Morning Rundown: Trump reviews possible Iran deal, Blue Origin rocket explodes on launchpad, and teen ‘takeovers’ push cities to take action
Shares rose in international markets as investors took comfort from expectations that a proposed deal to extend the Middle East ceasefire and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could be finalized.
Israel issued several mass evacuation orders in southern Lebanon today, as military officials for the two countries got ready to hold another round of security talks in Washington.
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X warned residents in the Ain Qana village to leave their homes and move at least 1,000 meters away, about 3,300, saying the military was targeting Hezbollah operatives in the area.
The Israeli military then said it had intercepted an “aerial target” in the areas where its soldiers were operating. IDF later also issued warnings for towns of Ansariyeh, Khraibeh, Shabriha, Sarafand, Adloun, and Baysariyeh.
Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which was declared last month. Israel has continued to intensively bomb southern Lebanon, where around a million people have been displaced.
Today’s warnings came after at least 3 people, including a woman and her daughter, and a Syrian child, were killed in Israeli attacks on the town of Al-Sharifat, south of Beirut, according to a statement by the Lebanese health ministry yesterday.
Since March 2, over 3,300 people have been killed in Lebanon, and more than 10,000 have been injured. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has leveled entire villages in southern Lebanon, seeking to establish control there.
Israel announced today that it had killed a senior Hamas commander in northern Gaza earlier this week.
In a joint statement, Israel’s military and security agency said they had “eliminated” Imad Hassan Hussein Aslim. The statement added that another Hamas member was also killed in the strike.
“Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance,” the statement said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that Israel aims to control about 70% of the Gaza Strip, up from the around 65% it controls now.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that he has directed the country’s military to expand its control to cover 70% of the Gaza Strip.
“We were at 50; we moved to 60. My directive is to move to — let’s go step by step,” Netanyahu said. “First of all, 70. Let’s start with that. We’re pressing [Hamas] from all sides. We’ll deal with the remnants.”
Since the Israeli assault on Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, Israeli forces have retained control of more than half of the enclave. The continued Israeli presence has squeezed 2 million mostly displaced Palestinians into a small area, many living in tents among the ruins of shattered cities.
Under an October U.S.-brokered truce that has failed to halt Israeli attacks or secure Hamas’ disarmament, Israeli troops were meant to initially withdraw to a “Yellow Line” demarcating the extent of their control, which was to have been followed by an expected longer-term withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 75,000 people, including thousands of women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
European shares rose today and were on track to end the month higher, as investors took comfort from expectations that a proposed deal to extend the Middle East ceasefire and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could be finalised.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on May 22. Majid-Asgaripour / WANA via Reuters
The agreement was yet to be approved by U.S. President Donald Trump, sources said, and did not address more complex issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.
The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.3% at 626.91 points, as of 3:15 a.m. ET, and poised to end the week higher.
The benchmark index had come within striking distance of record highs earlier this week and is on course for a second consecutive monthly gain, but escalating tensions in the Middle East capped further advances.
Prices of crude oil, a key resource for energy-deficient Europe, slipped and were on track for their first weekly drop in two months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it’s up to Iran what happens next.
Referring to Trump’s comments during a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, Hegseth said, “He looks in the camera and says, well, Iran can either do it the right way with a deal across the table, or they can deal with my guy on the left,” referring to Hegseth.
Hegseth was speaking on board the USS Boxer in Singapore, where he arrived early today to address an Asian security forum.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that a peace deal with Iran was “largely negotiated.” Less than 24 hours later, Trump walked back his statement, with the phrase “largely negotiated” becoming “not even fully negotiated yet.”
Vice President JD Vance told reporters yesterday that Washington was “not there yet” with Iran, but said negotiators were “very close” to reaching a final agreement.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re very close,” Vance said. “We’re going to keep on working at it.”
Vance also said the U.S. had “substantially” set back Iran’s nuclear program for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve already decimated their conventional military, and we’re in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear program, not just during the term of this president, but over the long term,” he said.
“That’s a very, very good thing for the American people.”
The State Department and the Treasury Department both announced new sanctions on Iran’s oil trade yesterday despite ongoing negotiations to reach a deal to end the conflict.
“The Department of State is sanctioning numerous entities, individuals, and vessels that form the backbone of Iran’s illicit oil economy, directly targeting the financial lifelines of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s military apparatus,” the State Department said in a statement.
The IRGC is the most powerful military, political and economic force in Iran.
The Treasury sanctions will target “key players in an oil sales network that has moved tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil worth billions of dollars.”
“These Hong Kong-based entities have facilitated the storage, transport, and sale of this oil, directly funding the IRGC, Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, and its military apparatus,” the statement read.
Trump is directly involved in negotiations with Iran, according to Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
“He’s directly, personally involved in the negotiations, making sure that the results are up to his standards,” Miller said in an interview with Fox News last night.
He added: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal. Nothing is final until it’s final. And President Trump has been clear that he reserves the option now or at any time in the future to do whatever is necessary to defend and protect America’s national security.”
NBC News