'What we have yet to see on either the US or the Iranian side is willingness to compromise on their ultimate demands and the flexibility to reach an agreement to end the war.
Hezbollah appointed Shiite cleric Naim Qassem as its new leader on Tuesday, nearly a month after his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group, CNN reported.
Trump seems to have estimated that Ghalibaf is a pragmatic politician who is receptive to close relations with the US and is enthusiastic about fostering business and economic ties in particular, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
270 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, September 23, 2024.
Qaouk was a commander of Hezbollah's preventative security unit and a member of their executive council.
US President Donald Trump stated that the decision regarding the conclusion of the conflict with Iran will be a 'mutual' decision made in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Halevi's remarks came after Hezbollah fired a missile at central Israel on early Wednesday and Israel responded with airstrikes, which have killed 569 people and wounded 1,835 others, Al Jazeera reported.
Earlier, another state media outlet showed a display of part of the IRGC's drone arsenal inside a large tunnel. Coinciding with the release of these visuals, the IRGC confirmed the launch of the 48th phase of its retaliatory campaign.
'The White House lunch that Trump hosted for Munir last year came just after Munir returned from a visit to Iran, at a moment when Israel and Iran were at war.' 'Trump said after that lunch that the Pakistanis know Iran very well. He likely views Munir as a useful interlocutor that can give helpful insights on Iran.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran is progressing successfully, highlighting Israel's strengthened position and hinting at new regional alliances.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
As days turn into weeks and America loses more planes, as the destruction of trillions of dollars worth military assets piles up, and dead bodies of soldiers return in ever greater numbers in coffins, Trump will have to answer some very difficult questions to save his presidency, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Was the five-day pause ever meant to hold, or was it simply another instrument of signaling, of positioning, of buying time in a war where even the pauses are tactical?' asks Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
The United States has called for a 21 day ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border to prevent an escalation of war and give diplomacy a chance there and in Gaza.
'Mojtaba Khamenei supervised the most recent repression in December 2025 and January 2026 which remains ongoing.'
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
When missiles fly in this region, they are never just aimed at military targets.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
'I suspect that Bangladesh being given permission stuck in India's official craw, and this story was an attempt to balance the scales by giving the impression that a similar waiver had been given to India as well.'
The threat of wars hovers over the negotiations in Oman, but the good part is that Trump called the talks to be 'very good' and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that they 'constitute a step forward', points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The air raids struck areas including the outskirts of Brital and Nasiriyah towns in the Bekaa Valley, Tallet al-Sunduq, Jarmak in Jezzine, and the Mahmoudiya and Khardali regions.
So far, most of the injured have been released. Currently, 106 people are being treated in hospitals, and another 149 are being treated in the emergency room.
The IDF said that its target was the Hezbollah commander, who was responsible for the attack at the football ground in Majdal Shams.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been cautioned by the United States and its allies against escalating the conflict in Israel. This comes after the deployment of US military assets to prevent a potential widening of the war, multiple US officials aware of the matter told CNN.
Once the OS layer is opened to the State, it doesn't close, notes Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd).
Lebanon's health ministry said that women, children and medics were among those who were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, according to CNN report. Earlier, the Israeli army announced it struck about 300 targets across Lebanon on Monday.
As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents.
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, shared an online compilation on Saturday, displaying images of both living and deceased captives.
The tensions between the two countries continue to remain high as several suspected drones launched from Lebanon were shot down by Israeli air defences on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
Hezbollah's executive council's head Safieddine was presumed to be the successor of Hassan Nasrallah after he was killed in September, The Times of Israel reported.
Lebanon is grappling with widespread devastation following Israeli airstrikes. The attacks have caused significant damage to infrastructure and civilian areas, displacing hundreds of Lebanese citizens.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched targeted ground operations in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, focusing on Hezbollah strongholds and infrastructure identified through precise intelligence.
Asked about the whereabouts of Iran's 400 kilograms of 60-per-cent enriched uranium, Netanyahu claimed that Israel has "interesting intel" related to the issue.
In the first acknowledgement of Israel's involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday, issued a stern warning to the Houthi rebels from Yemen of destroying their infrastructure and 'decapitating' its leaders.
The United States on Thursday (local time) evaded a question on whether Pakistan held prior consultations with Washington, DC before conducting retaliatory air strikes on Iran.
