May 22: Trump says Iran war ‘will be over with soon’ as progress reported in ongoing talks

Trump says Iran war ‘will be over with soon’ as progress reported in ongoing talks

US Donald Trump says the conflict with Iran “will be over with soon” in a speech at a rally in Suffern, New York.

“We have stopped them,” Trump says. “They are never going to have a nuclear weapon. And will have that over with soon. It will be over with soon.”

Progress has been made on some disputes with the US, but an agreement will only be signed when all issues are resolved, a source close to Iran’s negotiating team tells the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The source tells Tasnim that talks are ongoing, with the focus currently on securing an end to the war, before other matters are dealt with.

The ceasefire declared by Trump last month came with core declared goals of the war, which was launched on February 28, unfulfilled, including ensuring that Iran does not attain nuclear weapons, destroying its missile program, and creating the conditions for the Iranian public to overthrow the regime.

Mahmoud Khalil’s lawyers vow to take deportation case to US Supreme Court

Lawyers for Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil vow to take his case to the US Supreme Court, after a divided federal appeals court declined to reconsider a ruling that opened the door to President Donald Trump’s administration re-arresting and deporting the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activist.

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals split 6-5 along ideological lines to reject Khalil’s request to revisit a ruling a 2-1 panel of the Philadelphia-based court delivered in January that had concluded a lower-court judge had no jurisdiction to order his release from immigration detention last year.

He was among the most prominent of a number of foreign students detained last year by immigration authorities under the Trump administration after engaging in anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activism on their college campuses.

If the 3rd Circuit’s ruling is allowed to take effect, Khalil could face the prospect of being arrested again and deported, after the Board of Immigration Appeals in April rejected his appeal of an immigration judge’s order that he be removed to Algeria or Syria.

Trump says he won’t attend eldest son’s upcoming wedding amid Iran talks

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says he would not attend the wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, because he has to stay in Washington for government business.

“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon-to-be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” Trump writes in a post on Truth Social.

“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time,” the post continues.

The wedding happens this weekend on a small island in the Bahamas, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the plans. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that Trump Jr. wanted his father to attend, but that it was going to be a “small private affair.”

Trump said then he would try to make the wedding, but the timing was bad for him.

“I have a thing called Iran and other things,” Trump said on Thursday.

The Trump administration has been engaged in diplomatic talks mediated by Pakistan aimed at securing a deal to end the war with Iran that the US and Israel began on February 28.

11-year-old girl dies of wounds from bus crash in Tel Aviv earlier this week

Talia Chaya Timsit, 11, has died of wounds sustained in a severe bus crash in Tel Aviv earlier this week, Ichilov Medical Center says.

At least 10 people were injured when the bus crashed into a tree and an electrical pole on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street, causing it to veer into pedestrian traffic, on Monday.

A Magen David Adom ambulance medic said Timsit was a pedestrian and was hit by the bus, suffering head, facial, and chest injuries.

US appeals court won’t revisit ruling allowing arrest of anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil

A divided federal appeals court declines to reconsider a ruling in Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil’s case that opened the door to US President Donald Trump’s administration re-arresting and deporting the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activist.

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, on a 6-5 vote, rejects Khalil’s request to revisit a ruling a 2-1 panel of the Philadelphia-based court delivered in January that had concluded a lower-court judge had no jurisdiction to order his release from immigration detention last year.

Trump says Gabbard’s deputy, Aaron Lukas, will become acting US intel chief

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says that Tulsi Gabbard’s deputy, Aaron Lukas, would become the acting director of national intelligence after she leaves the administration on June 30.

“Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” Trump says in a Truth Social post in which he attributed Gabbard’s impending departure to the illness of her husband.

US intel chief Gabbard quits over husband’s cancer diagnosis; source says she was forced out

WASHINGTON — The White House forced US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to resign from her post, a person familiar with the matter says.

Gabbard posts her resignation letter on X, saying the decision is linked to her husband’s recent bone cancer diagnosis.

“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she writes.

I am deeply grateful for the trust President Trump placed in me and for the opportunity to lead @ODNIgov for the last year and a half.

Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare… pic.twitter.com/PS0Dxp5zpd

— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) May 22, 2026

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Israel denies it abused flotilla activists, 15 of whom claim sexual assaults

The Israel Prison Service denies charges of abuse by activists trying to break the blockade on Gaza, saying all detained activists were held “in accordance to law, with full regard for their basic rights,” and received necessary medical care.

Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to bring aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organizers say, with several activists hospitalized with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.

Reuters is unable to independently verify the allegations.

Germany says some of its nationals had been injured and that some accusations were “serious,” without giving further details. A legal source in Italy says prosecutors there were investigating possible crimes, including kidnapping and sexual assault.

Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of volunteers trying to violate the blockade on Gaza.

The allegations of abuse will add to pressure on Israeli authorities to explain the treatment of the detainees, after a video of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in a prison mocking some of the activists sparked an international outcry. Italy said EU members were discussing imposing sanctions on Ben Gvir.

Pakistan’s military chief in Tehran to advance talks with US

Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir has arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran as part of the ongoing mediation efforts between the US and Iran, the Pakistan military says in a statement.

Police arrest 13 for trying to carry out sacrifice on Temple Mount to mark Shavuot

Police say they arrested 13 people for attempting to carry out an animal sacrifice on the Temple Mount to mark the Jewish festival of Shavuot.

The suspects broke through security to the holy site and ran into the compound attempting to carry out the ritual, police say.

While the temples have not existed and Jews have not performed such sacrifices for nearly 2,000 years, small groups ascend the mount perennially to try to revive the ritual, without success.

The Temple Mount, revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is Judaism’s holiest site and one of the holiest sites in Islam, and has long been a flashpoint for conflict. Public Jewish prayer (and animal sacrifice) is prohibited there. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a frequent visitor to the site, has pushed to change the ban on prayer, prompting fury in the Muslim world and denials from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the status quo has changed.

Trump admirer, pro-Israel politician Janez Jansa elected as Slovenian PM

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia’s parliament elected nationalist leader Janez Jansa as prime minister on Friday, after a minority coalition deal and with the fragile support of a protest party.

Fifty-one members of parliament voted to return the right-wing Jansa, an admirer of US President Donald Trump and Israel, to power, while 36 voted against, according to an AFP count of the televised vote.

He replaces liberal Robert Golob, who was highly critical of Israel. Golob’s government recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

France says it drafted UNSC resolution to open up Hormuz

PARIS, France — France has drafted a UN Security Council resolution on setting up an international mission to restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz and could submit it if conditions are right, its foreign ministry says, as Washington struggles to bring to a vote a text Russia and China may say is biased against Tehran.

Control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy trade whose virtual closure has led to spiraling oil prices, is a major obstacle in talks to end the three-month-old US-Iran war.

A US-Bahraini resolution on the strait has been under discussion for more than two weeks, with a vote repeatedly delayed as China and Russia signal they could veto it.

The US-Bahraini draft resolution demands Iran halt attacks and mining in the strait. China and Russia vetoed a similar US-backed text in April, arguing it was biased against Tehran.

Washington has secured the support of almost 140 countries to co-sponsor its text in the hope of avoiding a veto, two European diplomats say.

France, another veto-wielding power, has so far refused to back the US text.

“There is a draft resolution between the US and Bahrain currently under discussion. This forms the basis of the current discussions. The date for the vote has not yet been announced,” France’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux says.

NY lawmakers reintroduce Mamdani bill targeting charities with links to settlements

New York State lawmakers introduce a bill that aims to strip nonprofit status from organizations that are “engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”

A similar bill, the so-called “Not On Our Dime Act,” was first introduced to the state government by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2023, while he was a member of the state assembly.

Jewish groups opposed the original bill because they said its vague definition of settlement activity would have stripped nonprofit status from a swathe of Jewish charities, such as social service groups that operate across the Green Line, but did not support settlement expansion.

The original bill failed to pass into law.

The new bill is introduced by leftist lawmakers from within and around the city.

The bill considers East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, as “occupied territory.”

The measure is introduced during the Shavuot holiday, and there is no immediate response from Jewish groups.

IDF says it shot down two ‘suspicious aerial targets’ fired from Lebanon

Following the sirens that sounded in the past hour in several areas in northern Israel, the IDF says it intercepted two “suspicious aerial targets” launched from Lebanon at Israel.

Additionally, several impacts were identified along the Lebanese border, within Israeli territory. The IDF says the details are under review.

Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol, the military says.

Man jailed for 5 years over series of violent antisemitic threats near London synagogue

A man is sentenced to five years’ imprisonment over a series of antisemitic threats directed at Jewish community members in north London, the Crown Prosecution Service says.

Tavius Jean Charles, 36, threatened six victims between October 2025 and March 2026 near Belz Synagogue in Stamford Hill, north London.

On March 16, Jean Chales shouted that he would “kill not just you” but “all… Jews” at synagogue manager Barry Bard and his son, then again threatened to kill Joel Scher as he drove by.

The assailant also threw a stone that smashed Scher’s car window.

Jean Charles was also overheard saying on his phone, “It would be good if we blew up one of their schools,” referring to Jews, by George Stamatakis on March 24. He was later arrested by the police that day.

“After presenting this overwhelming evidence to Jean Charles in court, he felt he had no choice but to change his pleas to guilty less than 30 days after he had first claimed he was innocent,” says Varinder Hayre, district crown prosecutor and hate crime lead in the London North area.

“After presenting this overwhelming evidence to Jean Charles in court, he felt he had no choice but to change his pleas to guilty less than 30 days after he had first claimed he was innocent,” Hayre adds.

Tavius Jean Charles has been sentenced to five years imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court today for making a series of antisemitic threats.

Read how the CPS worked closely with the @metpoliceuk to secure swift justice by securing early guilty pleas.

https://t.co/ye7T64pWyo pic.twitter.com/V9LVsdj8Aw

— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) May 22, 2026

Sirens warn of drone attack in northern border community

Sirens sound in the northern border community of Zarit, warning of a drone infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

EU advancing sanctions on Iranians involved in Hormuz blockade

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European Union nations moved today towards imposing sanctions on Iranian officials and others responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the EU says.

Tehran effectively closed the key shipping lane for global gas and oil in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes launched in February.

Deeming the blockade “contrary to international law,” EU governments took a technical step to extend the scope of their existing Iran sanctions regime, allowing for more individuals to be targeted under it.

“The EU will now be able to introduce further restrictive measures in response to Iran’s actions undermining the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the European Council representing EU nations says.

Brussels’ punitive measures on Iran previously targeted the country’s military support for Russia in its war against Ukraine and for armed groups across the Middle East.

The European Union has also imposed sanctions over human rights violations in the country.

The EU did not immediately name any individual or entities that would be targeted by the new sanctions, consisting of travel bans and asset freezes.

EU citizens and companies will also be banned from making funds, financial assets, or other economic resources available to those listed.

The Iran war and the closure of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil production, have sent ripples across the global economy, sending energy prices soaring.

Sirens warning of drone attack sound in northern border communities

Sirens sound in northern Israel, including the border communities of Misgav Am and Margaliot, warning of a drone infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Sirens warn of drone in northern border community of Misgav Am; IDF: details under review

Sirens sound in the northern border community of Misgav Am, warning of a drone infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Italy, France, UK and Germany demand Israel halt West Bank construction, prosecute violent soldiers, settlers

Italy, France, Britain and Germany condemn settler violence, demand Israel investigate alleged abuses by soldiers and call on it to stop expanding settlements in the West Bank.

“We call on the government of Israel to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces,” Europe’s four largest economies say in a joint statement, noting that violence against Palestinians by settlers is at “unprecedented levels.”

The statement warns construction companies not to bid for tenders to build in the West Bank settlements, and adds that Israel’s planned construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, would divide the territory into two and mark a serious breach of legal norms.

Qatari negotiators arrive in Tehran in coordination with US for talks on ending war — source

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with the United States to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter tells Reuters.

Doha, which has worked as a mediator in the Gaza war and in other areas of international tension, had until now distanced itself from playing a mediation role in the Iran war after it came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones during the latest conflict.

Dutch lawmakers vote to ban imports from ‘illegal Israeli settlements,’ trade minister says

The Netherlands’ House of Representatives has voted in favor of a government-backed measure to ban importing and selling products from “illegal Israeli settlements,” Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma announces on X.

“The cabinet is sending a strong signal to Israel — the Netherlands don’t want to contribute to maintaining” the settlements, Sjoerdsma says.

He calls on the rest of Europe to pass similar measures, noting that the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and that Israel has effectively annexed large parts of the territory.

Sjoerdsma links to a statement from the Dutch cabinet that indicates the ban would also apply to Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, which Israel annexed in 1981.

Pakistani army chief, a key mediator in US-Iran talks, takes off for Tehran — Iranian state media

Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, a key mediator in US-Iran talks to end the regional war, has taken off for Tehran, Iranian state media reports, citing a senior diplomatic source in Islamabad.

Munir’s will meet with senior Iranian officials, as Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi holds his own third straight day of talks in Tehran, according to IRNA.

Munir had been expected to meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Thursday, but the trip was postponed.

Sirens sounded in north after ‘suspicious aerial targets’ hit near Lebanon border, IDF says

Sirens warning of a drone infiltration sounded a short while ago in northern Israel, including the border communities of Shtula and Zarit, after a number of “suspicious aerial targets” were identified impacting near the border with Lebanon, the military says.

The IDF says the details of the incident are under review.

France’s centrist former premier Gabriel Attal announces 2027 presidential bid

France’s former prime minister Gabriel Attal says he will run for president next year, becoming the second prominent centrist to challenge the far right when Emmanuel Macron steps down.

“I can’t take this kind of French politics anymore, where it’s just 50 shades of managing decline,” says the 37-year-old, who was France’s youngest prime minister when he served in 2024.

“I have decided to run for president,” he says in the southern village of Mur-de-Barrez.

The newest presidential candidate, an openly gay Parisian of Jewish heritage who leads the Renaissance party founded by Macron, is hoping to lead the centrist camp in the 2027 polls.

“Having travelled a lot in France and met many French people, I’ve come to a conviction — a very strong one — that our finest chapters are still ahead of us,” Attal says.

He will face competition from 55-year-old Edouard Philippe, a former head of government earlier during Macron’s tenure, who leads his own Horizons party.

Opinion polls have suggested that Philippe could win the presidential election in a runoff against the far right.

Speaking to the press in Mur-de-Barrez, Attal pledges to uplift individuals “so that everyone in France can say to themselves that their children, their grandchildren will have a better life.”

He also promises to uplift France so that “every French person in France can say to themselves that our country will once again become Europe’s leading power.”

Attal rose quickly after he entered politics in his early twenties. He was elected to France’s lower house of parliament in 2017 and later served as government spokesperson, budget minister and education minister.

He stepped down as prime minister after Macron dissolved the parliament in the summer of 2024, in a gamble that was intended to stave off the advance of the far right.

The snap polls instead backfired and ended up allowing the far-right National Rally to become the single largest party in a hung parliament, leading to months of political deadlock.

Attal distanced himself from Macron over the dissolution, saying he had not been consulted.

Sirens warn of drone infiltration in northern community of Netua; IDF: details under review

Sirens sound in the northern community of Netua, warning of a drone infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Belgium gives ‘coordinator’ of 2015 Paris Islamist terror attack the right to temporarily leave jail

One of the men convicted over the 2015 Islamist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people has been granted the right to prison leave in Belgium, sparking fierce criticism.

Belgian prosecutors tell AFP that a Brussels court decided Mohamed Bakkali could be temporarily allowed out of the Ittre detention facility south of the capital, where he is serving a 30-year sentence.

“The court made this decision despite the prosecution’s opposition. The prosecution has no right to appeal, and the decision is therefore final,” the Brussels prosecutor’s office says. “It is up to the prison director to implement it.”

The court’s decision lets Bakkali — the logistics coordinator of the November 13 attacks that shocked the world — leave prison six times for 36 hours each.

“What a disgrace,” reacted right-wing Belgian lawmaker Denis Ducarme during a parliamentary session yesterday, lamenting a “trivialization of terrorism.”

“This decision seems to turn its back on the memory of the victims,” he said.

Belgium’s Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden has said prison leave was granted under “very strict conditions” after “a thorough review of the case.”

Bakkali had been let out before, though for shorter periods of time, she added.

A French court sentenced Bakkali to 30 years behind bars in 2022 for helping the Paris attackers by hiring safe houses and cars and procuring fake identity papers.

He was also sentenced to 25 years in prison in Belgium over his role in an attack on a high-speed Paris-bound train that left two passengers injured.

Belgian authorities handed him over to France for trial on condition that he returned to serve his sentence in Belgium.

Three suspects killed in Gaza near Yellow Line in separate incidents, IDF says

The IDF says troops operating in northern and southern Gaza killed three suspects near the Yellow Line in separate incidents since yesterday.

In the first incident, troops in northern Gaza identified a suspect who crossed the ceasefire line and approached forces in a “manner that posed an immediate threat,” the military says.

Similarly, in an overnight incident, the 188th Armored Brigade spotted another suspect in southern Gaza who also approached troops in a manner deemed threatening, according to the IDF.

In both incidents, troops killed the suspects “in order to eliminate the threat.”

In a third incident, which also took place overnight, troops of the 454th Brigade identified a suspect acting “suspiciously” near the Yellow Line in northern Gaza and called in an airstrike against him, the IDF says.

Lebanon says 10 killed in Israeli strikes on south, including 6 Hezbollah- and Amal-linked rescuers

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least ten people on Friday, including a child as well as six rescuers from organizations linked to Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Amal, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

A strike on the town of Hannouiyeh killed four rescuers from the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee, says the ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

A later strike on Deir Qanun al-Nahr killed a Syrian girl, as well as two rescuers from the Amal-linked Risala Scouts association, one of whom was also working as a freelance photographer, according to the ministry.

The IDF does not immediately comment.

Saudi network publishes ‘final draft’ of US-Iran deal, claims it could be announced within hours though sides yet to approve it

Saudi network al-Arabiya publishes what it claims is the “final draft” of a Pakistani-mediated “possible” US-Iran agreement to end the war. It says the deal — which appears to be an interim agreement with “outstanding issues” to be negotiated after it comes into force — could be announced within hours, but also acknowledges it is “pending approval” by both sides.

The agreement would take effect immediately it is officially announced by both sides, the report says, citing unnamed sources.

The reported draft agreement does not explicitly mention key US demands, including the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and export of its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, limiting its ballistic missiles and ending its support for terrorist proxies.

It provides for negotiations on the unspecified “outstanding issues” to begin within seven days of the agreement taking effect. Although it conditions US sanctions relief on Iran’s commitment to the terms of the agreement, it does not appear to specify the consequences if the outstanding issues are not resolved.

The nine-point deal is said to provide for:

• An immediate, comprehensive, unconditional ceasefire on all fronts, including land, sea, air
• A mutual commitment not to target military, civilian, or economic infrastructure
• An end to military operations and a halt to the media war
• Commitments to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs
• Guaranteed freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman
• A joint mechanism to monitor implementation and resolve disputes
• Negotiations on outstanding issues to begin within seven days
• The gradual lifting of US sanctions in exchange for Iran’s commitment to the terms of the agreement
• Reaffirmed compliance with international law and the UN Charter

Airstrike kills two armed terror operatives approaching Israeli border from Lebanon

Overnight, IDF surveillance operators identified two armed terror operatives approaching the northern border from the direction of the southern Lebanese village of Yaroun, the IDF says.

The suspects were spotted some 300 to 500 meters (328 to 546 yards) from the border and were tracked continuously as they hid beneath a tree.

Local security squads in the nearby communities of Dovev, Matat and Baram were dispatched to their communities’ entrances during the incident.

Within minutes, an Israeli Air Force fighter jet struck the suspects under the direction of forces on the ground. After movement was detected in the area following the initial strike, the pair was targeted again and killed.

Troops did not return to routine until forces visually confirmed the bodies, which occurred at around 5 a.m., some two hours after the pair was spotted. No additional suspects were found in the area, the military says.

IDF says 5 Hezbollah operatives killed after entering command center belonging to the terror group

The IDF says troops operating in southern Lebanon killed five Hezbollah operatives yesterday after spotting them entering a command center belonging to the terror group north of the Israeli-held area in southern Lebanon.

According to the military, soldiers from the 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade operating under the 146th Division identified the operatives north of the IDF’s forward defense line, and directed an air force strike on the building in a “rapid closing of the circle.”

The IDF adds that over the past day, troops also struck Hezbollah weapons depots and other terror infrastructure in Lebanon, while additional operatives deemed a threat were also killed.

צפו בתיעוד: כוחות חטיבה 551 זיהו מחבלי חיזבאללה נכנסים למפקדה של הארגון וחיסלו אותם

כוחות צוות הקרב של חטיבה 551 בפיקוד אוגדה 146 זיהו אתמול, חמישה מחבלי חיזבאללה שנכנסו למפקדה של ארגון הטרור, צפונית לקו ההגנה הקדמי בדרום לבנון. בסגירת מעגל מהירה, הכווינו את חיל האוויר שתקף את… pic.twitter.com/l8wNnRsXto

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 22, 2026

Lebanese military insists troops are loyal, after US sanctioned allegedly Hezbollah-linked officer

The Lebanese military says its soldiers are loyal to the institution, after the US on Thursday announced sanctions on officials in Lebanon, including, for the first time, an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the army says it “affirms that all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directives issued by the army command.”

It emphasizes that “the loyalty of military personnel is solely to the military institution and the nation, and that they are committed to fulfilling their national duties without any other considerations or pressures.”

The army adds that it was not informed of the sanctions beforehand.

UAE official says US and Iran have a ’50-50′ chance of reaching agreement to free up Hormuz

The US and Iran have just a “50-50” chance of reaching an agreement that would free up the Strait of Hormuz, a senior UAE official says, urging Tehran not to overplay its hand in the stop-start negotiations during the Middle East war’s fragile ceasefire.

Iranian officials “have missed a lot of chances over the years because there’s a tendency to overestimate their cards,” UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash tells the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague. “I hope they don’t do that this time.”

He also says the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil production, must go back to normal, and cautions against an inconclusive ceasefire.

“Negotiations just to reach a ceasefire and sow the seeds for further conflict in the future is not what we’re seeking,” Garagash says. “And I think that the Strait of Hormuz clearly has to go back to the status quo and this should be an international waterway.”

With US negotiators focusing on Iran’s potential development of an atomic weapon, Gargash says: “The Iranian nuclear program was our second or third worry, now it’s our first worry.”

“We see that Iran is capable of using any weapon that it has in its hands, which is what we learned,” he adds.

The oil-rich UAE, which hosts US military facilities, was targeted by about 3,300 drones and missiles during 40 days of war from February 28 onwards, with only around four percent getting through, according to Gargash.

Sanctioned Iranian businessman helped regime skirt sanctions via the Binance crypto exchange — report

Iranian tycoon Babak Zanjani, whom the US has sanctioned for processing funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, carried out cryptocurrency transactions worth some $850 million on behalf of the regime on the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The transactions are said to have taken place over two years, with most of them originating from a single trading account that was active for at least 15 months as of January.

The transactions, comprising both deposits and withdrawals, went through despite repeated red flags from Binance’s internal investigators, and led to an estimated $425 million being funneled into the Iranian military, the Journal says, citing Binance documents, law enforcement officials and other sources familiar with the activity.

According to the report, the transactions were carried out through a network of accounts operated from the same devices by Zanjani and associates, including his sister, romantic partner and a director of one of Zanjani’s companies.

The same network is said to have facilitated the transfer via Binance of over $1.7 billion that was flagged internally last November, “moving from Chinese clients into digital wallets used by Iran to finance its proxies.” The Journal reported earlier this year that Binance dismantled the team investigating that cash flow.

According to the Journal, foreign law-enforcement officials tracking billions of dollars flowing through Binance accounts to Iranian entities associated with the regime have identified transactions “as recently as this month.”

Binance, which has sued the Journal over its past reporting, says the transactions reportedly linked to Zanjani “have nothing to do” with the crypto platform, and that “Binance has zero-tolerance for illicit activity on its platform.”

In 2023, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in the US to violating money-laundering and sanctions laws. US President Donald Trump pardoned him last year. Binance is a chief backer of the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial.

Rubio: There’s been ‘some slight progress’ in talks to end Iran war

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells reporters at the NATO foreign ministers’ gathering in Sweden that there has been “some slight progress” in talks to end the war in Iran, and reiterates US President Donald Trump’s “disappointment” with the trans-Atlantic alliance.

“There’s been some slight progress. I don’t want to exaggerate it,” Rubio says at a press conference in Helsingborg. “There’s been a little bit of movement and that’s good.”

The US continues to insist that Iran never attain nuclear arms and relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio says, adding that the Islamic Republic was “trying to convince Oman to join them” in setting up a system to charge money from ships traversing the blockaded waterway.

There is “not a country in the world that should accept that” scheme, Rubio says.

Rubio also says Trump’s dismay with America’s allies over a lack of support in the Iran war would need to be “addressed.”

“The president’s views, frankly disappointment, at some of our NATO allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East — they’re well documented — that will have to be addressed, that won’t be solved or addressed today,” Rubio says.

He adds that troop shifts by Washington in Europe were not aimed at punishing allies for a lack of support over Iran.

“The United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops. This is not a punitive thing, it’s just something that’s ongoing,” Rubio says.

UK police says it’s open to probing sexual misconduct claims against former prince Andrew

UK police investigating former prince Andrew says they are also open to probing a claim of sexual misconduct against King Charles III’s brother, and appeal to anyone with relevant information to come forward.

Detectives at Thames Valley Police say they have been in touch with the lawyer of a potential victim following reports a woman was brought to Windsor, a town north of London where Andrew was a resident, in 2010 “for sexual purposes.”

The force is reportedly concerned that the public believes investigators are only focused on accusations of misconduct in public office by the former prince, who was stripped of his royal titles last year and is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The force has been probing allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the former’s decade as UK trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged, but remains under police caution.

The force says its investigation is “examining a number of aspects of alleged misconduct following the release of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the United States.”

In addition to the investigation into misconduct in public office, the force stresses that “the assessment of reports that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes is ongoing.”

“We have engaged with the woman’s legal representative to confirm that, should she wish to report this to police, it will be taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and respect for her privacy and her right for anonymity,” the statement adds.

“Our team of very experienced detectives are working meticulously through a significant amount of information that has come in from the public and other sources,” the force says. “We encourage anyone with information to get in touch with us through the normal non-urgent contact channels, such as the Thames Valley police online portal.”

Netanyahu holiday greeting suggests his voters have a harder time coming out of the closet than gays do

Benjamin Netanyahu posts a “humorous” political video for the Shavuot holiday that shows a man horrifying his liberal parents at the holiday meal by coming out to them as a supporter of the prime minister, when they are merely expecting he is about to tell them he was gay.

As the parents gossip about an acquaintance’s “low-life” son who watches the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, their son clinks his glass and says: “Mom, Dad, I want to tell you something.”

His pony-tailed father says without batting an eyelash, “You’re gay,” as the mother chides her husband to “let the boy say for himself that he’s gay.” The right-wing man’s sister, tapping away at her phone, scoffs: “Coming out is so 2019.”

Then the son drops his bombshell: “I’m right wing,” he says proudly.

The father, sipping his wine, sputters it out in shock. But, recovering their poise, the parents try to be supportive, with the mother saying, “We’ll get through this together,” and the father suggesting that the deluded son might be referring to anti-Netanyahu opposition party leaders Naftali Bennett or Gadi Eisenkot.

But no, the son stresses that he is a supporter of Netanyahu himself — “I’m a Bibist” — not the prime minister’s right-wing rivals in the opposition. (“Bibist” is a widely used term for supporters of Netanyahu, taken from his nickname “Bibi”.)

The parents turn hysterical, expressing disbelief that he could hold such views despite “reading books” and “working in tech.” The mother faints, her face plunging into her cake, and as the son tries to revive her, the father yells bitterly: “You couldn’t have been gay?”

חג שמח לכולם! ????????❤️ pic.twitter.com/FROoMXkl8n

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 21, 2026

As the scene concludes, a voiceover intones empathetically: “You’re not alone. Over two million right-wing voters deal every year with discrimination, anger and hate just because of their political views. Look it up on Google: Bibist, not half a human being.”

“Chag Sameach (a happy festival) to everyone,” Netanyahu states in the post, which was uploaded on Instagram and other social media platforms a few hours before Shavuot began on Thursday evening, adding heart and Israeli flag emojis.

Israel is to hold general elections no later than October 27, although the date may be advanced by several weeks. The Knesset this week passed a preliminary reading of a bill to dissolve parliament, but the bill, which would need three more readings to become law, did not set an election date.

NATO allies, US officials confused by Trump’s about-face on troop deployment to Europe

NATO allies and defense officials express bewilderment at US President Donald Trump’s decision to send 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after he had ordered 5,000 troops to be pulled out of Europe.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard tells reporters at a meeting she hosted of her NATO counterparts, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

One of two US defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters says: “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either.”

In a post on Truth Social overnight, said he was “pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland.” He said this was due to his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed Trump’s decision, which ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

Earlier this month, The Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and US officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland.

That announcement came as Trump fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the US was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war.

Pakistani interior minister meets Araghchi again to discuss talks to end war, Iranian media reports

Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals to end the war with the US and Israel, Iranian media reports.

Two days after presenting the Iranians with the latest US message in the negotiations, Syed Mohsin Naqvi held another round of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and ISNA news agencies.

Naqvi was facilitating communication to try to achieve a framework for ending the war and resolving differences, ISNA reports.

Turkey’s Erdogan orders closure of liberal-leaning Istanbul university

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday orders a top independent university with liberal leanings in Istanbul to shut in the middle of the school year , according to an official decree.

Erdogan’s decree, published in the official journal, revokes the operating license for Bilgi University, which has more than 20,000 students from both Turkey and abroad, with some of its researchers renowned in their fields.

As grounds for the move, the edict cites a law allowing for the closure of a private institution if “the expected level of education and training… is insufficient.”

The university had been run by a court-appointed administrator since last year, after its Turkish parent company was caught up in a money-laundering and tax fraud sweep.

Founded in 1996, Bilgi is known for its liberal politics, takes part in the EU’s Erasmus exchange program and welcomes many European and international students every year.

Erdogan’s decree comes after a Turkish court on Thursday dealt a blow to his challengers by annulling the main opposition party’s 2023 congress and effectively ousting the main opposition leader, Ozgur Ozel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Iran condemns US sanctions on ambassador-designate to Lebanon, Hezbollah lawmakers

The Iranian foreign ministry condemns the sanctions that the US imposed Thursday on Tehran’s ambassador-designate to Lebanon and on lawmakers with Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese proxy.

The ministry in a statement “strongly condemned the illegal and unjustified action by the US Treasury Department in sanctioning Mohammad Reza Raouf Shibani, Iran’s designated ambassador to Beirut.”

The move is “another example of the rogue behavior and disregard of the US ruling establishment for the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter,” the statement says.

It adds that the sanctions on Hezbollah lawmakers reflect US “complicity” with Israel.

“These despicable measures are aimed at undermining Lebanon’s national sovereignty and sowing discord within Lebanese society, and are a sign of the continued complicity of the US ruling establishment with the aggressive and occupying Zionist regime,” the statement says.

Lebanon had declared the Iranian ambassador-designate persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country in March, but it is not known whether Shibani ever departed from Beirut. The move came after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war when it began striking Israel on March 2, amid the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran that began on February 28.

IDF says contact lost again with a ‘suspicious aerial target’ near Rosh Hanikra

The IDF says it lost contact with a “suspicious aerial target” that set off sirens warning of a drone infiltration in the Rosh Hanikra area, near the border with Lebanon, for the second time in an hour this morning.

According to the military, contact with the target was lost before it crossed into Israeli airspace. The incident has since concluded and no injuries were reported.

In the earlier incident, the military similarly identified a target that disappeared before entering Israeli airspace.

NYT: Iran holds talks with Oman on charging fees from ships in Hormuz, sharing profits

Iran has held talks with Oman on charging fees from ships that traverse the Strait of Hormuz, with the US-allied Gulf state potentially sharing in the profits, The New York Times reports, despite Washington’s insistence that freedom of navigation be restored to the blockaded waterway.

Two people familiar with the talks are cited by the Times stressing that the discussions are about fees, which are charged for services rendered to transiting vessels, rather than about tolls, which are charged for the transit itself and are illegal under international law.

Oman, a US ally, originally dismissed the idea of partnering with Iran in the strait, but has more recently realized the scheme could benefit Muscat and expressed willingness to push the plan with Gulf neighbors and with the US, the Times says, citing two Iranian officials.

Sirens warn of hostile aircraft infiltration in Rosh Hanikra area, near Lebanon border

For the second time in an hour, sirens sound in the area of Rosh Hanikra near the northern border, warning of a hostile aircraft infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

IDF loses contact with ‘suspicious aerial target’ near Rosh Hanikra; no injuries reported

The IDF says it identified a “suspicious aerial target” near the northern border, but lost contact with it before it entered Israeli airspace, following sirens that sounded a short while ago in the area of Rosh Hanikra.

The incident has since concluded and no injuries were reported, the military says.

Sirens sound in Rosh Hanikra warning of drone infiltration

Sirens sound in the area of Rosh Hanikra near the northern border, warning of a hostile aircraft infiltration.

The IDF says the details are under review.

Two armed suspects killed in southern Lebanon after approaching border with Israel

Two armed suspects were killed after approaching the border with Israel from southern Lebanon a short while ago, the Israel Defense Forces say.

According to the military, the troops spotted suspicious movements of the armed suspects hundreds of meters away from the border. They were then killed in airstrikes.

The IDF says there are no additional suspects in the area and that the incident is over.

Series of problems halts SpaceX Starship test flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — SpaceX got within a half-minute of launching its newest and biggest Starship on a test flight this evening before a cascade of problems halted the countdown.

The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket was poised to begin a space-skimming journey from Texas extending halfway around the world. But issues cropped up with the brand-new pad at Starbase near the Mexican border, and the company ran out of time.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later says the hydraulic pin holding the launch tower’s arm in place did not retract. If the problem can be fixed quickly, another launch attempt will be made today, he notes.

Yesterday’s launch attempt came one day after Musk announced that his rocket company would be going public.

Starship holds 20 mock Starlink satellites to be released before the spacecraft’s controlled entry into the Indian Ocean at the end of the hour-long flight. It will be the 12th test flight for a Starship and the first since last fall.

NASA is relying on this latest version of Starship to land astronauts on the moon in a few years.

US detains sister of Cuban military conglomerate chief

The United States arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of the executive president of GAESA, a sprawling conglomerate of military-run businesses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

Morera, who entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, is now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal proceedings, according to separate statement from ICE.

Morera’s presence poses a threat to the United States and undermines American foreign policy interests, the statement says.

Cuba’s leadership rarely talks publicly about GAESA, which stands for Grupo de Administración Empresarial — or “business administration group.”

It has long held that such discretion is necessary to confront a US trade and financial blockade that severely complicates the island’s business with the outside world.

Reuters is not immediately able to reach out to representatives of Morera for comment.

Republicans delay US House vote to halt Iran war that was on verge of passing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans struggled yesterday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it becomes clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders decline to hold a vote on it.

Republicans are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution in the Senate that advanced to a final vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.

The actions by congressional leaders showed the increasing difficultly of maintaining political backing for Trump’s handling of the war. Rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conflict.

Turkish court ousts main opposition chief in blow to Erdogan’s rivals

ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court effectively ousts the main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the 2023 party congress that elected him chairman in a ruling that dealt a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan’s challengers and hit financial markets.

The appeals court annulled the congress over irregularities and ruled that former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu — a divisive figure within the party who lost to Erdogan in an election earlier in 2023 — should replace his successor Ozel.

The case was seen as a test of Turkey’s shaky balance between democracy and autocracy, and the ruling may throw the opposition into further disarray and possible infighting. It could also boost Erdogan’s chances of extending his more than two-decade rule of the big NATO member country and major emerging market economy.

The CHP rejects the ruling as an “attempted coup,” while the government — which denies criticism that it uses courts to target political opponents — says it renewed Turks’ faith in the rule of law.