Israeli Military Hits Dozens Of Hezbollah Targets
The Israeli military said on May 2 it had struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon amid a fragile cease-fire.
"In the strikes, approximately 70 military structures and approximately 50 Hezbollah infrastructure sites were dismantled across several areas," the military said in a statement published on Telegram.
Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon -- considered a terrorist organization by the United States -- said it has launched attacks targeting Israeli troops in response.
The attacks have become a regular occurrence, as both Israel and Lebanon frequently accuse each other of cease-fire violations. Israel has been launching strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since March 2, two days after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran.
Meanwhile, Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal met with visiting US General Joseph Clearfield, who is the head of the committee responsible for monitoring the 2024 cease-fire intended to bring an end to the most recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
According to a Lebanese army statement published on May 2, Haykal and Clearfield discussed "the security situation in Lebanon, regional developments, and ways to maximize the effectiveness of the [committee] and enhance its operations."
Rubio Heads To Rome, Vatican As Iran War Strains US Ties With Europe
WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Rome and the Vatican on May 6-8 in what officials describe as an effort to shore up strained ties with key European partners as the war in Iran deepens divisions across the Atlantic.
According to a State Department announcement, the trip will serve to “advance bilateral relations.”
Rubio is set to meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere.
“Meetings with Italian counterparts will focus on shared security interests and strategic alignment,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on May 4.
A former senior State Department official who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity said the timing of the trip signals its importance.
“Secretary Rubio’s trip is an important step in diplomacy,” the ex-official said, adding that the face he is taking the trip at this time is an indication of how much the administration of US President Donald Trump "values the relationship with Italy and the Holy See."
The visit comes against a backdrop of increasing tensions between Washington and its European allies over both the Iran conflict and broader policy disagreements, including trade and military commitments.
Analysts say the trip is as much about damage control as diplomacy.
“The Iran war is putting extreme strain on President Trump’s relations with European allies,” Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told RFE/RL. “Rubio is dispatching the fire trucks to try to put out the conflagration and limit the damage.”
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CENTCOM Head Says Iran Launched 'Cruise Missiles, Drones, And Small Boats' At US Navy
US forces intercepted cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran on May 4, a US admiral said, as Washington launched an operation to guide stranded "neutral" ships out of restricted waters near the Strait of Hormuz.
As the operation announced by US President Donald Trump a day earlier took effect, Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) which oversees American forces in the region, said "multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats" were launched at US Navy ships and commercial ships "protected" by the United States.
He added that the US military "blew up" six small Iranian boats in the crucial waterway with Apache and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and urged Iranian forces to stay away from US military while the operation was underway.
He also said that US ships were not "just escorting" the commercial ships out of the strait but employing a "much broader defensive package."
"We have multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare,” Cooper said.
With reporting by CNN
War Pushes Iran's Economy Even Further Toward The Brink
- By Kian Sharifi
For years, Iran's economy has struggled as international sanctions and administrative mismanagement took their toll. Since US and Israeli air strikes hit the country on February 28, the situation has grown markedly worse.
Already decrepit infrastructure has been targeted in the strikes, knocking out factories, steel mills, bridges, and ports. Even worse, oil and gas facilities have been struck, while a US blockade on all traffic calling at Iranian ports still functioning has all but cut off Tehran's main lifeline: oil money.
With the currency at historic lows against the dollar and an Internet shutdown crippling businesses, analysts say Iran's economy is now in uncharted territory.
"So, unless the regime seeks concessions from the US to lift the blockade, the economy will have to remain extremely depressed," said Jason Tuvey, deputy chief Emerging Markets economist at the London-based Capital Economics.
Read more here
UAE Slams 'Unacceptable' Drone And Missile Attacks
The United Arab Emirates said that it had come under Iranian missile and drone attack, strongly condemning the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” and holding Tehran fully responsible for their consequences.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates' major port city of Fujairah reported a drone strike that targeted an energy installation and caused a fire.
"Fujairah Civil Defense teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing their efforts to control it," the Fujairah media office said in a statement on May 4, following multiple air alerts.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the "unacceptable" attacks, which injured three people, constituted a direct threat to the country’s security and violated international law, warning it “will not hesitate to protect its security and sovereignty” and reserves the right to respond.
Fujairah, on the shore of the Arabian Sea, has been a key exporting hub of the UAE.
The port facility there has become even more crucial after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as it has allowed the UAE to access global shipping without using the waterway.
The UAE's Defense Ministry said Iran had also targeted the country with four cruise missiles on May 4.
"Three were successfully engaged over the country's territorial waters, while one fell in the sea," it said.
With reporting by Reuters
Bessent Urges China To Persuade Iran To Open Strait Of Hormuz
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged China to contribute to diplomatic efforts to convince Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet next week.
"China, let's see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait," Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on May 4, adding that Beijing was purchasing as much as 90 percent of Tehran's energy resources. "They are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism."
A day earlier, Trump announced that US forces will begin guiding stranded "neutral" ships out of restricted waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reacted, warning that maritime activity in the waterway must comply with Tehran's naval protocols or face enforcement action.
In the interview, Bessent said that Trump and Xi have been discussing the situation in Iran and plan to talk about it in person at their upcoming summit in Beijing on May 14–15.
CENTCOM Says 2 US-Flagged Vessels Transited The Hormuz Strait
US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, says two US-flagged vessels have "successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey."
Situation In Hormuz Still 'Critical' Says Shipping Security Monitor
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) shipping security monitor has issued a Joint Maritime Information Center advisory saying conditions for transiting the Strait of Hormuz remain “critical” amid ongoing regional military operations, with increased naval presence, congestion, and vessels likely to be hailed over VHF radio by security forces in the region.
The United States has established an enhanced security area south of the main shipping lanes, it said, advising ships to consider routing via Omani waters and coordinate with authorities.
Transit near the traffic separation scheme is “extremely hazardous” due to reported mines, and operators should review risks and routing carefully, according to the May 4 notice.
Earlier, the UKMTO said that an oil tanker had been targeted by "projectiles of unknown origin" 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
The alert said that all crew members on board were safe and there had been no environmental contamination.
The UAE later condemned "in the strongest terms" what it said was the targeting of a national tanker affiliated with its state oil company while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Denies Ship Hit By Iranian Missiles
Iranian media said a US Navy frigate was targeted by two missiles near Jask at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly ignoring Iranian warnings, forcing it to turn back.
The claim, reported by the semiofficial Fars agency without citing a source, was subsequently denied by US Central Command
Amid the conflicting accounts, Iran’s navy said it had blocked “enemy” vessels from entering the strait with a “swift and decisive warning,” while US President Donald Trump has said Washington would act to free ships stranded in the vital waterway, a key route for global energy supplies.
Iran Outlines New 'Control Area' In Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned that maritime activity in the Strait of Hormuz must comply with its naval protocols or face enforcement action.
The warning follows recent US statements -- including President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy naval forces to escort or “guide” commercial ships through the strait -- and advisories from the UK Maritime Trade Operations, a shipping security monitor, about security incidents and new restrictions affecting shipping in the area.
Responding to what it called “baseless” claims, the IRGC said there has been no change in how the strait is managed, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
It added that civilian and commercial vessels following designated transit routes in coordination with its navy would remain safe, while any noncompliant movements would face “serious risks,” including being stopped by force.
In a separate statement, the IRGC outlined what it described as a new area of the strait under Iranian control, defined by two boundary lines: from Kuh-e Mobarak, on Iran’s southeastern coast near the Gulf of Oman, to waters south of Fujairah on the United Arab Emirates’ eastern coast, and from the western tip of Qeshm Island to Umm Al Quwain on the UAE’s northern Gulf coast.
Tehran Calls On US To Move Away From 'Excessive Demands'
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei has called on the United States to back away from its "excessive demands" to allow peace negotiations between the two countries to move forward.
"At this stage, our priority is to end the war," Baqaei told a briefing on May 4 that was broadcast by state television.
"The other side must commit to a reasonable approach and abandon its excessive demands regarding Iran," Baqaei said.
He gave no details about which demands Tehran feels are excessive.
A day earlier, Iran said it had received a response from Washington to its latest peace proposal, which Iran had earlier handed to Pakistan. Islamabad has been mediating talks between the two warring countries.
US President Donald Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because "they have not paid a big enough price."
He did not elaborate.