War, latest news. Iran: US strikes on naval bases, radar stations and artillery batteries. Tehran responds with missile strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

The recent wave of attacks against Iran “was merely a prelude to a far more significant and powerful strike”. This was stated by the head of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, during a visit to a military exercise in northern Israel. “The IDF is prepared to take action again and to inflict another heavy and far-reaching blow against Iran,” Zamir said, adding that the Israeli armed forces “continue to maintain the highest level of readiness and preparedness to resume operations in Iran”.

A new package of measures, coordinated jointly by France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, has been adopted to impose “new sanctions against those responsible for the escalation of settlement activities and violence in the West Bank”. This was announced by the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot. Paris has also banned Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich, four leaders of settler organisations and 21 violent settlers from entering its territory,” Barrot continued, noting that “Bezalel Smotrich actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly advocates, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the recolonisation of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority and its disastrous consequences for the Palestinian population”. Barrot emphasises that this is “a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community, firmly committed to the two-state solution, cannot accept”.

“Israel firmly rejects the shameful measures taken by foreign governments against Israeli citizens, Israeli entities and a government minister,” reads a post on the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s X account. “The true essence of these measures is an attempt to impose a political stance regarding the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel and regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, disguising it as a measure against violence,” the ministry writes.

“The conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are having a terrible and tangible impact on our energy markets. And more generally on our economies, not only in Europe but across the globe. To give a striking example, the EU’s expenditure on fossil fuel imports has risen by over €47 billion in the last 100 days, without a single extra molecule of energy being produced. ‘More than €47 billion in 100 days.’ This was stated by European Commissioner for the Economy Dan Jorgensen as he presented the T-Med initiative to accelerate the development of renewable energy and clean technologies in the Mediterranean. “The current energy crisis,” he added, “is teaching us once again a fundamental lesson: diversifying our sources of fossil fuel supply is not enough to protect us from geopolitical instability and price shocks. Our energy security must be based on electrified energy systems, which in turn rely on clean energy, modern grids and greater connectivity.”

Flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport have returned to normal. This was announced by the airport’s deputy director, as reported by Iran International.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was ‘deeply concerned about the latest escalation in the Middle East’ and called for ‘all attacks to cease immediately’, stressing that ‘the ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza must be fully respected’. Guterres added that ‘any action that could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts must be avoided’. Guterres also said he was ‘deeply concerned by Israel’s decision to close the border crossings with Gaza, and I reiterate my call for the immediate reopening of all crossings to ensure the rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of large-scale humanitarian aid throughout Gaza’’. Speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, he then stated that ‘the exercise of rights and freedoms of navigation, in accordance with international law, must be respected. All parties must fulfil their obligations under international law and take all possible precautions to protect civilians’. For, he concluded, ‘there is no military solution to the conflicts in the Middle East. The only way forward is through dialogue and negotiations. I urge all parties concerned to work towards diplomatic solutions that promote regional and international peace and security’.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced early this afternoon that eight people had been killed as a result of Israeli air strikes on the southern city of Tyre. The attack, which also left 32 others injured, targeted a residential neighbourhood.

According to the ministry, the air strikes took place before a spokesperson for the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of all residents from the coastal town and the surrounding areas, in anticipation of attacks against Hezbollah.

- UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was ‘deeply concerned about the latest escalation in the Middle East’ and called for ‘all attacks to cease immediately’, stressing that ‘the ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza must be fully respected’. Guterres added that ‘any action that could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts must be avoided’. Guterres also said he was ‘deeply concerned by Israel’s decision to close the border crossings with Gaza and I reiterate my call for the immediate reopening of all crossings to ensure the rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of large-scale humanitarian aid throughout Gaza’’. Speaking of the Strait of Hormuz, he then stated that ‘the exercise of rights and freedoms of navigation, in accordance with international law, must be respected. All parties must fulfil their obligations under international law and take all possible precautions to protect civilians’. For, he concluded, ‘there is no military solution to the conflicts in the Middle East. The only way forward is through dialogue and negotiations. I urge all parties concerned to work towards diplomatic solutions that promote regional and international peace and security’.

An armed man who had infiltrated Israeli territory from Lebanon and opened fire on Israeli troops in the Ramim Ridge area, near the border, was shot dead by Israeli troops. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) state that no soldiers were injured in the incident and that troops are patrolling the area in search of any other attackers. An Israeli Air Force drone has been deployed to the area to assist with the search. Residents of the border communities of Misgav Am, Margaliot and Manara, in the Galilee Panhandle region, have been ordered to remain in their homes until further notice, whilst a nearby motorway has been closed to traffic. This is reported by The Times of Israel.

An armed man who had infiltrated Israeli territory from Lebanon and opened fire on Israeli troops in the Ramim Ridge area, near the border, was shot dead by Israeli troops. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) state that no soldiers were injured in the incident and that troops are patrolling the area in search of any other attackers. An Israeli Air Force drone has been deployed to the area to assist with the search. Residents of the border communities of Misgav Am, Margaliot and Manara, in the Galilee Panhandle region, have been ordered to remain in their homes until further notice, whilst a nearby motorway has been closed to traffic. This is reported by The Times of Israel.

"In the last few hours, a sense of panic has been spreading as people have been fleeing the city following this new threat of attack by Israel". Al Jazeera's reporter from Tyre reports. 'An exodus of people from the Christian quarter of the main southern city of Tyre is taking place,' he reports. 'This is the first time they have been forced to leave their homes since the beginning of this wave of violence in March. All previous Israeli expulsion orders, two of which specifically targeted the entire city of Tyre, excluded the Christian neighbourhood. This led thousands of people to take refuge in that neighbourhood, living in parks and among shops. There is a marina there and people have set up tents or lived in their cars

Hezbollah thanked Iran for striking Israel in recent days, in what Tehran claimed was retaliation for Israeli attacks on the Lebanese capital, and urged the Lebanese government to forge closer ties with Iran. In a statement released today, the Shia political-military group said the Lebanese authorities should "take advantage of this opportunity and correct their official relations with the Islamic Republic so as to serve the interests of both countries". "It is Iran that supports Lebanon and not the other way around. Its honourable position alongside Lebanon deserves the gratitude of its authorities, not deliberate insults."

Iranian state television reported that at least two members of an air defence unit were killed in the Israeli attacks that hit the country yesterday. The broadcaster identified the two men as Bahman Hosseini and Ali Reza Abiri, without specifying their rank. It reported that they will be buried in a city near Tehran, suggesting that they had been stationed near the capital. It is the first time Iran admits the presence of casualties in the crossfire attacks between Sunday evening and Monday, which put the Middle East on edge and represented the hardest blow so far to the fragile ceasefire in Iran's war.

According to CNN reports, US President Donald Trump has said at least 37 times since March that a deal with Iran was imminent or that Tehran was eager to reach one.

"As far as the Board of Peace is concerned, there have been no steps forward, also because they all seem to me to be engaged more on the Iranian front than on the Gaza front". This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in his reply during the hearing at the joint Foreign and Defence Committees of the House and Senate together with Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.

"We," Tajani added, "have continued our efforts so that all the necessary aid can be given to the civilian population" and "we are also working so that all other humanitarian initiatives can be turned into concrete actions.

"Israelis and the US have many interests in common, but there are also situations where our interests diverge". This was said by US Vice President JD Vance, speaking to Fox, according to international media reports. "I think the president has been very clear that while Israel obviously has some objectives, the primary objective of the US in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon," he added. V Vance said that "over the last year and a half we have created the space for the president to believe, and I think he is right, that we can reach a long-term solution to the Iran nuclear deal. Now, Israel may or may not like that. But fundamentally, we believe this is in the best interest of the United States of America."

Tehran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei quoted William Shakespeare to criticise the US seizure of Iranian assets. Sharing on 'X' a video of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which the latter speaks proudly of the seizure of assets belonging to Iran, Baghaei quoted a passage from Macbeth. 'Now he feels his title hanging over him, like a giant's robe over a dwarf thief,' Baghaei said.

NAIROBI - The pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have returned to threaten Red Sea commercial traffic, threatening new attacks against Israeli boats transiting the route. The warning comes in parallel with Iran's announcements, quoted by local agencies, about the possibility of "including" in the offensives the Bāb el-Mandeb Strait: the 30-kilometre bottleneck that separates the Djibouti coast from that of Yemen and acts as a gateway to the Red Sea itself from the Gulf of Aden. In a communiqué issued yesterday morning, the Houthis proclaimed a "complete and total" ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and announced that they would classify as "legitimate" targets all "enemy" movements in its path. The communiqué revives a threat repeated several times by the militia, affiliated with the so-called Iranian Axis of Resistance and already the protagonists of incursions into the Red Sea between 2023 and 2025. But it is unclear how far the newly re-announced 'blockade' can go.

Israel has called for the evacuation of the city of Tyre, including the Christian area, and the refugee camps and surrounding neighbourhoods. Idf Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote this on X. "In light of the violation by the Hezbollah terrorist party of the ceasefire agreement and the targeting of the Israeli home front, the IDF is forced to operate against it forcefully. The Israel Defence Forces do not intend to harm you".

- Iran's representative to the UN Saeed Iravani said the US and Iran are "presenting and exchanging views and opinions to reach the final text of a Memorandum of Understanding, via Pakistan". "We have not yet reached the final text, but we are following up on it," he added, according to the Irna news agency, expressing hope that the process would be concluded by the end of this month. He went on to say: 'The ceasefire will be comprehensive and will cover the entire region, including Lebanon'.

Did Netanyahu defy him by firing missiles at Iran on Sunday? No, because the missiles were "already on their way" when he spoke to the Israeli prime minister. So US President Donald Trump told the BBC, according to reports from the British broadcaster. Still referring to the Israeli PM, Trump said: 'If I tell him to do something, he does it'. The phone call with the tycoon, Bbc again reports, lasted just under a minute.

Hezbollah has changed tactics in south Lebanon: it is letting Israeli soldiers advance and then striking them when they are most exposed. This was stated by Ali Daher, a member of the Lebanese Shiite movement's political council and responsible for party relations, in an interview published today by Repubblica.

"In the south we have changed tactics: we let them in and hit them in the open. We are ready for a long war, Israel is not,' said Daher, who speaks Italian after graduating in medicine in Padua, Italy, where he lived for ten years.

Five people were killed and eight wounded in an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. This was reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. 'An Israeli attack on the city of Tyre, near the Red Cross centre, killed five people and wounded eight,' the ministry said in a note. Among the wounded were four Red Cross workers, the ministry added.

A US Army helicopter, an 'Apache', has crashed in recent hours near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donad Trump, reports the New York Times, said that the 'two pilots are safe'. The causes of the crash have not yet been clarified and an investigation is underway.

"He (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ed) got hit, and he fought back, and I can't blame him for that." US President Donald Trump told reporters after watching the first of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. "But he got hit, he fought back and now they've made up. So they're going to leave each other alone for another week or so," Trump added.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that US diplomacy is in its "final stages" to reach an agreement with Iran and end the Gulf conflict. "We are in the final stages of what will be a very good agreement," Trump said after attending an Nba Finals game in New York, suggesting that a deal could be reached within "two or three days".

While the truce hangs by a thread, Trump tries to restrain Israel and Iran. "They immediately stop firing," the US president intervened, calling Netanyahu again. Today UN Security Council meeting on sanctions on Tehran.

The Israeli army has announced that it intercepted a drone launched by the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis over the southern city of Eilat a short while ago, where alarm sirens sounded. This was reported by the Israeli media. This morning, the Houthis had launched two ballistic missiles against Israel for the first time since April, one of which was intercepted according to the IDF, while the other did not reach the country. The drone launch from Yemen comes after Iran announced it had suspended military operations against Israel.

Middle East war news of 8 June