May 8: Adviser to Iran supreme leader compares control of Hormuz to ‘atomic bomb’

Lebanon raises toll from Israeli strikes to 10

Israeli strikes on Friday killed 10 people in four locations in southern Lebanon, the health ministry says, raising an earlier toll.

The dead include two children and three women, it says.

As for the other deaths, the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Despite a truce in the war between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group, fighting has not stopped in south Lebanon, where an Israeli strike also killed a civil defense rescuer earlier in the day.

US revises UN resolution on Iran but China, Russia still expected to veto

Washington has revised its proposed UN resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining in the Strait of Hormuz but the changes are unlikely to avert Chinese and Russian vetoes, diplomats say.

A Chinese veto would be awkward ahead of US President Donald Trump’s trip to China next week, where the Iran war is likely to be high on the agenda.

An updated draft shared with Security Council members on Thursday afternoon and seen by Reuters removed a clause invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the council to impose measures ranging from sanctions to military action.

However, tough language against Iran remained, as well as a clause that in the event of non-compliance the council would “meet again to consider effective measures… including sanctions measures, in order to ensure the freedom of navigation in the area.”

It is unclear when the council might vote on the resolution.

While the text does not explicitly authorize force, it does not rule it out, and “reaffirms the right of member States … to defend their vessels from attacks and threats, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms.”

A previous resolution backed by the United States that appeared to open a path to legitimizing US military action against Iran failed last month after Russia and China exercised their vetoes in the 15-member UN Security Council.

Diplomats said the original version of the current resolution, drafted by the United States and Bahrain, and submitted to council members for review this week ran into strong Chinese and Russian objections.

A UN diplomat says that despite dropping the Chapter VII reference, which was also done with last month’s resolution, the new draft did not address Chinese and Russian objections.

China’s UN mission says it has no comment on the new draft, and the Russian mission did not immediately respond.

A statement from Russia’s mission on Thursday said Security Council members should refrain from “pushing through one-sided and confrontational draft resolutions” that could “trigger a new wave of escalation in the Middle East.”

“It is precisely for this reason that on April 7, Russia, along with China, blocked the adoption of a draft resolution on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the proposed resolution a test of the utility of the United Nations and urged China and Russia not to veto it.

Police arrest suspect who shot at Jews outside Toronto synagogue with gel blaster gun

Police in Toronto say they’ve arrested a suspect allegedly involved in two “hate-motivated assault with a weapon investigations” targeting Jewish people in the Canadian city.

In two separate incidents last night, Ruslan Novruzov is accused of driving by three visibly Jewish individuals and opening fire at them using an imitation firearm before fleeing, police say.

The second incident took place outside Toronto’s Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue. In both incidents, the victims sustained minor injuries.

Novruzov was arrested on Friday morning and officers recovered two gel-blaster imitation firearms. He is slated to appear before a judge later today, police say in a statement.

“We recognize that Jewish residents have been living with a heightened sense of fear due to repeated incidents targeting their community, and this only adds to that, which is unacceptable,” says Toronto police acting deputy chief Joe Matthews. “While the weapons used were imitation firearms, the impacts are very real. These are criminal acts that we allege were meant to intimidate and cause fear.”

Palestinian man and young son attacked by settlers in southern West Bank — report

A Palestinian man and his underage son were hospitalized after being attacked this afternoon by settlers in Khirbet Shuweika, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank, Palestinian media reports.

Footage published by Palestinian media shows the pair on the side of a road, with the boy bleeding from the back of his head and the father bleeding from a gash on the side of his forehead.

Separate footage shows them receiving treatment at a hospital.

WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, says the two were attacked by several settlers wielding sharp instruments, who also shattered windows of the Palestinians’ car.

إصابة فلسطيني وطفله إثر اعتداء مستوطنين عليهما بآلات حادة خلال وجودهما في أرضهما بقرية شويكة جنوب الخليل بالضفة الغربية٬ وفق ما ذكرته وكالة الأنباء الفلسطينية وفا #فيديو pic.twitter.com/Q0TTonNUnG

— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) May 8, 2026

Hezbollah claims to have targeted Israeli military base in north with drones

Hezbollah claims to have launched a swarm of drones at a sensitive Israeli military base in northern Israel earlier today.

In a statement, the terror group says it targeted an air traffic control base that sits atop Mount Meron, around 8 kilometres from the border at around 12:50 p.m.

There were no sirens warning of a drone attack in that area at the time, and no reports of impacts in the vicinity.

Hezbollah says the launches were in response to Israel’s Wednesday airstrike in Beirut that killed a top commander in the terror group, as well as ongoing strikes in Lebanon’s south.

The military said earlier that two soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, by a drone impact in Israeli territory adjacent to the Lebanon border, not in the Meron area.

Recently freed Palestinian journalist recounts Israeli jail rations that led to 130-pound weight loss

Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi before and after his release from yearlong Israeli administrative detention on April 30, 2026. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A Palestinian journalist recently released from one year in Israeli jail, where he was held without charge, recounts the severe conditions prisoners undergo in an interview with CNN.

Ali Samoudi lost 130 pounds while in prison and was barely recognizable to family and friends after he was released on April 30.

Samoudi was held by Israel using a controversial legal tool called administrative detention, which allows authorities to indefinitely keep a suspect in custody without charge, based on covert intelligence information.

While some in administrative detention are eventually charged, others — including Samoudi — are not.

The practice is so controversial that Defense Minister Israel Katz barred its use against Jewish suspects last year. It is now only employed against some 4,000 Palestinians and a small number of Arab Israelis, leading to charges of discrimination by Israeli authorities.

Samoudi, in the CNN interview, recalls the small rations of food that prisoners are given each day.

Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi was recently released from Israeli prison, where he was held for a year without charge and without a trial. He lost around half his body weight behind bars. “It was a real hell,” he tells @JDiamond1, in this heart-wrenching report. pic.twitter.com/WH0tqu4lyn

— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 8, 2026

He says breakfast consisted of one spoon of labneh and a quarter spoon of jam. Lunch was four spoons of rice, two slices of cucumber and one spoon of white beans. Dinner was two spoons of hummus, one spoon of tahini and a hard-boiled egg.

Mirrors are banned in Israeli jails, so he didn’t see how gaunt he looked until his release. “I felt something dreadful. My situation was difficult, and I understood that, but I did not imagine it was to this extent,” he tells CNN.

A recent report from Israel’s own Public Defender’s Office determined that Palestinian security detainees held in Israeli prisons have suffered from severe and systematic violence from prison guards, deprivation of food and medical neglect, while also having been subjected to unsanitary conditions that caused and exacerbated outbreaks of disease in the prisons.

“It was true hell. Prison today is hell in every sense of the word. Everything they practice with us was punishment and revenge,” Samoudi says.

Israel’s Prison Service did not respond to a request for comment on Samoudi’s detention or why he was held for so long if he was never charged.

IPS, in the past, has denied allegations of mistreatment and insisted that inmates are treated according to international law.

Poll: 42% of Likud voters considering or have decided to back different party in fall

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara (not pictured) cast their vote during the elections for the Likud Central Committee, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, November 25, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Forty-two percent of Israelis who voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in the previous election are either considering or have decided to vote for a different party in the fall Knesset elections, a Channel 12 poll finds.

Fifty-eight percent of Israelis who voted for Likud in the previous election said they will do the same at the ballot box, according to the poll.

The poll finds that 10% of previous Likud voters will vote for former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s center-right Together party; 6% will vote for former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party; 4% will vote for Avigdor Liberman’s secular right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party; 3% will vote for far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party; 2% will vote for Yoaz Hendel’s right-wing Reservists party; 1% will vote for Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party; and 1% will vote for Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party.

Eight percent of former Likud voters remain unsure and 6% plan not to vote.

Among Likud voters who are either considering or have decided not to vote for Netanyahu’s party once again, 37% said it’s because of the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7 attack; 23% said it’s because of the legislation that the government is trying to pass granting blanket exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students; 14% said because of Netanyahu’s personal conduct; 13% said it’s because of divisions in Israeli society; and 13% said they’re unsure.

Asked whether Netanyahu should run in the next election, 64% of formerly Likud voters said yes, while 30% said he should retire.

Asked who should head the Likud party after Netanyahu steps down, 10% said former Mossad chief Yossi Yohen, 9% said Economy Minister Nir Barkat, 8% said Defense Minister Israel Katz, 7% said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, 6% said former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, 5% said Justice Minister Amir Ohana, 3% said Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and 2% said Transportation Minister Miri Regev; 45% said none of the above.

Asked whether Netanyahu’s far-right, firebrand son Yair should be on Likud’s list for elections, 67% of Likud voters said no and 17% said yes.

Asked if they’re satisfied with the conduct of Likud’s current slate of lawmakers, 55% said they were not, compared to 38% who said they are.

Asked which party leader best represents Likud’s values, 39% said Netanyahu, 37% said former prime minister Menachem Begin, 10% said they were unsure, 9% said former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir and 5% said former prime minister Ariel Sharon.

Trump announces three-day Ukraine-Russia ceasefire

US President Donald Trump announces Friday that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to observe a three-day truce starting Saturday and a mutual swap of 1,000 prisoners each.

Trump posts on social media that the truce on Saturday, Sunday and Monday would hopefully be “the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly and hard-fought War.”

Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday. Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce, but that this had been ignored by Moscow.

Syria says it arrested Assad-era general over chemical attack

Syria’s interior ministry announces the arrest of a general from ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s era, accusing him of involvement in a 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

In August 2013, the army under Assad’s rule was accused of using chemical weapons to target areas then under rebel control, killing more than 1,400 men, women and children, according to US intelligence and rights groups.

With Syria at the height of its civil war, the Assad government denied responsibility, but agreed to hand over its chemical arsenal in order to avert US strikes.

Assad went on to remain in power for more than a decade, only to be ousted in 2024 by Islamist-led rebels led by now President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The ministry says it arrested “Khardal Ahmed Dayoub, a former brigadier general in the forces of the ousted regime and former head of the Air Force Intelligence branch in Daraa, for his direct involvement in systematic violations against civilians.”

The ministry accuses Dayoub of being “implicated in chemical attacks during his service in the Damascus branch and his presence in the Harasta area,” where “he oversaw repressive operations and contributed to the logistical coordination for the bombing of Eastern Ghouta with internationally prohibited chemical weapons.”

Dayoub, the latest in a string of Assad-era officials detained in recent months, is also accused of extrajudicial killings and coordination with Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, both of which were backing the ousted government.

Survivors of the attacks, including medics, at the time risked their lives by posting dozens of videos online, and speaking to journalists, including AFP reporters, about the horror they had witnessed.

Labour loses power in Wales for first time since 1999 devolution

Britain’s Labour Party has lost power in Wales for the first time since its devolved assembly was created in 1999, as the nationalist Plaid Cymru won the most seats in local elections, the BBC reports.

With 90 of 96 seats declared, the center-left Welsh party Plaid Cymru had won 39 seats, while anti-immigration Reform UK came second with 32 and Labour trailed behind with just nine seats, a humiliating result for the party in its traditional heartlands.

Herzog reportedly told Netanyahu confidant there’s currently no chance he can pardon PM

President Isaac Herzog speaks at the annual Independence Day ceremony for outstanding soldiers at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, April 20, 2026. (Elad Malka/Defense Ministry)

President Isaac Herzog reportedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidant during a secret meeting in March that he is currently unable to pardon the premier.

During a heated two and a half hour meeting at an apartment of a mutual friend, Herzog lamented to right-wing journalist Jacob Bardugo that he is facing criticism from both sides of the political spectrum over the issue of pardoning Netanyahu.

“You don’t understand how everyone hates me now, and partly because of you,” Channel 12 quotes Herzog as having said, referring to Bardugo’s relentless attacks in the media against the president, calling him a coward and demanding that he resign for not having yet pardoned Netanyahu.

“The left thinks I will grant a pardon no matter what. They consider me a suspect before I ever did anything. Meanwhile, you’re inciting the right against me nonstop.”

“How can I grant Netanyahu a pardon when he never even submitted a request for a pardon? What he handed us is not a request and it has no chance of passing,” Herzog is quoted as having said, rejecting the letter Netanyahu’s lawyers submitted in November in which he did not take responsibility for the charges against him but nonetheless insisted that he was deserving of a pardon.

Responding to Herzog, Channel 12 says Bardogo responded by again insisting that he must pardon Netanyahu, claiming it would help unite a divided country.

“Stop being a coward, stop being afraid,” Bardogo reportedly said.

“Think about how you’ll feel when you try to greet [US President Donald] Trump after he lands in Israel and the president doesn’t even agree to shake your hand and say hello. Will that be enjoyable for you?”

The meeting was held in March when Israel still believed Trump would visit the country on Independence Day the following month to accept the Israel Prize — a trip that didn’t pan out, largely because of the Iran war.

Adviser to Iran supreme leader compares control of Hormuz to ‘atomic bomb’

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader compares control over the Strait of Hormuz to having an “atomic bomb” and vows not to relinquish it.

Adviser Mohammad Mokhber says Iran had long “neglected” its privileged position along the strait, a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments that Tehran shut early in the Middle East war, throwing markets into turmoil and stranding hundreds of vessels.

“The Strait of Hormuz represents an opportunity as precious as an atomic bomb,” he says in a video published by the Mehr news agency.

“Indeed, having in one’s hands a position that allows you to influence the global economy with a single decision is a major opportunity.”

Pledging not to “forfeit the gains of this war,” he goes on to say Iran will “change the (legal) regime of this strait,” through international law if possible, and unilaterally if not.

Mokhber does not specifically mention charging vessels to use the waterway, but the shipping journal Lloyd’s List reported on Friday that Iran had created an authority to approve transit through the strait and to collect tolls.

Pope Leo, after Rubio meet, asks God to inspire leaders to calm tensions, praises Italian effort welcoming Gaza refugees

Pope Leo has asked that God inspire world leaders to calm global tensions and reduce hatred in an address to mark his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church, a day after he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.

Leo, who has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticizing the Iran war, has asked worshippers to pray that global governments would turn away from violence.

In a visit to Pompei, a modern city about 245 km (152 miles) south of Rome near the famed ruins of a volcanic eruption, the pope said he would join their prayers that God would begin “touching hearts, calming rancor and fratricidal hatreds, and enlightening those who have special responsibilities of government.”

Leo, the first US pope, held talks with Rubio on Thursday in an atmosphere of tension with Washington as Trump has repeatedly disparaged the pontiff on social media.

The Vatican said afterwards that the two had pledged to improve their bilateral relations, in what insiders said was an unusual recognition of unprecedented tensions.

The US embassy to the Holy See said on X after the meeting that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere.”

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church on May 8, 2025.

In his message to thousands in Pompei’s main square, the pontiff laments that world peace is “endangered by international tensions and by an economy that prefers the arms trade to respect for human life.”

He urges people not to become accustomed to war.

“We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news shows us every day,” says Leo.

In a later visit on Friday, Italy’s third-largest city, the pope praises initiatives by groups there to welcome refugees coming to Italy from Gaza.

Leo urges Neapolitans to “continue to give voice … to a culture of peace, countering the logic of confrontation and the force of arms as the presumed solution to conflicts.”

IDF says it fired interceptor at Hezbollah drone above south Lebanon area where troops deployed

An interceptor missile was fired toward an apparent Hezbollah drone over an area of southern Lebanon where troops are deployed, the military says.

The results of the interception are under review, the IDF adds.

Chile to return ambassador to Israel in coming weeks

Chile’s President José Antonio Kast tells President Isaac Herzog during their meeting in Costa Rica that he intends to return his country’s ambassador to Israel in a few weeks, The Times of Israel has learned.

Chile recalled its ambassador less than a month after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel. Kast also says that Chile wants to increase cooperation across all sectors, including agriculture, health, AI, technology, and security.

Kast stressed to Herzog that Chilean media criticized him for the meeting, to which Herzog responded that there are many issues of bilateral interest.

“We discussed the important opportunities to restore Israel-Chile relations to their previous heights to the benefit of both our nations,” writes Herzog on X.

I am honored to represent the State of Israel today at the inauguration of the incoming President of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández Delgado.

Costa Rica has stood by Israel’s side ever since voting for Israel’s establishment at the United Nations in 1947.

I look forward to working…

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 8, 2026

US plans evacuation flight for Americans on hantavirus ship

The United States says it is organizing an evacuation flight for Americans on a hantavirus-struck cruise ship that has sailed to the Canary Islands.

“The Department of State is arranging a repatriation flight to support the safe return of American passengers on this ship,” a State Department spokesperson says.

The State Department says it is coordinating with the Spanish government as well as other US federal agencies.

“We are in direct communication with Americans on board and are prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain,” the spokesperson says on customary condition of anonymity.

It is not immediately clear how many Americans were on the ship.

The World Health Organization said earlier that the United States was among 12 countries which had nationals who disembarked the ship at Saint Helena.

Vance meeting with Qatari PM at White House to discuss Iran negotiations — source

US Vice President JD Vance is currently meeting at the White House with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani to discuss the ongoing Iran talks, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

News Nation was the first to report on the meeting.

Qatar has been serving as a backchannel mediator in the talks between the US and Iran.

Hantavirus ship evacuation must happen Sunday-Monday due to weather, authorities say

The evacuation of a hantavirus-struck cruise ship in the Canary Islands must happen between Sunday and Monday because adverse weather conditions will force it to leave, the Spanish archipelago’s regional government say.

“The only window of opportunity we have to carry out this operation is around 12 o’clock on Sunday morning and until conditions change from Monday,” regional government spokesman Alfonso Cabello tells reporters.

“Otherwise, the ship must leave and no operation could be carried out again in theory… until the end of May,” he says, citing wind and swell.

Palestine Marathon returns to West Bank and Gaza, with thousands taking part

Hundreds of Palestinians and foreign nationals ran parallel to Israel's West Bank security barrier, as they take part in the annual Palestine Marathon, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on May 8, 2026. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)

The Palestine Marathon returned to the West Bank and Gaza for the first time since the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

The event offered a full marathon, half marathon and 10-kilometer races in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and a 5-kilometer race in Gaza.

Organizers say 13,000 people participated, including 2,523 in Gaza and 1,000 foreigners from 75 countries.

The race in Gaza appeared to only allow men to participate.

Today, more than 2,500 Palestinians ran in Gaza as part of the 10th Palestine International Marathon sponsored by Egypt and held simultaneously in Bethlehem and the Strip for the first time. pic.twitter.com/ujpL5wAzeW

— Hamza (@HowidyHamza) May 8, 2026

انطلاق سباق "غزة" ضمن فعاليات ماراثون فلسطين الدولي، بمشاركة نحو 2000 متسابق وبرعاية اللجنة المصرية في غزة، تزامنًا مع انطلاق الفعالية في بيت لحم بالضفة. pic.twitter.com/dHsnGE3B6l

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 8, 2026

The Palestine International Marathon returned to Gaza after a two-year pause caused by war, with nearly 1,900 runners taking part.

Amputees injured during the conflict joined the race, turning the event into a powerful symbol of resilience, hope and survival.#Gaza #Palestine… pic.twitter.com/sPrITvyOsu

— India Today Global (@ITGGlobal) May 8, 2026

Palestinian-American businessman asks US judge to dismiss lawsuit alleging he aided Hamas

Bashar Masri is the developer behind Rawabi, the first planned Palestinian city. (Yardena Schwartz/JTA)

A prominent Palestinian-American developer has asked a US judge to throw out a lawsuit accusing him of supporting Hamas through his Gaza projects, arguing it equates participating in Gaza’s economy with terrorism.

Bashar Masri, who built luxury hotels in Gaza and the Palestinians’ first planned city in the West Bank, was sued last year by US families of victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks who alleged his Gaza properties concealed tunnels the terror group used to stage its assault.

Before the Gaza war, Hamas built a labyrinth tunnel network that stretched across nearly all of Gaza. Businesses often grappled with whether and how to invest in a territory ruled by a group deemed a terrorist organization by the US and whose tacit approval was needed for large development projects.

The civil complaint, filed on behalf of around 200 American plaintiffs, alleges that Masri knew about Hamas tunnels under his two seaside hotels, which it says the group accessed from guest rooms. It also says the group powered underground fortifications with electricity from solar panels in an industrial zone he operated.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages from Masri and four of his companies under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which lets American victims of terrorism sue for damages in US courts.

Filing a motion to dismiss the complaint in federal court in Miami, Masri’s lawyers say he bore no blame for the October 2023 attacks on Israel, describing them as “barbaric acts of terrorism.”

The defendants “unequivocally condemn Hamas’ violence and the suffering it inflicted upon innocent civilians,” they wrote, adding that the plaintiffs had failed to show Masri knew his conduct could aid Hamas in staging attacks.

The complaint amounts to “speculation” that Masri and his companies “engaged in international terrorism merely by participating in economic development projects” in Gaza, Masri’s lawyers wrote.

Hezbollah claims rocket fire at north targeted base near Nahariya

Hezbollah takes responsibility for the rocket fire on the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area earlier, claiming to have targeted an Israeli military base south of Nahariya.

The IDF said that the rockets were intercepted or struck open areas, with no injuries caused.

Hezbollah says the rocket fire is a response to Israel’s Wednesday airstrike in Beirut, which killed the chief of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.

The terror group claims responsibility for several more explosive drone and rocket attacks on Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon today.

3 people standing outside Toronto synagogue shot at with replica firearm — police

Three people standing outside of a synagogue in Toronto on Thursday night were shot at with a replica firearm, local police say.

One person was struck and sustained minor injuries from what apparently was a pellet gun fired from a passing vehicle, police say.

Authorities are investigating whether the incident is connected to a similar targeting of Jewish residents in recent days.

Footage said to show settler blocking Palestinian ambulance on West Bank road

Palestinian media publishes footage of what it says is an Israeli settler using his vehicle to block a Palestinian ambulance from transporting a critically ill patient on a West Bank road south of Nablus.

Palestinians say this is a regular occurrence in the West Bank.

مستوطن يتعمد إعاقة مرور مركبة إسعاف على طريق في جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/622FlBxsPt

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 8, 2026

Iran media reports new ‘sporadic clashes’ with US forces in Hormuz

Iranian media reports fresh “sporadic clashes” with US naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz, following a flare-up the night before, despite the ceasefire in the Gulf.

“For the last hour, sporadic clashes have taken place between the Iranian armed forces and American vessels in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Fars news agency says.

Iran accuses US of ‘blatant violation’ of truce after overnight clash

Iran accuses the United States of breaching their truce, as both sides blamed the other for triggering an overnight clash in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The action carried out last night was both a blatant violation of international law and a breach of the ceasefire,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says, according to the ISNA news agency.

“At the same time, the country’s defenders delivered a ‘major slap’ to the enemy and repelled the enemies’ aggression with full force,” he continues.

Suspected oil spill seen on satellite images near Iran’s Kharg Island export hub

A suspected oil spill covering dozens of square kilometers of sea near Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island has been seen on satellite imagery this week.

The likely spill – appearing on images as a grey and white slick – covered waters to the west of the 8-kilometer (5-mile) long island, pictures from Copernicus’s Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites showed on May 6-8.

“The slick appears visually consistent with oil,” says Leon Moreland, researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, who estimated that it was covering an area of approximately 45 square km.

Louis Goddard, co-founder of consultancy Data Desk, which focuses on climate and commodities, agreed that the images likely showed an oil slick, which he said was potentially the largest to occur since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran 70 days ago.

The cause of the possible spill and the point of origin are currently unknown, Moreland adds, noting that images from May 8 showed no evidence of additional active spills.

Kharg Island, where US forces said they had destroyed military targets earlier in the war, is the hub for 90% of Iran’s ​oil exports, much of which is bound for China.

The US Navy has been blockading Iran’s ports in an attempt to stop Tehran’s tankers from entering and exiting, while US and Iranian forces have clashed in the Gulf.

The war has also trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and caused the world’s biggest disruption to crude oil supply, as well as hitting global supplies of oil products and liquefied natural gas.

US confirms strikes on two empty Iranian oil tankers

The US military has struck two empty Iranian-flagged oil tankers that it says were seeking to violate the ongoing US blockade, US Central Command says in a post on X, adding that a third Iranian-flagged vessel had been disabled on Wednesday.

“All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran,” Central Command says.

https://t.co/rOZfFGtptY

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026

Opening of UAE’s first casino to face ‘modest’ delays following Iran war

The opening of the UAE’s first casino resort faces a “modest delay,” says the CEO of the group that will operate the venue, in the aftermath of the Middle East war and Hormuz blockade.

“While we have faced logistical and shipping challenges in the region, deliveries have largely continued and we are rerouting shipments and sourcing alternative materials where needed,” Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts says.

“We do expect a modest delay in our opening timeline, and I expect that we will quantify that in the coming months,” he says, with the opening still expected to be in 2027.

Wynn, a US company, operates casinos in Las Vegas and Boston as well as in Macau, a Chinese territory close to Hong Kong.

In October 2024, the group received the first commercial gaming operator’s license to be issued by the UAE, where gambling is currently banned.

It is now developing a luxury resort at Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE.

The 1,542-room resort will have gaming amenities and was scheduled to open in early 2027.

Ras Al Khaimah, a quiet place, is one of the UAE’s less wealthy emirates and a popular destination for domestic holidays.

The northernmost emirate is the closest Emirati territory to the Strait of Hormuz, now blockaded by Iran.

Iran has targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war, hitting US assets and civilian infrastructure, while its blockade of Hormuz has impeded oil exports and port operations.

Since the ceasefire came into place in April, the UAE has reported some Iranian attacks, though Tehran denies striking the country.

Gulf states have been stuck between war and peace as talks stall and the vital Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed.

Gambling is prohibited under Islamic laws in the oil-rich Gulf state, where the population is 90 percent foreign.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah rocket launcher used in barrage on northern Israel

The Israeli Air Force struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher used in the barrage on the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area earlier, the IDF says.

The military publishes footage of the strike.

No injuries were caused in the rocket attack.

סגירת מעגל: חיל האוויר תקף את המשגר ממנו ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שיגר רקטות לעבר יישובי הצפון pic.twitter.com/ktRqfKZFdA

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 8, 2026

US military said to strike empty tankers trying to break Iran blockade

The US military has carried out more airstrikes and hit several empty tankers attempting to break the blockade on Iran, Fox News reports.

The network cites a senior US official who says, “These were Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC)… massive, empty ships trying to make it back to Iran … attempted to run the blockade.”

Footage appears to contradict police claim that Arab prosecutor resisted arrest before cops beat him

Salah Khalil Faisal Na'ameh, an Arab Israeli prosecutor in the Southern District Attorney's Office, is seen after he was attacked by police officers during arrest in Beersheba on May 1, 2026. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Haaretz daily publishes the body camera footage from one of the officers involved in the violent arrest of an Arab Israeli government prosecutor last week in Beersheba.

The footage appears to contradict the police’s claim that Salah Khalil Faisal Na’ameh was violent toward the officers before they pounced on him and started beating him.

https://x.com/Ahmad_tibi/status/2052727620840636843?s=20

Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills 4, including 2 women — Beirut health ministry

An Israeli strike on Friday killed four people including two women in the southern Lebanon town of Toura, the health ministry says, as state media and AFP correspondents reported Israel was conducting widespread strikes.

Rubio says Trump has yet to decide response to allies’ denial of military bases

US President Donald Trump has yet to decide how to respond to some allies denying the US military the use of their bases, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

“If one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case, at least when it comes to some NATO members, that’s a problem, and it has to be examined,” he tells reporters during a visit to Rome, adding that Trump “hasn’t made those decisions yet.”

UK Greens’ Jewish, anti-Israel leader, tells Starmer to quit; his far-left party wins mayoralty in London’s Hackney, aims for more gains

Green Party leader Zack Polanski (right) celebrates with the Greens' Zoe Garbett after she was declared the winner in the 2026 London Borough of Hackney mayoral election at Hackney Service Centre, east London, May 8, 2026. (Reuters via PA)

Zack Polanski, the Jewish, anti-Israel leader of Britain’s Green Party, calls on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign, and declares UK two-party politics “dead and buried.”

Polanski, whose far-left party is aiming for historic gains as votes are counted in yesterday’s local elections, is speaking in Hackney, east London, soon after the Greens win the mayoralty there — the first time the party has won a directly elected mayoralty. Hackney includes the Stamford Hill neighborhood, home to tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

“My message to Keir Starmer is that he needs to go. But I don’t think that’s my message; I think that’s the country message,” says Polanski. “We’ve seen for a long time now his popularity has been going, and he’s lost the trust of the country.”

Polanski has made anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian issues a centerpiece of his party’s platform, and he and many of his party’s candidates are also alleged to have engaged in antisemitism.

Results in the elections are coming in throughout the day, and Starmer’s Labour Party is suffering heavy losses, including in some of its traditional strongholds in former industrial regions in central and northern England.

The main beneficiary is the populist Reform UK party of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, which has so far gained more than 400 council seats in England, and could form the main opposition in Scotland and Wales to the pro-independence Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.

Early results have underscored the fracturing of Britain’s traditional two-party system, with the once-dominant Labour and Conservative parties losing votes not only to Reform, but also to the Greens at the other end of the political spectrum, and to nationalists in Scotland and Wales.

US forces prevent over 70 tankers from entering, leaving Iranian ports

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says that more than 70 tankers were being prevented from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

“These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus,” CENTCOM says in a post on X.

There are currently more than 70 tankers that U.S. forces are preventing from entering or leaving Iranian ports. These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus. pic.twitter.com/VBKfDwMwqJ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026

Moscow says it regrets decision of Israeli company to refrain from purchasing Russian grain

Russia regrets a decision by an Israeli company to refrain from purchasing Russian grain, the foreign ministry says.

The decision is counter to the Israeli authorities’ commitment to maintaining Russian-Israeli economic cooperation, the ministry says.

A vessel carrying grain that Ukraine says was stolen by Russia did not unload in Israel last month, after Kyiv requested Israel to seize the cargo.

New hantavirus case suspected on remote island as contact tracing continues

A new suspected case of hantavirus has been identified in a British man who was a passenger on the virus-hit luxury cruise ship MV Hondius and is now on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, health authorities say.

The UK Health Security Agency does not disclose further details of the new suspected case in the British overseas territory where the cruise ship made a stop on April 15.

Tristan da Cunha, home to only around 200 people, is halfway between South Africa and South America and the world’s remotest inhabited island, more than 1,500 miles and a six-day boat ride from St Helena, its nearest inhabited neighbor.

An islander had been hospitalized and his wife was self-isolating, the UK Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, says in a statement posted on Tristan da Cunha’s local government website.

Four islanders took a lift on the Dutch-flagged vessel to St Helena, he adds. Tristan da Cunha administrator Philip Kendall said these had been advised to self-isolate there as a precaution.

While the new case remained suspected, the announcements of precautions will fuel concerns about the Andes strain of hantavirus found on the ship that in rare cases can spread from human to human.

Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — died following the outbreak on the MV Hondius.

Four others confirmed to be infected, two Britons, a Dutch and a Swiss national, are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands, South Africa and Switzerland, and a fifth case is suspected, according to the World Health Organization.

Those figures do not include the suspected case on Tristan da Cunha. The World Health Organization says it will provide an update later on Friday.

Rubio says US expecting response from Iran today on proposal for ending war

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the US should get a response today from Iran to its proposal to end the war.

“We’ll see what the response entails. The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation,” Rubio tells reporters in Rome.

Iranian FM accuses US of pursuing another ‘reckless military adventure’ instead of diplomacy

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accuses the US of abandoning diplomacy in favor of a “reckless military adventure” following an overnight exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Is this a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire,” writes Araghchi in a statement posted on X.

“Whatever the causes, the outcome is the same,” he adds. “Iranians never bow to pressure and diplomacy is always the victim.

Araghchi also responds to a Washington Post report that stated that the CIA believes Iran retains 75% of its pre-war ballistic missile stocks.

“The CIA is wrong. Our missile inventory and launcher capacity are not at 75% compared to Feb 28. The correct figure is 120%,” he writes.

UAE says 3 moderately injured by Iranian missile, drone attacks today

Iran has fired two ballistic missiles and three drones at the United Arab Emirates since midnight, says the Emirati Defense Ministry, moderately wounding three people.

Thirteen people have been killed in the country since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, and 230 injured.

Antisemitic incidents remain historically high in Denmark, report finds

Antisemitic incidents in Denmark remained at historically high levels for the third consecutive year in 2025, according to a report released yesterday by the Jewish Community in Denmark.

There were 199 documented antisemitic incidents last year, the second-highest total since records began in 2012 and only slightly below the 207 recorded in 2024, according to AKVAH, the Danish Jewish Community’s Department for Mapping and Registering Antisemitic Incidents.

Before Hamas launched its war with Israel on October 7, 2023, the country averaged just nine incidents a year. The country has about 6,000 Jews, according to estimates.

“Unfortunately, antisemitism in Denmark is not on the decline,” says Ina Rosen, chairperson of the country’s Jewish Community. “It has been normalized to an unprecedented level.”

The vast majority of incidents – 70% – ​​were targeted against individuals or institutions that were clearly identified as Jewish, a trend that has affected the community.

About 83% of Jewish Danes say they regulate their behavior in public because they are Jewish, and 62% hide Jewish symbols, according to a 2025 study by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Some 69% of anti-Jewish attacks were linked to Israel, the war in Gaza, or other Middle East developments, the report says. There were 24 incidents against Jewish children and youth, three of which involved outright violence. About 55% of incidents occurred online.

Last year, Denmark’s government unveiled an $18 million plan to fight rising antisemitism through 2030.

IDF says one rocket from Hezbollah barrage intercepted, others hit open areas

Hezbollah fired a barrage of several rockets at the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area a short while ago.

The IDF says one of the rockets was intercepted by air defenses, while the others struck open areas.

There are no reports of injuries in the attack.

The military says the rocket fire is “another violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terror organization.”

The rocket fire comes after Israel killed the chief of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in a strike in Beirut on Wednesday.

Sirens sound in Haifa Bay area, Upper Galilee after IDF warned of likely Hezbollah rocket fire

Sirens sound in the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area amid a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon.

The attack comes shortly after the military warned it expected Hezbollah rocket fire on the north in response to the killing of the chief of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut on Wednesday.

Tehran says it has captured oil tanker carrying Iranian oil for trying to ‘damage and disrupt’ exports

Iran says it has redirected a US-sanctioned oil tanker carrying Iranian oil back to its shores, though it is unclear from its statement why it would have returned it.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy, through a specially planned operation in the Sea of Oman, seized the offending tanker Ocean Koi,” the army says in a statement carried by state television, adding that the oil belonged to the “Islamic Republic.”

It says the ship was redirected to Iran’s southern shores after it sought “to damage and disrupt Iran’s oil exports,” without elaborating.

IDF preparing for possibility of Hezbollah rocket fire at northern Israel in coming hours

The IDF says it is preparing for the possibility that Hezbollah will fire rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel in the coming hours, “against the backdrop of recent developments.”

Currently, there are no changes to the Home Front Command’s guidelines for civilians.

“The IDF emphasizes that, at this stage, the public should remain vigilant, act responsibly and continue to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines,” the military says.

On Wednesday night, Israel killed the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in a strike in Beirut. The terror group has not yet responded to the strike.

3 soldiers hurt, one seriously, in Hezbollah drone attacks

Three soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah today, the military says.

In one incident a short while ago, a Hezbollah drone exploded in Israeli territory, close to the border with Lebanon. The IDF says the blast seriously wounded one soldier and moderately injured another.

In another incident earlier, several explosive drones struck near Israeli forces deployed to southern Lebanon. One soldier was moderately injured in the incident, according to the military.

The IDF says the wounded troops were taken to hospitals and their families were notified.

Several more rockets and mortars were launched by Hezbollah at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon today, with the IDF reporting that one projectile was intercepted by air defenses, and no injuries were caused.

Bereaved families forum: PM’s response to High Court proves he knows he alone is responsible for Oct. 7 failures

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the High Court that the prime minister alone is responsible for Israel’s security, the October Council — a forum composed of bereaved families demanding a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack — says the premier has unwittingly finally taken responsibility for the failures that led to the massacre.

Netanyahu, in his response to a petition against the appointment of his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, as the next director of the Mossad intelligence agency, stated that “The responsibility for the security of the state and its citizens lies with the prime minister, and him alone.”

“The Prime Minister of Israel effectively declared today that the responsibility for the October 7 massacre lies with him, and him alone,” the October Council declares.

“Today, for the first time, the prime minister is taking responsibility for 2,100 murdered people, 251 kidnapped people, and tens of thousands who were displaced from their homes,” it adds.

Netanyahu submits response to High Court petition against incoming Mossad director

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submits his response to a petition at the High Court of Justice against the appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next director of the Mossad intelligence agency.

The premier argues in his response that Gofman’s appointment is a security decision and therefore should be mostly exempt from judicial oversight.

“There is actually good reason to assume that the rationality for the prime minister’s decision is ten times better than the ‘rationality’ of anyone else, including the honorable court,” he writes.

“The responsibility for the security of the state and its citizens lies with the prime minister, and him alone.”

The petition against Gofman, who has been serving as Netanyahu’s military secretary, was filed by Ori Elmakayes and Telem – the Movement for Integrity in Government, and focused on Gofman’s authorization in 2022, while commanding the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division in the Golan Heights, to use Elmakayes, then 17, in an Arabic-language influence campaign.

As a result of Gofman’s actions, Elmakayes was detained and interrogated by the Shin Bet domestic security agency, held in isolation for two months, charged with espionage offenses, and held in detention for 18 months before the charges were dropped.

Telem stated that the petition cites this affair as well as what it said was Gofman’s failure to tell the truth to IDF investigators who probed the incident. Additionally, Telem noted that Gofman “was silent” during the legal proceedings against Elmakayes, and cited “his failure to take responsibility for the affair and the abuse of a minor who had committed no offense, and his untrustworthiness.”

The petition also underlined the opposition of the chair of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, retired Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, to Gofman’s appointment.

In their joint decision, the three junior members of the committee approved Gofman’s appointment and said that the incident should not keep Gofman from serving as the head of the Mossad, while Grunis, in a separate opinion, recommended that Gofman be disqualified.

Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

Report: German intel officials unhappy with government’s approach to Iranian threats

German intelligence officials are unhappy with the way in which the country’s leaders have addressed the rising threat of Tehran-backed attacks within Germany since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, The New York Times reports.

Citing five senior German officials familiar with the matter, the Times reports that intelligence chiefs and local government officials believe that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt have downplayed the risk of such attacks when addressing the public.

Intelligence officials tell the outlet that they are concerned that, as a result of this, the public will fail to take the threat of Iranian-sponsored attacks seriously.

But in turn, sources say that the German government believes that if it publicly expresses too much concern over the threat, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

After the outbreak of war in the Middle East, Merz said Germany would boost security around Jewish and Israeli sites, but said there was no indication of “an increased threat level domestically.”

Intelligence officials believe that many of the targets eyed up by Iranian-backed attackers in Germany are Jewish institutions, the Times reports, although members of the Iranian diaspora are also believed to be targets.

A spokesperson for Merz tells the Times that intelligence and government officials are on the same page when it comes to “detecting and targeting the threats to keep them under control.”

Hezbollah drone found on roof of school in Nahariya

A Hezbollah drone was found on the roof of a school in the northern city of Nahariya this morning, during routine maintenance work.

It is not immediately clear when the drone crashed there.

Police say officers evacuated the school and sappers are working to safely neutralize the drone and remove it from the premises.

A Hezbollah drone was found on the roof of a school in the northern city of Nahariya this morning, during routine maintenance work.

It is not immediately clear when the drone crashed there. pic.twitter.com/w7ZSHS8O1z

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 8, 2026

Three IDF soldiers and a civilian set to be charged with pro-Iranian espionage

Three soldiers and a civilian are set to be charged in court with pro-Iranian espionage after allegedly maintaining long-term contact with Iran-linked actors.

The three soldiers had been interacting with their handler before their enlistment, while they were still minors, and knowingly carried out espionage missions on Tehran’s behalf, according to a joint IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police statement.

The soldiers, who were training at an Israeli Air Force technical school, are accused of photographing the premises at the request of the Iranian actor. The suspects also documented public areas such as train stations, shopping centers and security cameras.

The security agencies add that the suspects were asked by their handler to purchase weapons, but it is unclear whether they agreed to do so.

The four will be indicted later today by state prosecutors in the Haifa District Attorney’s Office.

Lebanon’s civil defense says rescue worker killed in Israeli strike

Lebanon’s civil defense says an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed a member of the rescue organization this morning.

In a statement, the civil defense says the rescue worker was killed “as a result of an Israeli strike that targeted him” on the road between Kfar Shouba and Kfar Hamam in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency identifies the civil defense worker as Hafez Yahya, from Kfar Shouba.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

UK’s Starmer says he won’t resign after Labour suffers heavy losses at local elections

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and wife Victoria leave a polling station in central London, on May 7, 2026 after casting their votes in the local elections. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will not resign after his Labour Party suffered heavy early losses in local elections, and adds that he expects he will still be the party’s leader at the next general election, scheduled for 2029.

“I’m not going to walk away,” Starmer tells British media.

Police seeking aggravated murder charge for main teen suspect in killing of Yemanu Zelka

Protesters gather outside a court in Petah Tikva, holding signs and calling for justice following the killing of Yemanu Zelka, a Pizza Hut employee who was stabbed to death on the eve of Independence Day, May 5, 2026. (Roy Alima/Flash90)

The Israel Police is seeking an aggravated murder charge for the main teenage suspect in the murder of Yemanu Zelka.

Police say they will also recommend charges of joint enterprise murder and aggravated assault for several of the other suspects in the case.

The prosecutor’s office is expected to file the indictments early next week.

On Monday, police confirmed that they had arrested all 19 minors suspected of involvement in the killing of 21-year-old Zelka on Independence Day, after two weeks of searches.

Zelka, a 21-year-old Pizza Hut employee in Petah Tikva, was stabbed to death on the night of the holiday in an attack by a group of adolescents after he told them not to spray party foam in the restaurant.

After waiting outside for Zelka to finish his late-night shift, the youths ambushed and beat him, with one assailant taking out a knife and stabbing him. He died of his wounds a day later.

Iraq denies its deputy oil minister helped Iran evade US sanctions

Iraq’s oil ministry denies US accusations against its deputy minister, who the United States hit with sanctions over alleged support to Iran as Washington escalates pressure on Baghdad to break with Iranian-linked militias.

The US State Department announced sanctions yesterday on Ali Maarij al-Bahadli, saying he “abused his government position to divert Iraqi oil in support of the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies.”

It accused him of fraudulently mixing Iraqi and Iranian oil as part of a scheme to help Iran avoid sanctions.

His ministry says that “it denies the accusations” against Bahadli and stresses “the importance of transparency in addressing all… accusations on the basis of evidence and facts,” according to the INA state news agency.

The ministry says it is prepared to investigate the matter, but adds that “crude oil export operations, marketing, loading onto tankers, and related procedures” are not part of Bahadli’s job.

After entities run by an Iraqi businessman were sanctioned over the same accusations last year, Iraq’s state oil marketing company SOMO denied that any oil mixing operations were taking place in the country’s ports or territorial waters to help Iran.

The United States has unilateral sanctions against Iranian oil, seeking to punish any country or company that buys it.

Oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz last month arrives in South Korea

An oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April has arrived off South Korea’s coast, with its 1 million barrels of crude to be unloaded at the HD Hyundai Oilbank refinery.

South Korea, which last year imported more than 60 percent of its crude through the strait, has capped prices of gasoline and other petroleum products as the war raises fears of an energy crisis.

IDF tells residents of six southern Lebanon villages to evacuate ahead of strikes

The IDF issues evacuation warnings for six villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes targeting the Hezbollah terror group.

Residents of Nmairiyeh, Tayr Felsay, Hallousiyyeh, Hallousiyyeh al-Fawqa, Toura, and Maarakeh are instructed to evacuate at least a kilometer away.

“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warns army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Oil prices rise on the back of US-Iran clash in the Strait of Hormuz overnight

Oil prices are trading higher early Friday after falling yesterday, following a fresh clash between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz overnight.

Brent crude, the international standard, climbs 1.1 percent to $101.13 per barrel. Brent crude was roughly $70 a barrel before the Iran war began in late February.

Benchmark US crude rose 0.7% to $95.47 a barrel.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks have retreated, with Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 falling 1.1% to 62,174.12 after closing the day before at a record high of 62,833.84. SoftBank Group, one of Japan’s largest stocks, has lost more than 5%.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi falls 1.1% to 7,409.63. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng drops 1.3% to 26,289.50, and The Shanghai Composite index sheds 0.3% to 4,167.56.

Taiwan’s Taiex is 0.5% lower, and India’s Sensex declines 0.6%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 loses 1.7% to 8,729.40.

UK’s Labour suffers heavy losses to far-right Reform as results of local elections trickle in

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is suffering heavy early losses as results from yesterday’s local elections begin rolling in, showing the depth of voter anger with his government and raising fresh doubts about his future just two years after a landslide general election victory.

Starmer’s Labour Party is hemorrhaging support in areas reporting results overnight, including traditional strongholds in former industrial regions of central and northern England, along with some parts of London.

The main beneficiary is the anti-immigration populist Reform UK of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, which has so far gained more than 200 council seats in England, and could form the main opposition in Scotland and Wales to the pro-independence Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.

“The picture has been pretty much as bad as anyone expected for Labour, or worse,” says John Curtice, Britain’s most respected pollster.

The elections for 136 local councils in England, alongside the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, represent the most significant test of public opinion before the next general election due in 2029.

The once-dominant Labour and Conservative parties are losing votes to Reform, and at the other end of the political spectrum to the left-wing Green Party, while nationalist parties are expected to win the elections in Scotland and Wales.

Farage says the results so far are “way exceeding” his expectations and represent a “historic change in British politics.”

As of around 6 a.m. in the UK (8 a.m. Israel time), the BBC showed Reform had won 292 council seats, and the Greens had gained 22 new spots, bringing the party’s total number of council seats across England to 43. Labour, by contrast, had lost 221 seats, and the Conservatives 106.

Labour has been wiped out in some of the most closely watched early results, but around 4,200 seats have yet to be declared.

Labour lawmakers say if the party performs poorly in Scotland, loses power in Wales, and fails to hold many of the roughly 2,500 council seats it is defending in England, then Starmer will face renewed pressure to quit or set out a timetable for his departure.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

UAE says it’s responding to missiles, drone attacks from Iran

The United Arab Emirates says its air defenses engaged missiles and drones coming from Iran, hours after the US and the Islamic Republic traded fire and strained a fragile truce.

“UAE air defenses are currently engaging missile and drone attacks originating from Iran,” the defense ministry says on X, adding that interception sounds were heard “across various parts of the country.”

Some 1,500 ships trapped in Gulf due to Iran war, UN maritime agency says

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP)

Around 1,500 ships and their crews are trapped in the Gulf due to the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief says.

Iran began blocking the strait at the start of its war with the US and Israel in late February. The strait is a key pathway for the global oil and gas supply.

“Right now, we have approximately 20,000 crewmen and around 1,500 ships trapped,” IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez tells the Maritime Convention of the Americas in Panama.

Dominguez says that maritime shipping moves over 80 percent of total consumed products in the world.

The stranded crew members “are innocent people who are doing their jobs every day for the benefit of other countries,” but “are trapped by geopolitical situations outside their control,” Dominguez tells the gathering of industry executives and IMO representatives.

“Ten sailors have lost their lives” in more than 30 attacks on vessels, he later tells reporters.

The IMO chief urges avoiding sending vessels to the Gulf so as not to increase the death toll among sailors or incur further economic losses.

CPJ demands progress on US probe of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s 2022 killing

Shireen Abu Akleh stands next to a TV camera above the Old City of Jerusalem, in an undated photo. (Al Jazeera Media Network via AP)

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for US authorities to relaunch their investigation into the IDF’s killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed while reporting for Al Jazeera in the West Bank in 2022.

In a letter to the US Department of Justice — which oversees the Federal Bureau of Investigation — and FBI chief Kash Patel, the global press freedoms group demanded a “public progress update” on Abu Akleh’s death.

“Although the FBI reportedly opened an investigation into her killing in November 2022, it has made no demonstrable progress,” the letter notes, adding that CPJ is “not aware that any formal interviews have been conducted with witnesses despite the willingness of multiple witnesses to cooperate.”

“This troubling lack of concrete progress — four years after Abu Akleh’s death — represents a profound failure of the US government to respond promptly and impartially to the killing of one of its citizens by a foreign military,” the letter says.

Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American correspondent, was wearing a vest marked “Press” and a helmet when she was killed while covering clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp on May 11, 2022.

Following the killing of Abu Akleh, the IDF initially blamed Palestinian gunmen but later acknowledged that she could have also been killed by Israeli soldiers.

In September 2022, the IDF concluded “with very high likelihood” that a single soldier shot the journalist after “misidentifying her.”

Man pleads guilty to assaulting US lawmaker Ilhan Omar in January town hall

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks during a town hall in Minneapolis, Jan. 27, 2026. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

A man pleaded guilty to assaulting US Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar during a January town hall in which the lawmaker condemned Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the US Justice Department says.

“Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, pleaded guilty today to one count of Assaulting a United States Officer in US District Court,” the Justice Department says in a statement.

Kazmierczak admitted in a Thursday hearing before US District Judge Joan Ericksen that he “planned the assault and that he did not agree with Representative Omar’s political views,” the Justice Department says.

In her remarks during the town hall, Omar was criticizing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) for its crackdown in Minnesota and the fatal shootings by federal agents of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

Kazmierczak sprayed Omar with apple cider vinegar from a syringe, which landed on Omar’s clothing and skin, the Justice Department says, adding that lab analysis confirmed the liquid contained acetic acid. Omar was uninjured in the attack.

Omar, who is Muslim, came to the US as a 12-year-old girl and became an American citizen in 2000.

Trump has repeatedly targeted Omar in public remarks and social media posts, while also taking aim at her Somali nationality and saying she should be “institutionalized” and removed from the US.

Kazmierczak gestured and shouted at Omar during the town hall before security guards subdued him. He was subsequently arrested. The town hall meeting in Minneapolis was temporarily disrupted, but Omar later continued her remarks.

Trump: Hormuz clash a ‘trifle,’ deal with Iran ‘might not happen, but could happen any day’

US President Donald Trump, center, flanked by White House border czar Tom Homan, left, and US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, right, talks as he visits the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, to see the new blue protective coating being applied as part of a renovation project, May 7, 2026. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

US President Donald Trump insists the ceasefire with Iran is still in place, despite the recent exchange of fire between the two countries in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Yeah, it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” he says.

This is the second time in days that Trump has tried to downplay escalations with Iran, as he appears intent on preventing a resumption of the war while trying to keep global markets calm.

Speaking to reporters while touring construction of the Washington, DC, Reflecting Pool, Trump posits that a deal with Iran “might not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want the deal more than I do.”

Trump says US is negotiating with Iran following strikes

US President Donald Trump on Thursday tells reporters that the United States is negotiating with Iran, following a fresh exchange of fire between the two countries.

Trump: ‘Great damage’ done to Iranian attackers after US ships face fire; says truce ‘in effect’

US President Donald Trump says three US Navy destroyers transited out of the Strait of Hormuz under fire, adding that the American destroyers were not damaged but “great damage was done to Iranian attackers.”

Earlier, Trump tells a reporter from ABC News that the recent US strikes were “just a love tap” and adds that “the ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.”

On Truth Social, Trump writes that the US attacked Iranian seacraft that fired at US Navy ships.

“Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

“They were completely destroyed along with numerous small boats,” he says.

He threatens Iran with further attacks unless it agrees to a deal in ongoing talks with the US.

“A normal country would have allowed these destroyers to pass, but Iran is not a normal country. They are led by LUNATICS, and if they had the chance to use a nuclear weapon, they would do it, without question,” he writes. “But they’ll never have that opportunity and, just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their deal signed, FAST!”

US confirms striking Iran in ‘self defense,’ says it ‘does not seek escalation’

The American military confirms carrying out “self-defense” strikes in Iran in response to “unprovoked Iranian attacks” against US Navy missile destroyers that transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman.

“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage,” US Central Command says in a statement.

CENTCOM says it intercepted the “inbound threats,” and “no US assets were struck.”

In response, CENTCOM says it targeted Iranian military facilities “responsible for attacking US forces.” The targets included “missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance nodes,” according to CENTCOM.

“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the statement adds.

Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire with new attacks

Iran accuses the United States of violating a ceasefire by targeting two ships at the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, the country’s top joint military command says early on Friday.

The US targeted “an Iranian oil tanker traveling from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz near the Emirati port of Fujairah,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters says in a statement carried by state media.

“At the same time, with the cooperation of some regional countries, they carried out air attacks on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.”

US strikes on Iran came after anger from Gulf states over Tehran’s attacks — Fox News

The US strikes on an Iranian port city and an island in the Strait of Hormuz came following anger from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over Iranian attacks on the UAE, which US officials had downplayed, according to a Fox News reporter.

Iran shot more than a dozen missiles at the UAE on Monday amid an American operation to open up the strait, a key pathway for the global oil supply that Iran has blocked. On Tuesday, US officials said that the Iranian strikes did not mean the current ceasefire had ended.

That statement sparked anger in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Fox reporter Jennifer Griffin posts on X, writing that Riyadh subsequently withdrew permission for the US to use its bases and airspace for the Hormuz operation. That permission has since been restored, she writes, citing a senior US official.

“The strike on one of Iran’s oil ports comes two days after Iran fired 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at UAE Fujairah Port, eliciting anger from Gulf countries after top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday that the Iranian strikes did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, calling it low level attacks that didn’t rise to that level,” Griffin writes.

“[T]the Saudis and Kuwaitis abruptly halted permission for the US to use its bases and air space for Project Freedom, a decision that this official said has been reversed. Saudi officials reportedly were angry at the Pentagon downplaying the Iranian strikes on Monday,” she writes.