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”
Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has spoken with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud by telephone, the Qatari foreign ministry has said in two separate statements, according to Al Jazeera.
During the calls, they reviewed bilateral relations and Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
The Qatari official has expressed the importance of supporting the ongoing mediation efforts to reach a “lasting peace agreement” and stressed the need for all parties to respond positively to those efforts.
Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence firm, has reported higher quarterly profit boosted by strong global demand for military equipment, Al Jazeera reports.
Revenue has grown to a record $2.2 billion from $1.9bn, with a backlog of orders reaching $30.2bn. The increase in the quarter is mainly coming from Israel and Asia.
Elbit adds that it received a $1.4bn contract from an unnamed European customer for “extensive military modernisation programmes” that will be performed over five years.
The Israeli company says it earned $3.87 per diluted share in the first quarter, excluding one-time items, up from $2.57 a year earlier and well above expectations.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed hope that parties in the Iran conflict can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway, Reuters reports.
Wang spoke to reporters at the United Nations in New York after chairing a meeting of the 15-member Security Council, because China holds the council’s presidency in May.
The Israeli army has issued a forced evacuation order for residents of eight towns and villages in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has urged in a post on X people from Khirbet Selm, Bir al-Sanasil, Qabrikha, Majdal Selm, Qalawiya, Kfar Dunin, Touline and Sawana to “immediately” abandon their homes due to what he says were Hezbollah violations of a ceasefire agreed last month and which was recently extended.
The Lebanese armed group has issued several statements claiming to have hit Israeli army positions in southern Lebanon, where troops are stationed as part of a ground invasion, Al Jazeera reports.
Hezbollah claims it targeted Israeli troops stationed in Shamaa, in southern Lebanon, and hit the Branit barracks with two drones. Separately, it has reportedly targeted an Israeli military vehicle in the city of Bint Jbeil with a drone.
It further claims to have shot down Israeli drones over the towns of Srifa and Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon.
US Central Command (Centcom) has dismissed reports that Washington has resumed Project Freedom, its initiative to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which was paused earlier this month.
“Recent media reporting claims that the US Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz [is] false,” Centcom says in a post on X.
“Project Freedom has not resumed, and US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom adds.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have exchanged Eidul Azha greetings in a telephone call, with the two leaders discussing the situation in the Middle East.
“The prime minister thanked President Erdogan for Turkiye’s strong and consistent support for the Pakistan-led peace initiative. The two leaders also agreed to continue working closely to promote peace in the region through dialogue, stability, and de-escalation,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The Israeli prime minister has offered brief remarks ahead of a security cabinet meeting, according to Al Jazeera.
With a large military deployment already on the ground in Lebanon, Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “fortifying” its so-called “security zone” on Lebanese territory.
“Under my direction and that of the minister of defence, together with the [army] chief of staff, we are deepening our operation in Lebanon,” he says.
Oil prices have rebounded to $100, while stock markets were mixed and the dollar firmed after US military strikes on Iran deflated hopes of an imminent deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.
Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, has jumped almost 4.5 per cent to edge back above $100 a barrel.
Oil price increases had been modest beforehand, “underlining the market’s strong belief that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen”, says Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, a commodities analyst at Global Risk Management.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has discussed the US-Iran war in a phone call with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement from Doha.
The two officials have discussed Pakistan’s mediation efforts and how their countries can “support and enhance them”, the statement reads.
They stress the necessity to “address the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a sustainable agreement that prevents the renewal of escalation,” it adds.
As US kamikaze drones guided by Elon Musk’s Starlink network began to make visible gains in the war against Iran, senior SpaceX officials raised the price for the Pentagon to access their satellite Wi-Fi network, according to Reuters.
Within weeks of the United States launching its bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met Pentagon officials and argued the military had been paying about $5,000 for a connection per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service worth closer to $25,000, according to two sources familiar with the matter and Pentagon documents reviewed by Reuters.
The disagreement over Starlink’s use on LUCAS kamikaze drones is part of increasing tensions between SpaceX and the Pentagon over Starlink pricing in recent months, according to interviews with five people familiar with the matter and the documents.
The Pentagon, which is seeking to help Iranian citizens bypass government-imposed communications blackouts, has also been at odds with SpaceX over pricing for a plan to provide the populace direct-to-cell connections with Starlink akin to 5G service, two of the sources say.
The ongoing disputes, which have not previously been reported, underscore how the Pentagon’s growing reliance on SpaceX is handing Musk greater leverage over a critical layer of US national security at a time when SpaceX is seeking to boost revenue ahead of an IPO next month that could be among the biggest in history.
A person takes photos of a trail as the Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites streaks across the sky in the latest SpaceX launch as viewed from Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California, the US on April 6, 2026. — Reuters/File
An Israeli air raid has hit the town of Mashghara, in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa region, after the military issued a forced evacuation order for Mashghara and Sahma, Al Jazeera reports, citing the National News Agency.
The state-run news agency also says three Israeli air strikes targeted the vicinity of the Qaraoun Dam, Lebanon’s largest dam, in the Beqaa Valley.
In the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, Civil Defence personnel have recovered the bodies of four women from under the rubble of a home in the town of Maraka.
Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s Vice President, has confirmed the country took the “first step” towards restoring full internet access, ending what a monitoring group said was one of the longest shutdowns in modern history, Al Jazeera reports.
“In line with the government’s promise, the first step towards free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Aref says on X.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, parliament speaker and head of Iran’s negotiating delegation, returned from Qatar to Iran about an hour ago, Al Jazeera reports, citing a Telegram post by state broadcaster IRIB.
The delegation included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the head of Iran’s Central Bank, Abdolnaser Hemmati — a presence that analysts have said signalled the talks were also focused on Iranian frozen assets, which Tehran wants to see unlocked as part of any agreement with Washington.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with both leaders discussing bilateral relations, as well as regional and global developments, according to the Turkish Presidency.
“During the conversation, President Erdogan stated that due to the ongoing conflict in the region, the holiday was being observed with sadness, and that he believed the Iranian people would overcome these difficult times and attain safety and peace,” a statement reads.
Erdogan also notes that Turkiye is working together with allied countries to “ensure peace and stability, and that they will continue to provide every possible support for negotiations to achieve positive results”.
A senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces has warned that any resumption of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran would meet a “heavier” and “stronger” retaliation, Al Jazeera reports.
“If the region enters another round of war, Iran’s response will extend beyond regional borders and will be much heavier and stronger,” Abolfazl Shekarchi says in remarks carried by the semi-official news agency Fars.
US President Donald Trump is set to hold a rare cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat as Iran talks near a critical point, a White House official tells AFP.
The choice of the secluded retreat in the Maryland mountains — which Trump hardly ever visits, in a break with previous presidents — reflects the sensitive nature of discussions.
The New York Post reports that Iran was set to dominate the meeting, which was expected to be attended by all cabinet members. The economy is also on the agenda, it adds.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says that the current crisis in the international system is being caused not by the lack of principles, but by their selective application.
“The principles are there, and have been clearly spelt out and globally agreed,” he tells the UN Security Council. “The crisis lies in their selective application.
“When sovereignty is defended in one case, but disregarded in another, the [UN] Charter is weakened,” he adds.
Dar states that if UN Security Council resolutions are selectively invoked, it erodes the credibility of the institution.
“This selectivity is very dangerous. It breeds mistrust, fuels grievances, encourages unilateralism and weakens the very multilateral system we claim to uphold,” he stresses.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that during his visit to China at the end of March, Beijing and Islamabad announced a five-point initiative for regional peace and stability in the Middle East.
“Another prolonged conflict would serve no one. It would endanger regional peace, disrupt global energy flows, deepen humanitarian suffering and strain an already fragile international order,” he tells the UN Security Council. “The path forward lies in diplomacy.”
Dar adds that Pakistan has exerted efforts to facilitate a durable solution to the Middle East war that keeps maritime routes open and results in lasting peace.
Israeli media reports that the military expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon beyond the “Yellow Line”, an Israeli-drawn demarcation line near the border, though the reports gave no further details on the extent of the advance, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military has issued a forced evacuation order for the towns of Mashghara and Sahmar, in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, Al Jazeera reports.
“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah party violating the ceasefire agreement, the Defence Army is compelled to act against it forcefully,” it says in a statement.
