Middle East

BBC Arabic’s correspondent Carine Torbey reports from the border town of Khiam, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon goes into its second day. The Lebanese army has set up a barrier to stop residents from returning to their homes in Khiam, after loud explosions continued to …

Trump, as always, is doing his best to sound like he’s in control, saying a deal with Iran is “very close”, that the war is going “swimmingly”, telling reporters that Iran has already agreed to hand over around 440kg (970lb) of highly enriched uranium (the president is fond of calling …

President Donald Trump has said that talks between the US and Iran to end the war could resume as early as this weekend, with Washington and Tehran “very close” to making a deal. The BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet reports that whilst Iranians are keen to end the enmity …

Parts of Iran have been ravaged by missile and drone strikes during the war with the US and Israel. A fragile, conditional ceasefire is currently in place – but some worry that it will not hold. Military targets have been reduced to rubble, and so have parts of civilian areas, …

More than 1.2 million people are estimated to have been displaced across Lebanon, including 820,000 from the south, according to figures by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It said the war in Lebanon has forced many to flee to areas further north or cross into …

The BBC’s chief international correspondent reports from Iran as diplomatic efforts to avoid a return to war intensify. BBC News

When a second team from the Islamic Health Association headed to the site, it too was attacked, and three paramedics were wounded, the ministry said. Then, two ambulances of the Risala Scout Association and the Nabatieh Ambulance Service, which had been deployed to the site, were also attacked. Two paramedics …

Since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, UN agencies and Israeli rights groups have reported an increase in claims of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including routine beatings, sexual violence, starvation and severe medical negligence. Dozens of Palestinians are reported …

Israel strikes hit southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel, a day after rare direct negotiations. BBC News

The US has started a naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports. BBC News

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is understood to be facing charges including spreading false information, the Committee to Protect Journalists says. BBC News

The Italian PM said the pact, which happens every five years, would be suspended “in view of the current situation”. BBC News

BBC foreign correspondent Nick Beake visits Metula, an Israeli town surrounded on three sides by Lebanon. BBC News

On the border between Lebanon and Israel lies Metula – Israel’s northernmost town. Surrounded on three sides by Lebanon, Metula is one of the first in the firing line when rockets are fired by Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed political and military group. Israeli authorities say 12 soldiers and two civilians have …

He accused Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the US-led Board of Peace, of bias towards Israel. Last month, Mladenov outlined a framework for Gaza’s demilitarisation as part of the second phase of the ceasefire deal agreed by Hamas and Israel in October. BBC News

Vice-President JD Vance has said that the US and Iran failed to reach an agreement following lengthy peace talks in Pakistan. The delegations met in Islamabad, Pakistan during a temporary ceasefire. Vance said the US “could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms”. …

A US blockade of Iran’s ports is in place, having begun on Monday, according to Donald Trump. BBC News

A US blockade of Iran’s ports has began on Monday after peace talks between the two countries ended without a deal over the weekend. In a social media post, US President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian “fast attack ships” caught trying to approach the blockade “will be immediately ELIMINATED”. …

More than 160 people have been killed since Friday in Lebanon, where Israel is pressing on with its campaign against Hezbollah despite the US-Iran ceasefire. BBC News

Organisations warn many more people could be executed in the wake of the anti-government protests which swept Iran earlier this year. BBC News