عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Ceasefire Very Likely to End if Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Persist, Iranian TV Says

A woman walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 1, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 1, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
TT
TT

Ceasefire Very Likely to End if Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Persist, Iranian TV Says

A woman walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 1, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 1, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A ceasefire agreed between Iran and the United States in early April is very likely to end if Israeli attacks on Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon persist, Iranian state TV said on Monday, without providing further details. 

Earlier, the Iranian state news agency Tasnim said Tehran was halting indirect negotiations with the US after Israel ordered its troops to push deeper into Lebanon, complicating diplomatic efforts to end three months of war. 

Tasnim said Iran’s negotiating team was stopping exchanging messages with Washington through mediators over attacks on Lebanon, where the US-Israeli war against Iran has reignited Israel's conflict with Hezbollah. 

There was no immediate confirmation of the reports from Iranian officials or comment from the US or Israeli sides. 

The move reported by Tasnim poses a further obstacle to hopes of a swift end to the crisis, after Iran said it had attacked a US air base following weekend US strikes on Iranian military targets that put further strain on a fragile ceasefire. 

Oil prices rose more than $6 a barrel ‌after the Tasnim report. 

Israeli Prime ‌Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, prompting another wave ‌of ⁠displacement in a ⁠conflict that has already uprooted more than 1 million people in Lebanon. 

Netanyahu's office accused Hezbollah of repeated violations of a ceasefire agreed in late April. 

US President Donald Trump had earlier reiterated on social media that he believed Tehran wants to reach a deal. But hopes of a breakthrough were tempered by comments by Iranian officials criticizing the "constantly changing" US negotiating stance. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also raised Lebanon, where another ceasefire is in place, as a stumbling block. 

"Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation," he said on X. 

FRAYING CEASEFIRES 

The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It ⁠has also caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait ‌of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas. 

Tasnim said Iran ‌and the Resistance Front, which includes its allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, had set an agenda to completely block the strait and activate other fronts, including ‌the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, to "punish" Israel and its supporters. 

If the Houthis, Iran's allies in Yemen, open a new front in the conflict, ‌one obvious target would be the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen, a shipping chokepoint and narrow passageway that controls sea traffic towards the Suez Canal. 

Referring to Iran's demands on Lebanon, Tasnim said "there will be no talks until Iran and the resistance's views on this matter are met." 

Iran and the US have sporadically traded blows despite their ceasefire, while Pakistan has been trying to mediate a durable peace agreement. 

The US military said it had at the weekend ‌struck Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two drones that were threatening ships after "aggressive Iranian actions", including shooting down a US drone over international waters. 

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday ⁠it had targeted an air base used ⁠by the US in response to an attack on southern Iran. 

It did not identify the base, but Kuwait activated air defenses on Monday and denounced Iranian missile and drone attacks, which it said were undermining efforts to reduce tensions in the region. 

US forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait late on Sunday, the US military said on Monday, adding that no American personnel were harmed. 

LEBANON 'GRADUAL DE-ESCALATION' PLAN 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu on the diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and has proposed a plan to allow for "gradual de-escalation," a US official said on Sunday. 

Trump is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get US gasoline prices down before November congressional elections, as voters show increasing frustration over rising prices. At the same time, he faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran. 

Trump has said his main aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran denies planning to develop a nuclear arsenal. 

The sides are also at odds on other issues, such as Tehran's demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenue frozen in foreign banks. 

Iran also wants the US to lift a blockade of its ports, imposed after Tehran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the war. 

Most Viewed

 
 
World

100 Leading Israeli Thinkers Warn of ‘Internal Collapse’

An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
TT
TT

100 Leading Israeli Thinkers Warn of ‘Internal Collapse’

An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 

One hundred prominent Israeli thinkers, researchers and former officials have warned that Israel faces a critical choice: become a major power or risk collapse, arguing that while the country has the potential to achieve greater regional influence, its “foundations are rusting.”

The warning emerged from an in-depth study by MIND Israel, a nonpartisan organization specializing in foreign and security strategy. Maariv reported Sunday that the research identified another type of danger alongside external security threats: an existential threat from within.

“If we do not address these foundations, not only will we fail to become a major power, but the entire structure will collapse,” warned Dr. Avner Golov, MIND Israel’s vice president.

The study, involving 100 experts, identified six critical issues requiring urgent decisions: Israel’s regional standing, the quality of its human capital, the relationship between the economy and security, governance and national resilience, demographic changes, and relations with the United States.

MIND Israel President Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin noted that the organization intends to present the issues to the public ahead of elections in late October and encourage voters to question party leaders about them.

Presenting the research, Golov explained that the researchers’ review of history found that civilizations tend not to be destroyed from outside while they remain strong internally.

“Internal processes dismantle them,” he added, citing declining social cohesion, erosion of trust in state institutions, the prioritization of short-term political gains over long-term national interests and an inability to adapt.

Contrasting views

Golov outlined two opposing assessments encountered by the researchers. One held that Israel had survived a global pandemic, social upheaval, the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath while maintaining a resilient economy, technological leadership and strong security capabilities — evidence, in that view, that the country was moving toward becoming a major power.

The other argued that a process of collapse had already begun, driven by an identity crisis, declining governance and a political emergency.

“We believe both sides are right,” Golov concluded, arguing that Israel simultaneously faces historic opportunities and serious internal vulnerabilities.

Asked what the public should do with the questions raised by the study, Golov urged voters to look beyond questions of governing coalitions and demand concrete plans from political leaders. Key measures, he maintained, should be taken during a new government’s first 100 days.

Turning to security policy, Golov called for an updated version of Israel’s traditional “Iron Wall” doctrine following Oct. 7.

He argued that Israel could no longer rely solely on containing enemies behind defensive barriers but must seek to shape developments beyond them.

“The wall still needs to be strong, but we cannot rely only on that,” he stressed.

Golov also urged Israel not to depend exclusively on the United States and to strengthen regional relationships.

“Alongside the walls, we need bridges,” he concluded.

World

Iran's Guards Threaten to Hit New Targets if US Attacks

Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
TT
TT

Iran's Guards Threaten to Hit New Targets if US Attacks

Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday warned they would attack new targets and deploy new weapons if the US launches further attacks on the country.

Almost seven months into their war, Tehran and Washington remain locked in a stalemate, though neither side appears willing to return to full-scale war, said AFP.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the ideological arm of Iran's military, said "there will certainly be significant changes in our defense and our counteroffensive" in the event of a new US attack.

"We will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the battlefield, and the world will be surprised," he said.

"Our targets will not necessarily be the same as before either. We have new targets that have not yet been attacked."

The Guards also said they were prepared for a "prolonged war".

On Saturday, the central command of Iran's military said the US was planning new action against Tehran, according to state television, but it did not elaborate.

Fighting between the US and Iran has eased in recent days after a flare-up at the end of last month, though Tehran continues sporadic attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Both sides are maintaining rival blockades in the waterway in an effort to exert pressure.

World

Explosion Injures 3 South Korean Military Officers in Border Area with North Korea

This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
TT
TT

Explosion Injures 3 South Korean Military Officers in Border Area with North Korea

This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)

An explosion near South Korea's heavily fortified border with North Korea injured three South Korean military officers on Monday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the explosion occurred during an unspecified operation in the Demilitarized Zone, a border buffer zone separating the two nations that is commonly referred to as the DMZ.

The cause was not immediately clear, the ministry said.

South Korean officials did not say whether it was possible the explosion was caused by a land mine planted by North Korea, which has added mines, anti-tank barriers and other front line fortifications in recent months as relations between the war-divided rivals have sharply deteriorated.

Two of the officers were airlifted from the site by helicopter, while the third was transported by land before being airlifted, according to the ministry. The officers are being treated at a military hospital near the capital Seoul, The Associaqted Press said.

The DMZ, which is 248 kilometers (155 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide, is one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which also is guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. The zone is a legacy of the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, which ended with an armistice but not a peace treaty.

There have been growing concerns in South Korea about increased activity by North Korean soldiers near the military demarcation line as the North strengthens its border defenses during prolonged tensions between the countries. The South Korean military has not officially confirmed media reports that North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL more than 20 times during front line operations in August alone.

The South’s military fired warning shots to repel some 10 North Korean soldiers who crossed the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the DMZ in April 2025. The North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcast audio warnings and fired the shots and there were no clashes. In June 2024, North Korean troops crossed the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent years has suspended virtually all cooperation and diplomacy with South Korea while declaring Seoul as his most hostile enemy during a stalemate in his larger nuclear negotiations with Washington.

North Korean mines in past years have occasionally washed down a swollen river into South Korea, killing or injuring civilians. In August 2015, land mine blasts maimed two South Korean soldiers and caused tensions between the two Koreas to flare.