Trump updated Netanyahu on US 'moves in Gulf', says Israeli PM's office
US President Donald Trump briefed Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about US operations in the Gulf, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said, said, after Iran reported fresh American strikes.
"As part of the continuous contact" between the two, "President Trump updated the Prime Minister on American moves in the Gulf," Netanyahu's office said in a message on X.
A US official confirmed the call occurred without providing further details Thursday.
The Israeli leader also voiced concern to the White House about Turkey, accusing "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his people" of making statements "against the existence of the State of Israel, as well as the need for security zones along Israel's borders."
Erdogan on Tuesday rejected as "disinformation" Israel's claim that the sale to Ankara of US F-35 fighter jets and components would upset the regional power balance.
On Monday, Netanyahu urged the United States not to sell the jets to NATO ally Turkey.
Technical talks with Iran continue, US official says
A US official said on Thursday that Washington is still committed to finding a resolution with Iran and that technical talks were continuing.
After weeks on hold, deal between Israel and Lebanon is progressing, says US official
An American official said Thursday that the US-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon soon will shift to technical discussions in Rome. The deal had been stagnant for several weeks. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic details.
The US launched new airstrikes against Iran hours after President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn’t stop. Iran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Kuwait and Qatar and accused the US of striking near its sole nuclear power plant.
Back-and-forth attacks have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around. And Trump’s mixed messaging — approving back-to-back military strikes while insisting they don’t mean a return to full-scale war — is fueling uncertainty about what comes next.
Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or a signal of further escalation, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal. The inflamed tensions could also spell trouble for Republicans in November’s midterm elections if gas prices stay high.
Netanyahu, Trump hold phone call, Israel PM office says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump held a call and agreed to continue coordination between their countries on various fronts, Netanyahu's office said.
It added in a statement that Trump updated Netanyahu on "American moves in the Gulf".
Iran says projectile hit military base near Bushehr, state media reports
Iranian state media reported that a US-Israeli projectile hit military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr, hours after clashes between the United States and Iran flared.
"Moments ago, a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr was attacked and hit by a projectile of the American-Zionist enemy," state news agency IRNA quoted deputy governor of Bushehr Ehsan Jahanian as saying.
A US defence official however said that the US military was not currently carrying out any strikes on Iran.
US to guide Israeli withdrawal from parts of occupied Lebanon, officials say
The US will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "pilot zones" in the country's occupied south, with the first to get underway within days, Lebanese and US officials.
Under a framework agreement reached on June 26, Israel will gradually withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon occupied by its troops as part of its military campaign against Iran-allied Shiite group Hezbollah.
As part of the agreement, the long-disempowered Lebanese military will take full control of two small areas dubbed pilot zones.
"The first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days, and further pilot zones are being mapped out and planned," a US official said on condition of anonymity.
"We will soon begin outreach to international partners to help the Lebanese government effectively restore sovereignty in these zones and across their country more broadly," the official said.
The agreement says that Lebanon will exert full responsibility for the zones only upon "confirmation of successful disarmament of non-state armed groups", a reference to Hezbollah, for years effectively outside the control of the Lebanese government.
The agreement – rejected by Hezbollah – does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal, and Israeli officials have also vowed that their forces will remain in a "security zone" 10 kilometres deep as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
Explosions heard near Bushehr province, Mehr news agency reports
Several explosions were heard in southern parts of Iran including Bushehr, where one of Iran's nuclear plants is located, Konarak and Choghadak, Iran's Mehr news agency reported.
Three explosions heard in Iran's Konarak, Mehr news agency reports
Cell behind Damascus bombing arrested, Syria's interior minister says
Syria's interior minister said Thursday that the cell responsible for the Damascus bombing two days ago has been arrested.
Lebanon pilot zone to launch in 'matter of days', US official says
The first so-called pilot zone in Lebanon, in which the Lebanese army will assume control of an area now occupied by Israeli forces, will launch in "a matter of days," with further zones being mapped out and planned, a US official said on Thursday.
Israel says ready to attack Iran for 'third time if necessary'
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so "with even greater force".
"The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again ... in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary. If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force," Katz said at a military ceremony.
Iran's foreign minister warns against US military 'adventurism'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned against any further US military "adventurism" after condemning US attacks on Iran as a violation of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding in a phone call with Pakistan's army chief, Iran's foreign ministry said.
As Iran buries Khamenei, it shifts from 'a theocracy to a nationalistic military leadership'
Former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's marathon funeral is coming to an end as the coffin arrives in Mashhad, following a week of mass processions across Iran.
For FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley, the mass commemorations are in part being used to project to the world the image of a regime that has managed to withstand the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Iranian foreign minister held separate phone calls with Omani and Turkish counterparts, statement says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his Omani and Turkish counterparts and discussed latest developments in the region, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian foreign ministry said.
The parties stressed the need to use diplomatic channels to prevent escalation, a ministry statement said.
Iran will target US bases if 'aggression' is repeated, Revolutionary Guards tell state media
Iran fired 10 ballistic missiles on Jordan's Azraq military base, state media reports
- Missile alerts sound in Bahrain and Qatar after US strikes on Iran
- Iran says Strait of Hormuz will open only under its arrangements
- US military says it has ended its latest round of strikes on Iran after hitting 90 targets
- US strikes killed three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mizan news agency reports
- Israel says ready to attack Iran for 'third time if necessary'
Oil tanker traffic through Hormuz Strait at near standstill
Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a near standstill on Thursday, according to data and sources.
Just two tankers had so far sailed through the strait in the early hours of Thursday. They included the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had loaded at Iran's Kharg Island and is subject to US sanctions, according to analysis from Kpler.
The Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail, also transited the strait, Kpler analysis showed. Its previous loading destination was near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to LSEG ship tracking data.
Shipping industry sources said vessels were increasingly switching off their public AIS tracking transponders, making it harder to see all of the ships crossing.
"Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran," Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, wrote in a report.
US strikes killed three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mizan news agency reports
Iran's Revolutionary Guards say US attacks disrupt reopening of Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said that US attacks on Iran and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupting the strategic waterway's gradual reopening and jeopardising the interests of countries benefiting from it.
The Guards added that transit capacity under Iran's supervision had recovered to about 50 percent of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, and that transit capacity was only being expanded for vessels granted permits to use routes designated by Iran.
They warned that any further US intervention would draw a "crushing response".
Yesterday's key developments:
• The US military launched fresh air strikes against Iran hours after US President Donald Trump said that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over".
• The funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued to draw massive crowds as it made its way through the holy cities of Iraq, home to some of the Shia faith's most sacred shrines.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Trump's willingness to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets, saying it would "destroy" the balance of power in the Middle East.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
