Israel

• Israel's military operations, which began with the destruction of Gaza, have expanded into Lebanon, Iran, and the Gulf region. • The escalation is being sustained through significant financial support and arms shipments provided by the United States. • This expansion threatens to transform a regional conflict into a state of prolonged international disorder and global chaos.

Foreign affairs minister says her position is to ‘always believe women’ when sexual assault allegations are madeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says she believes the Australian women who have alleged they were raped and beaten by Israeli soldiers after being detained as part of a humanitarian flotilla attempting to bring aid to Gaza.Appearing at Senate estimates, Wong said the treatment of the Australian women was “unacceptable”, and the allegations they had subsequently made were “distressing”. Continue reading...

The country’s defence minister said the IDF will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will not allow the ‘return of the population’Israel and Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire as Trump seeks to overcome barriers to Iran dealIsrael Katz said the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was a “great achievement in Lebanon, on the ground and also on the diplomatic level”.“We promised security to the residents of the north and we delivered,” the Israeli defence minister said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel. Continue reading...

The US said the ceasefire was contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militiaIsrael and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, the Trump administration has announced, as the US looks to overcome one of the largest barriers to reaching a broader deal to end the war with Iran.The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia and the evacuation of all its operatives from the country’s south, a joint statement released by the US state department said after negotiations in Washington. Continue reading...

Airstrikes in south of country kill nine people and wound another 150, most of them medical staffMiddle East crisis – live updatesThree hospitals in southern Lebanon have been attacked by Israel in under a week, wounding more than 150 people and killing nine, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health.Israel carried out an attack in the immediate vicinity of the public hospital in Tebnine on Wednesday, just days after strikes next to the Hiram and Jabal Amel hospitals in Tyre. The attack next to Jabal Amel on Monday killed four people and injured 127 – most of whom were medical staff. Continue reading...

• EU leaders are preparing a draft diplomatic text to increase pressure on Israel by threatening new sanctions against "extremist ministers." • The initiative gained momentum after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani formally requested that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas place the issue on the union's agenda. • This move signals a significant escalation in the EU's diplomatic approach to the conflict, targeting specific government officials rather than the state as a whole.

• EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib announced on Tuesday that the bloc is placing its largest-ever firefighting force on standby to combat an increase in wildfires. • The initiative follows a trend of forest fires starting earlier and growing in scale, with responses already required this spring in Czechia, Germany, Italy, and Poland. • This escalation in readiness highlights the EU's urgent need to mitigate climate-driven environmental disasters across member states.

Politicians who attended march seek to distance themselves from Smotrich, reflecting difficulty facing pro-Israel Democrats as voter support for country fallsUS politics live – latest updatesSeveral prominent New York Democrats who participated in the city’s annual Israel Day parade on Sunday have condemned the participation of Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Israeli finance minister and a leading figure in the Israeli settler movement, in the event.Smotrich was among several Israeli lawmakers and cabinet officials who marched in the parade on Sunday. His appearance marked his first trip to the US in more than a year, and came less than month after he said the international criminal court (ICC) was seeking an arrest warrant against him. Continue reading...