah al-Saida.

Hezbollah claims it fired an air-to-air missile to intercept an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

The group further claims it fired missiles at a concentration of Israeli military vehicles in Jdeidet Mays al-Jabal and targeted an Israeli command centre near Yahmor al-Shaqif, with what it described as a “diving drone”.

The Israeli military has not immediately commented.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the country’s 12-day war against Israel last year “proved that, beyond any taste or perspective, whenever our dear Iran is at stake, we are one nation, one clenched fist, and one beating heart”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has discussed efforts to end the Iran conflict during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Reuters reports citing 10 Downing Street.

Starmer has welcomed progress made so far and reiterated that Britain stands ready to support the implementation of any peace agreement and work with international partners to ensure its success.

The two leaders have also agreed on the need to restore freedom of navigation to ease global economic impact.