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Iran and Ceasefire

• Trump vows to hit Iran “very hard” tonight: President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will attack Iran again tonight following two days of back and forth strikes in the most serious escalation in the war since a ceasefire was declared on April 8. “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” Trump posted on social media. “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela.”

• U.S. launches new strikes on Iran:

  • The U.S. military launched strikes “against multiple targets in Iran” overnight, claiming the strikes were in “self-defense” in response to “Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”

  • Iranian media reported attacks in numerous locations, including the port city of Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik and Minab in the south, and Karaj west of Tehran.

  • Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local IRGC base outside of Tehran.

  • Explosions were heard across Hormozgan province, the southern coastal region bordering the Strait of Hormuz, with four blasts occurring in the coastal town of Sirik, according to Tasnim News.

  • A strike was reported near Minab, roughly 60 miles east of Bandar Abbas, and additional explosions were heard near Korgan Port on the Gulf of Oman Coast. Two people were wounded in the Korgan attack, according to an IRIB reporter in the city. A blast was also reported in Bandar Abbas itself by the Fars Gulf Broadcasting Center.

  • U.S. Central Command announced the end of the strikes Thursday morning and said they targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.”

  • Strikes were reported in the central Iranian city of Karaj, however, on Wednesday evening, with the Tehran province’s emergency chief announcing that three people had been injured by the attacks on Thursday. Strikes were also reported near Nazarabad, northwest of Tehran, and on an IRGC base in Pishva, southeast of the capital

• Iran strikes U.S. bases in response:

  • Iran launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. forces in the region, including Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. The IRGC said its Aerospace Force and Navy had struck and destroyed 18 targets at U.S. military bases in the Gulf on Wednesday, including Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait and the Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain.

  • In Bahrain, the Iranian military reportedly targeted communication antennas and radar facilities used by Sheikh Isa’s Patriot air defense system.

  • Early Thursday, the IRGC announced that it struck the U.S. Al-Azraq air base in Jordan with 12 ballistic missiles. It claimed the strikes destroyed aircraft parking areas, the base’s command center, and “a large number” of American F-35, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets.

• Iran closes Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s newly established body overseeing the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) and the Iranian military announced the complete closure of the strait until further notice. “Due to the tensions caused by the aggression of the American forces in the region and the announcement made last night by the Iranian armed forces, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice,” the PGSA said in a post on X. “Applicants who have been granted a transit permit are asked to be patient and wait for instructions from the PGSA.” Earlier, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that “any movement of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.” The command said the closure covered oil tankers and commercial ships alike, citing what it called the “criminal aggressions of the American enemy.” CENTCOM denied the strait was closed, saying in a social media post overnight, “Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz tonight.”

• Iran says ceasefire rendered “meaningless,” will target “American interests” throughout the Gulf:

  • The Iranian foreign ministry condemned the latest U.S. strikes, saying the attacks have rendered the ceasefire “practically meaningless.” In a statement, the ministry said: “The illegal and criminal attacks by the U.S. in recent hours are not only a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental rules of international law regarding respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, but have also rendered the ceasefire practically meaningless.”

  • After Fox News reported on Wednesday evening that Trump had spoken “directly” with Iranian officials who “asked him to stop bombing,” an official denied any such contact to Iran’s IRIB News Agency. The official argued that this “pure falsehood” was employed as a cover by Trump to avoid a full war with Iran.

  • Before Wednesday’s strikes were announced, an Iranian official told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill that if the U.S. resumed the war, Iran would launch attacks targeting U.S. “interests” throughout the region. “We have taken advantage of the ceasefire to restore and strengthen our missile capabilities,” he said.

  • The official accused Trump of lacking “the ability to make the decision necessary to end his disgraceful war.” He also told Scahill that the basic outlines of a deal were in place and Trump “disrupted” the agreed-upon negotiating framework by making new demands. “From our perspective, there is absolutely no possibility of responding,” to these demands, the official said, as they fall “outside the framework of negotiations.”

• Trump claims U.S. has secretly moved “millions of barrels” of oil through Hormuz: President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that U.S. forces have been covertly moving “millions of barrels of oil” through the Strait of Hormuz each night to stabilize global energy markets amid the war with Iran, offering no evidence for a claim that is also not corroborated by any maritime traffic monitors. “Did you know we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil?” he asked a press gaggle at the White House. “Nobody knows it,” Trump said. He credited these alleged shipments, which were also able to evade Iranian radar detection, with holding oil prices to the current $85–95 per barrel range, arguing they would otherwise have surged to $250.

• Three Indian seafarers killed after U.S. strikes oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz: Three Indian sailors were killed by a U.S. strike on the Palau-flagged oil tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, India’s shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed. The three were initially reported missing before their bodies were recovered; 21 of the 24 Indian crew members were rescued. CENTCOM said a U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room late June 9 after the crew “repeatedly failed to comply” with American instructions, claiming the tanker was carrying Iranian oil in violation of its blockade. India condemned the strike and summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires in New Delhi.

  • The U.S. attacked another ship overnight, according to a statement by CENTCOM, making it the third vessel attacked by the U.S. in the Gulf this week. The attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged and Indian-crewed Jalveer, prompted the Indian foreign ministry to call for U.S. operations against Gulf shipping vessels to “cease.” The spokesperson added that the ongoing attacks on “shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and are a direct consequence of the ongoing conflict there”.

• Israeli military confirms Iranian strikes caused damage at Ramat David Airbase: The Israeli military confirmed Thursday that this week’s Iranian missile barrage caused damage at the Israel Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase, though it claimed that the damage resulted from intercepted ballistic missile debris rather than a direct hit, according to the Times of Israel. Satellite imagery published Tuesday appeared to show damage to a warehouse on the base. The military said no equipment was damaged, no injuries were reported, and the airbase remained fully operational.

• Energy Secretary Wright claims Hormuz traffic rising: Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Congress Wednesday that ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is rising “very meaningfully,” though he acknowledged that he could not quantify the characterization. Kpler recorded just eight monitored commercial and non-commercial transits between June 5 and 7, and while Lloyd’s List and Windward found average daily “dark” transits have risen from two to six over the past week, that figure remains a small fraction of the roughly 135 ships per day that passed through Hormuz before the war.

• U.S. Treasury sanctions China- and Hong Kong-based networks over Iranian weapons: The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned nine individuals and entities Wednesday, accused of facilitating weapons procurement for Iran’s military. Most targets are based in China and Hong Kong, including a Hong Kong firm the U.S. accuses of operating within Iran’s covert banking network; the State Department concurrently sanctioned two entities and two individuals in Iran and Belarus over arms activities.

• U.S. strikes appear to have destroyed drinking water facility in southern Iran serving 20,000 people: U.S. airstrikes early Wednesday appear to have destroyed a drinking water facility in the village of Bemani on Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off water to more than 20,000 people, a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery and verified footage found. Weapon fragments recovered from the site were identified by researchers as remnants of a GBU-39 precision-guided glide bomb, consistent with a clean hole punched through a roof of the facility. Both buildings stood outside the village with no other infrastructure in the immediate vicinity, the report noted, and striking the center of a roof with a precision munition is considered an indicator of an intentional strike. Deliberately striking civilian water facilities could constitute a war crime under international law.

• Downed Apache helicopter was part of mission to escort ships through Strait of Hormuz, official says: The U.S. Army Apache helicopter that went down over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday was participating in a previously undisclosed mission to protect commercial shipping through the waterway, a senior U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal. The covert operation, which Trump acknowledged during a press gaggle on Wednesday, has relied on U.S. fighter jets and helicopters escorting oil tankers and merchant vessels through the strait, the Journal reported. The official said the Apache was defending ships from Iranian drones and missiles when it went down.

Lebanon

• Killed and wounded: At least 3,711 people have been killed, and 11,483 wounded, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli strikes kill four, wound at least 25, including medical staff, across southern Lebanon:

  • Strike near hospital: An Israeli airstrike on a residential building near Hiram Hospital in the southern city of Tyre killed one person and wounded 17 others, including 10 nurses and hospital staff, according to the state’s National News Agency (NNA). The strike caused extensive damage to parts of the hospital, including patient rooms and the emergency department, while shattering windows and damaging vehicles belonging to doctors and employees.

  • One person was killed and seven wounded in Israeli strikes on the town of Abbasiya in the Tyre district, the NNA reported.

  • An Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle on the Habboush highway killed its rider, while another strike killed one person in Sahmar and wounded another in the Mashghara plain.

• Israeli soldier wounded in Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon: An Israeli soldier was wounded on Thursday after an explosive-laden drone targeted Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon, according to the Times of Israel. Earlier in the day, Hezbollah said in a series of statements that it had targeted Israeli military vehicles and troop gatherings in the southern Lebanese towns of Tayr Harfa, Deir Siryan, and Adaisseh with drones and rockets, as a “response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire and ongoing attacks.” At least 29 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.

• Saudi Arabia lifts years-long ban on Lebanese exports: Saudi Arabia will resume receiving Lebanese exports, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Wednesday, ending a ban imposed in April 2021, stemming from concerns over drug-smuggling and Hezbollah’s influence over the Lebanese state. The decision was communicated in a call between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with Riyadh citing “positive steps” by Beirut, including rebuilding state institutions. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, whose outreach to Prince Salman prompted the move, called it a “tangible contribution to reviving the national economy”; Salam said it reflected Saudi “confidence in Lebanon.” Saudi Arabia was Lebanon’s top agricultural export recipient as recently as 2019, accounting for 22 percent of Lebanese agricultural exports that year.

Palestine

• Killed and wounded: Over the last 24 hours, seven Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is at 72,991 killed, with 173,219 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 981 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,111, while 783 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli strikes on Gaza kill two, wound three: Israeli shelling and airstrikes on Gaza killed two Palestinians and wounded at least three others, Wafa reported. A man was killed and several others were injured when Israeli aircraft bombed a house south of Gaza City on Thursday. Israeli forces also bombed a residential apartment north of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, killing one, and a drone struck the Zeitoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City, wounding two. Israeli gunfire also seriously injured a woman in the al-Salatin area of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

• Two Palestinian Red Crescent medics forcibly disappeared: The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Thursday that two of its medics remain missing after armed militias intercepted two PRCS ambulances on Salah al-Din Street in southern Gaza while the crews were responding to a humanitarian call. Most crew members were released following field interrogation, but the two medics’ whereabouts remain unknown. PRCS held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible, and called for their immediate and unconditional release.

• Israeli court cuts video feed of detained Gaza doctor Abu Safiya: Video from a Jerusalem court hearing on Wednesday showed Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, appearing by video link before Israeli court security blocked the screen and severed the connection, preventing his attorney from communicating with him; the court reportedly cut his feed to prevent journalists from filming. The incident deepened concerns over the detained physician’s treatment after he appeared emaciated at the hearing and bore apparent signs of physical abuse.

• Two Israeli soldiers wounded by explosive in Jenin: The Israeli army said Thursday that two soldiers were wounded by an explosive device during operational activity in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump says “I love the inflation”: President Donald Trump told reporters, “I love the inflation” in response to new data showing the annual inflation rate hit 4.2% in May—the highest since early 2023 and the second consecutive month in which inflation outpaced wage growth. Trump framed the figures as a temporary byproduct of the Iran war, predicting prices would “come down like a rock” once hostilities end and saying he believed current levels represent the war’s peak. He later told the New York Post his words were taken out of context, saying what he loved was that inflation was not higher than anticipated.

  • A full year of inflation-adjusted wage growth has been erased in four months, leaving American workers effectively no better off than when President Donald Trump took office, Axios reported Wednesday. Real hourly earnings for all private-sector workers are flat since January 2025, while production and nonsupervisory workers—a widely used proxy for working-class employees—have seen nominal pay rise 4.9% over that period, only to have those gains fully offset by equivalent Consumer Price Index increases.

• House to vote on Section 702 surveillance program: The House will vote Thursday on a three-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, one day before its expiration, Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday—but leaders of both parties expect the measure to fail, risking the first-ever lapse of the warrantless foreign surveillance program. The extension requires a two-thirds majority in favor to pass, a threshold Democrats say they will not help meet as long as President Donald Trump stands by his plan to install housing official Bill Pulte—a close political ally with no national security experience—as acting director of national intelligence. A small bloc of Republican holdouts adds further uncertainty.

• Trump demands Republicans immediately pass $350 billion defense boost and election overhaul: President Donald Trump called on congressional Republicans Wednesday night to pass a new party-line reconciliation bill “IMMEDIATELY,” demanding $350 billion in additional Pentagon spending on top of the administration’s pending fiscal 2027 budget request, along with the stalled SAVE America Act election overhaul. “No games, no delays, and no weak compromises!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The push would be Republicans’ third reconciliation bill this Congress, following last year’s tax-focused “big, beautiful bill” and the $70 billion immigration enforcement funding measure Trump signed Wednesday morning.

• Trump administration blocks Mamdani’s planned meeting with Colombian president, threatening arrest: The Trump administration quietly blocked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani from holding his first meeting with a foreign leader this week, intervening behind the scenes to prevent a planned bilateral meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the Washington Post reported. State Department officials traveling to Bogotá made clear the meeting was unacceptable, in a move Colombian officials interpreted as a threat to arrest Petro if he proceeded. Colombia subsequently shortened Petro’s New York itinerary, cutting off the possibility of the encounter. A State Department official cited visa restrictions imposed on Petro last year following public comments in opposition to U.S. support of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, arguing that visas are “a privilege” and that the President can revoke them at any time.

• Trump to press defense industry leaders on weapons production as missile stockpiles shrink amid Iran war: Leaders of roughly seven defense companies are expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House later this week, as the administration confronts growing alarm over thinning U.S. munitions stockpiles, NBC News reported. Trump has expressed anger to aides over the depleted arsenal as he weighs continued major combat operations against Iran. The Pentagon has yet to sign any new multiyear contracts to replenish munitions since Trump took office, NBC reported in May, having entered only non-binding framework agreements. The U.S. has been drawing down weapons stockpiles from Europe and Asia to sustain the Iran campaign; a Center for Strategic and International Studies study found particular shortfalls in long-range precision weapons, including Tomahawks, Patriot missiles, and THAAD interceptors.

• Platner responds to questions about Epstein: Graham Platner, who won yesterday’s Democratic Senate primary in Maine, was asked by Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe if he would have the ability “call for the release of the Epstein files” given recent reporting about his infidelity. “Yes, of course,” he responded. “I engaged in consensual romantic activities with adults at an earlier part of my life. That seems like a fairly normal thing most people do. Going to an island with billionaires to possibly assault children is a vastly, vastly different thing.”

  • Separately on Wednesday, President Trump called Platner a “thug” and “worse than any human being that has ever run for office, probably.” Trump, who has extensive connections to Epstein, also has a history of marital infidelity, his first marriage having dissolved after a highly publicized affair with Marla Maples, and having falsified business records to hide his affair with Stormy Daniels during his current marriage.

• Claire Valdez defends land-sale protests: At a congressional debate on Wednesday, New York Assemblymember Claire Valdez (D), who is running to represent the state’s 7th district, defended recent protests against land sales in the West Bank in New York City synagogues. “We also have to be clear about what these protesters are protesting,” Valdez said. “They’re protesting the illegal sale of land in the West Bank that’s in violation of international law.” Valdez also said protesters need to be “protected” when explaining why she opposed a law that would create “buffer zones” around protests at synagogues and houses of worship, a law which was proposed in Congress in April in response to these New York City protests.

• Senior aide to GOP Sen. Husted collected $22,000 from Ohio lobbying firm while serving in his office: Sean Dunn, senior adviser and counsel to Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, maintained a paid consulting relationship with Columbus-based lobbying firm Statehouse Impact Group while simultaneously serving in Husted’s Senate office, collecting $22,652 from the firm during 2025, according to a financial disclosure filing reported by NOTUS. A formal ethics complaint filed May 29 with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics argues the arrangement violates Senate Rule 37, which bars staffers from holding outside consulting roles that create a duty to an external client and prohibits using official positions for personal gain; the complaint also implicates Husted directly, arguing he bore responsibility for preventing staff conflicts of interest.

• FBI raids target pro-Palestine activists indicted on actions related to Univ. of Michigan divesting from Israel: The FBI arrested seven pro-Palestine activists in a series of raids Wednesday morning who have been indicted on federal charges for “a coordinated campaign of violent, criminal acts seeking to pressure University of Michigan leaders and other businesses in the Eastern District of Michigan to cut off all ties with Israel,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel. The eight defendants named in the 63-page grand jury indictment, whom Patel identified as “a group of college-aged adults” are accused of using encrypted messages, social media, and collaboration with overseas partners. Amy V. Doukoure, lead staff attorney for CAIR-Michigan, which is not representing the defendants, said in a statement that the indictment “appears to include extensive references to broader political events, protected viewpoints, and students’ lawful participation in peaceful protests calling for divestment and the recognition of Palestinian human rights. Criminal prosecutions should be based on alleged criminal acts—not on protected speech or association.”

• State Department launches investigation of political analyst Trita Parsi: The State Department has launched an investigation of Trita Parsi, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), and could seek to deport him, according to U.S. officials and documents reviewed by The Free Press. Parsi, who holds a green card, is one of the most prominent U.S.-based critics of the war with Iran. He was born in Iran, grew up in Sweden, has lived in the United States for over 25 years. A Trump administration official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was taking “a hard look” at anyone whose work “furthers” the agenda of U.S. adversaries, invoking a provision of federal immigration law allowing the secretary of state to personally determine that a noncitizen’s presence compromises a “compelling U.S. foreign policy interest”—the same authority Rubio used in the ongoing effort to deport Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil. Quincy’s CEO told staff and donors in April that the think tank was retaining an immigration lawyer and preparing a writ of habeas corpus “to have at the ready” if Parsi were suddenly detained.

Other International News

• Israeli forces raid villages in Syria: Israeli forces stormed the towns of Ma’ariya and al-Arda in the Yarmouk Basin area in southern Syria at dawn on Thursday, establishing checkpoints and obstructing civilian movement, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported, citing a local official. Israeli military vehicles reportedly entered the area and positioned themselves near Ma’ariya’s water well, conducting extensive searches of public and private vehicles until 7 a.m. before moving to Ma’ariya and Abidin to establish additional temporary checkpoints. Syria has repeatedly called for Israeli forces to withdraw from its territory.

• Colombian commission head proposes suspending President Petro: The president of Colombia’s Commission of Investigation and Accusation, Gloria Arizabaleta, on Wednesday proposed suspending President Gustavo Petro from his duties until June 21, Reuters reported, citing a published document. Petro’s opponents have alleged that he interfered to help the campaign of leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, who faces right-wing lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella in the second round of the presidential election. The proposal requires approval from all 16 commission members and then the Senate to take effect. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti rejected the move’s legality, arguing only the country’s Senate holds the authority to suspend a sitting president. Petro remains in office.

  • Separately, Petro addressed the UN Security Council on Wednesday—where Colombia holds the monthly presidency—attributing the violence in Gaza and the broader Middle East to greed and what he called a resurgence of “Nazi ideology.” He said the “fight for hydrocarbons, the fight for oil; that’s what makes missiles rain down on peoples, on babies.”

• Mexico to open World Cup against a backdrop of protests: Mexico City is set to host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup amid protests that have cast a shadow over the global sporting event. Teachers demanding pension reforms and higher pay, families searching for missing relatives, and other activist groups have used the global spotlight to pressure the government, arguing that authorities have prioritized World Cup investments over unresolved social and security problems. Officials have pledged a safe and successful tournament, deploying thousands of police, while President Claudia Sheinbaum has assured there will be no repeat of the sort of the repression that characterized the 1968 Olympics, where soldiers opened fire on protesting students.

• Two Kuki community members killed in dawn attack in India’s Manipur: Two members of the Kuki community were killed and two others were wounded when armed men attacked at daybreak Thursday in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, a day after authorities recovered the bodies of six Naga men believed to have been taken hostage, two senior police officers told Reuters. Seven houses were torched in the attack. Police have not identified the perpetrators and described the situation as “tense and volatile.”

• RSF drone strikes kill five in Sudan’s North Kordofan: Rapid Support Forces drone attacks killed five people and wounded 12 others in El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, on Wednesday, Sudan Tribune reported. One drone struck the Dalil cemetery during a funeral procession, killing four people and injuring seven; a second struck a fuel station inside the city, leaving five people critically wounded.

  • In a separate incident, a truck driver was killed when his vehicle carrying food supplies was targeted in the Jebel Kordofan area. The Sudan Doctors Network condemned what it called the RSF’s “systematic shelling” of civilians, warning that casualties could rise given the sustained targeting of populated areas.

• Thousands march in Tirana in largest protest yet against Kushner-backed resort near protected Albanian wetland: Thousands of Albanians demonstrated in Tirana on Wednesday in the largest protest yet against a roughly €5 billion luxury resort development backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Reuters reported. Protests stretched half a mile down one of the capital’s main boulevards outside Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office. Protesters held signs reading “Albania is not for sale” and carried inflatable flamingos in what has been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution, a reference to the protected wetland near the southern coastal village of Zvernec where the resort is planned—a migratory habitat for flamingos, seals, and sea turtle nesting sites.

• Keiko Fujimori retakes lead from leftist rival in Peru vote count: Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori regained a razor-thin lead over her leftist opponent Roberto Sánchez as overseas ballots that favored her were tabulated. With more than 98% of votes tallied, Fujimori led by only a few hundred votes out of roughly 18 million cast, while hundreds of thousands of ballots could be contested in a judicial review. Sánchez has raised the prospect of contesting the vote, and election authorities have warned that a final result could still take weeks to emerge.

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U.S. launches strikes on Iran, citing downed Apache helicopter. IRGC strikes U.S. military bases in response. President Donald Trump says Iran must “pay the price.” Iran condemns U.S. strikes as illegal, warns Gulf states, and calls for UN Security Council action. U.S. attack on Iranian water reservoirs reportedly leave 20,000 without drinking water. Tanker catches fire off Oman coast, one casualty and two missing. Israel continues attacks on Lebanon. Israeli forces abduct municipal official, worker in southern Lebanon. Erdogan says Israeli aggression threatens Turkey and the world. Likud says Netanyahu will seek reelection. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel is blocking 16,500 patients from seeking medical care abroad. Amnesty accuses Israel of state-driven ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Six western nations impose coordinated sanctions over Israeli settler violence in West Bank. Israeli soldier shoots and kills seven-month-old Palestinian infant in Hebron, B’Tselem footage shows. Primary results in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada. DCCC faces Democratic backlash after $135,000 intervention in California primary backfires. U.S. inflation hits three-year high of 4.2% in May. ICE detention of babies and toddlers has increased tenfold under Trump, new analysis finds. Government Accountability Office report finds mismanagement, detainee deaths, and wasted millions at Texas ICE facility. Pakistan air raids kill civilians including children in Afghanistan, Kabul says. Anti-immigrant riots erupt in Belfast. Brazil intercepts 108 Cuban migrants in single day.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• U.S. launches strikes on Iran, citing downed Apache helicopter: The U.S. military launched strikes against Iran overnight framing the operation as “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression” and an act of “self-defense” following the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz Monday that President Donald Trump blamed on Iran.

  • The strikes targeted the Iranian Gulf cities of Sirik, Jask, and Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian state media, as well as Qeshm Island.

  • U.S. Central Command later announced it had completed its strikes, saying Air Force and Navy fighter jets used precision munitions to target Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites. No specifics about casualties from the attacks, or the extent of damage, were initially reported by the Iranians or the U.S. military.

• IRGC strikes U.S. military bases in response: In response to the U.S. strikes, Iran launched a series of drone and missile attacks on American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Wednesday it struck 21 targets at U.S. air and naval bases across the region, including Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan. It claimed it employed long-range solid-fuel missiles to destroy four targets including F-35 fighter hangars and a command and control center, according to Khabar Fouri. The IRGC also reiterated its earlier claim of shooting down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over Jam County in Bushehr Province, warning that “the consequences of any renewed aggression lie with the American enemy.”

• Trump says Iran must “pay the price”: President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Iran is taking “too long to negotiate a deal” and that “now they will have to pay the price” as a result. He again repeated unsubstantiated claims that Iran’s military capacity has been depleted in the war in a post on Truth Social. “They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!,” Trump wrote. His comments came two days after he suggested that a deal to end the war could be reached in a matter of days.

• Iran condemns U.S. strikes as illegal, warns Gulf states, and calls for UN Security Council action: Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Tuesday’s U.S. strikes on southern Iran as “savage attacks” and a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter carried out under the “pretext” of a downed Apache helicopter.

  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that foreign military forces operating near Iran are at “constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire.” Araghchi said, “To reduce risk, the best solution is for foreign forces to exit, as soon as possible, an environment which will never be hospitable to a hostile presence.”

  • Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that continuing negotiations will be “under study” following the U.S. strikes. “Unfortunately, the United States is damaging this diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends, its repeated shifts in positions and demands, and, worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire,” Baqaei said, according to Iranian media.

• Attack on water reservoirs leave 20,000 without drinking water: A reported U.S. attack on two water reservoirs in southern Iran has left 20,000 people without access to drinking water, according to their Mizan news agency. In a statement, the local Iranian water utility company said the reservoirs were “targeted and completely destroyed” on Wednesday morning in U.S. strikes in the Bemani area of Sirik in southern Iran.

• Tanker catches fire off Oman coast, one casualty and two missing: A tanker was on fire on Wednesday morning, approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Sohar off the coast of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. The UKMTO reported one casualty and two crew members missing following an engine room blaze; the cause of the fire was not given.

  • Another incident was reported by the UKMTO off the coast of Yemen, where a gunboat reportedly fired on a shipping vessel. The vessel was approached by a small craft carrying six armed individuals, the office said, and the exchange of fire forced the shipping vessel to turn away.

• Iran urges IAEA board members to resist U.S. attempts to weaponize nuclear watchdog: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter Wednesday to foreign ministers represented on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors urging them not to allow the watchdog to be used as a “U.S. political instrument,” as the board’s quarterly meeting got underway in Vienna, where it is slated to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution against Iran’s nuclear program. Araghchi called the resolution “politically motivated” and “made in bad faith,” saying the United States bears responsibility for the current crisis and should not be permitted to exploit the IAEA to justify “illegal measures” against Iran.

• Russia calls for restraint: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called for both the U.S. and Iran to “immediately cease military attacks” on Wednesday. Zakharova did note that the initial blame for the region’s unrest lies with the U.S. and Israel, however, saying that this round follows “the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Lebanon

• Killed and wounded: At least 3,696 people have been killed, and 11,413 wounded, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Israeli attacks killed at least 30 people, and wounded 92 others, over the past day, the Ministry reported.

• Israel continues attacks on Lebanon:

  • Israeli attacks on Tyre and surrounding areas in southern Lebanon killed 13 people and wounded 15 others Wednesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported, with nine killed and seven wounded in the town of Tayr Debba, three killed and three wounded in Deir Qanoun, and at least one person killed and five wounded in Tyre itself as rescue teams worked to clear rubble.

  • The Israeli military issued forced displacement orders on Wednesday for residents of the towns Ansariyeh, Ghassaniyeh, and Houmine El Faouqa in southern Lebanon,

  • Israeli aircraft also struck the town of el-Buss on Sour’s outskirts on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding nine, according to the NNA.

  • In Ansarieh, south of Saida, Israeli drones carried out at least five strikes in less than 45 minutes on Tuesday. One Syrian national and another person were killed when a motorcycle was struck, according to L’Orient Today. Locals report that Israeli drones repeatedly targeted moving vehicles and access roads, hindering Lebanese rescue efforts.

• Israeli forces abduct municipal official, worker in southern Lebanon: Israeli forces abducted two men in the southern Lebanese town of Kfarshouba on Wednesday while they were carrying out water pumping operations for local residents, according to NNA. The Agency identified the pair as municipal council member Mohammed Hassan al-Hajj and worker Ahmed Salah Diab, saying they were operating the town’s water supply system when an Israeli patrol detained them and took them to an unknown location. The Israeli military later confirmed it had apprehended two individuals in southern Lebanon, stating to AFP that troops identified “two suspected individuals” who they claim approached soldiers in Lebanese territory, and were taken to Israel for “further questioning.”

• Erdogan says Israeli aggression threatens Turkey and the world: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Syria and Lebanon have reached a point where they threaten Turkey directly, telling his parliament that “if the Israeli thuggery is not stopped, the consequences will be borne by the entire region and all of humanity.”

Palestine

• Killed and wounded: Over the last 24 hours, three Palestinians were killed—one recovered from under the rubble, and two due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks—and five injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,991 killed, with 173,212 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 981 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,104, while 783 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Likud says Netanyahu will seek reelection: Israel’s Likud Party said Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek re-election in Israel’s upcoming vote—which must be held by October—after President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on his candidacy, telling ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl “I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?”

• Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel is blocking 16,500 patients from seeking medical care abroad: More than 16,500 Palestinians requiring medical treatment abroad are being prevented by Israel from leaving the enclave, despite a nominal ceasefire in place since October, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday. The ministry warned that Israel was “killing patients with delays” by limiting Rafah crossing access to three days per week and allocating just one day per week for medical evacuations at the Karem Abu Salem crossing. Acting Undersecretary Maher Shamia called on human rights organizations to pressure Israel to allow free movement, adding that many patients could be treated locally if Israel also ceased blocking reconstruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, which Israel has systematically destroyed.

• Amnesty accuses Israel of state-driven ethnic cleansing of Palestinians: Amnesty International has accused Israel of a state-driven campaign of ethnic cleansing targeting Palestinian Bedouins in the occupied West Bank and committing the crime against humanity of forcible transfer. According to UN data, at least 117 predominantly Bedouin and herding Palestinian communities have faced either full or partial displacement between January 2023 and  April 2026. In a 149-page report titled “Erasing Anything Palestinian,” Amnesty details how the ethnic cleansing campaign is an integral and organized part of state policy. “Over the past three and a half years Israeli authorities have accelerated a state-sponsored campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, uprooting, dispossessing and forcibly transferring Palestinian communities. This is not the work of rogue actors or what the international community has repeatedly labelled as extremist settlers, organizations or one or two ministers. What we are witnessing is deliberate, state-led annexation, in complete violation of international law unfolding before the eyes of the entire world,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said in a statement.

• Six western nations impose coordinated sanctions over Israeli settler violence in West Bank: The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Norway imposed coordinated sanctions Tuesday, targeting networks financing and enabling settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. France additionally banned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, three settler group leaders, and 21 settlers from entering the country. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament that British citizens and businesses should conduct no economic or financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements, saying the Israeli government’s condemnations of settler violence “ring hollow when there is scant accountability.” Amnesty International called the measures “a step, but not enough.”

• Israel seizes Palestinian land in Jenin for military base: Israel has issued an order to seize Palestinian land in the Al-Jabariyat area overlooking Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank to build a military base, according to +972 Magazine—marking the first such seizure in Area A since the Oslo Accords established full Palestinian civil and security control over the territory in 1995. Rights groups warned that the move is part of a broader effort to expand Israeli military and settlement control around Jenin, where more than 18,000 Palestinians have already been displaced following an Israeli military assault in January 2025.

• Israeli soldier shoots and kills seven-month-old Palestinian infant in Hebron, B’Tselem footage shows: Footage released Tuesday by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem shows an Israeli soldier opening fire on a Palestinian family’s car as it slowed to a stop in Hebron on June 5, shooting seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal in the head and killing him, and wounding both of his parents. B’Tselem said the footage shows the car posed “no danger” to the soldiers and was far from their position when they opened fire; it also shows the soldiers leaving the scene without providing aid to the infant or his injured mother.

• Gaza killings escalate as world’s attention shifts to Iran and Lebanon: An eight-year-old boy, Jad Suleiman, was killed by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike Monday while walking home from school in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Drop Site reported from Shifa hospital where his father clutched his son’s bloodied backpack and asked, “What was his crime?” As global attention shifts to the wars on Iran and Lebanon, and Gaza’s so-called ceasefire enters its ninth month, the genocide there continues to intensify. May was the deadliest month of 2026 for Palestinians in Gaza, with at least 119 killed including 19 children according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, and at least 46 more have been killed in the first nine days of June alone. Israel has also restricted the entry of life essentials into Gaza, allowing only 36% of agreed-upon aid and 15% of required fuel—leaving 77% of Gaza’s population facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Program. Read the full report from Abdel Qader Sabbah and Sharif Abdel Kouddous here.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Primary results in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada:

  • First-time candidate Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, won the Maine Democratic primary on Tuesday, setting up to face incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in the state’s general election in November. Addressing the controversies that surfaced throughout his primary campaign, Platner said in his victory speech, “If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change. And the reason I believe that is because I have lived it.” In the same speech, he attacked Collins for having “never met a war she didn’t like,” and for being “as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves.”

  • Sen. Lindsey Graham won the South Carolina Republican primary Tuesday with more than half the vote, avoiding a runoff and putting himself on track for a fifth Senate term in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2005. Graham defeated five challengers including businessman Mark Lynch, who drew support from prominent MAGA critics of the Iran war—including former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Steve Bannon, and former counterterrorism official Joe Kent. Graham outspent the field heavily, raising $18 million dollars in the race, and received a last-minute telendorsement from President Donald Trump.

  • Rep. Nancy Mace failed to advance to a runoff Tuesday in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary. Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a June 23 runoff, extending Trump’s recent streak of successfully ousting Republican defectors from his agenda.

  • Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democrat Aaron Ford won their respective primaries Tuesday in Nevada, officially setting up what Cook Political Report rates as the only toss-up governor’s race featuring a Republican incumbent, in a state Lombardo won by fewer than 2 percentage points in 2022. Ford, who previously served as the state’s top Senate Democrat and attorney general, is seeking to become Nevada’s first Black governor, and has sought to tie Lombardo to President Donald Trump’s record on tariffs, Medicaid cuts in a state where roughly one in three residents rely on the program, and Iran war-driven gas prices that rank among the highest in the country. Lombardo enters the general election with a significant fundraising advantage—his campaign and allied groups have spent roughly $8.5 million on ads since January compared to Ford’s $67,000.

• California primary results continue to come in:

  • Trump-endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton secured the second spot in California’s November gubernatorial election Tuesday, defeating progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and setting up a contest between Hilton and former Biden administration Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.

  • Randy Villegas, a Bernie Sanders-backed progressive and single-payer health care supporter, defeated moderate Democratic state lawmaker Jasmeet Bains on Tuesday to advance to a runoff against Republican Rep. David Valadao in California’s redrawn Central Valley battleground district, despite the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee intervening on Bains’s behalf through its Red to Blue program. Bains also received nearly a half a million dollars in ad support from pro-Israel groups. Villegas has called for curtailing U.S. support for Israel’s military actions.

  • Progressive challenger Mai Vang holds the lead in California’s 7th congressional district Tuesday with 95% of votes reported, according to the Associated Press. Vang is attempting to unseat incumbent Democrat Doris Matsui in the Sacramento-area seat.

• DCCC faces Democratic backlash after $135,000 intervention in California primary backfires: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reportedly been riven after spending $135,000 to boost Jasmeet Bains in California’s 22nd district primary. Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona told Axios that it was “deeply disappointing that the DCCC tried to tip the scales in a very competitive Democratic primary,” and said the intervention personally motivated her to campaign harder for Villegas, while a second House Democrat said the spending “was weird” given that multiple caucuses had already made a different decision. Serious conversations are now underway with DCCC chair Suzan DelBene and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over demands that the committee either stop intervening in primaries altogether or distribute support equally across the party’s ideological factions, with Villegas backers calling on the DCCC to now back him with the same resources it gave Bains.

• U.S. inflation hits three-year high of 4.2% in May: U.S. inflation rose to a three-year high of 4.2 percent in May, up from 3.8 percent in April and more than double the 2.4 percent rate recorded in late February when the Middle East conflict began, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday, with energy accounting for more than 60 percent of the monthly price increase as gasoline and diesel costs have risen roughly 40 percent since the war began. Core inflation, stripping out food and energy, edged up to 2.9 percent, while food prices also continued to climb.

• ICE detention of babies and toddlers has increased tenfold under Trump, new analysis finds: ICE held an average of 25 babies and toddlers per day between January 2025 and March 2026—ten times the rate under President Joe Biden—with at least 500 children aged 3 and under spending time in custody since Trump took office and at least 175 held beyond a court-mandated 20-day limit, according to a new analysis by The Marshall Project and MS NOW of federal immigration records. Parents detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, the primary family detention facility operated by private prison company CoreCivic, described children stopping eating, regressing in speech development, and contracting repeated illnesses amid inadequate medical care.

• GAO report finds mismanagement, detainee deaths, and wasted millions at Texas ICE facility: A federal Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday found that ICE’s Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss in El Paso—which became the nation’s largest immigration detention facility after rushing to open in August before construction was complete—suffered from unsafe conditions that contributed to three detainee deaths in six months, a tuberculosis outbreak, a detainee escape, and a lost loaded firearm, while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on an inexperienced contractor with no prior detention experience. Evidence in the January death of 55-year-old Cuban migrant Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose outside autopsy ruled the cause homicide by asphyxia after he was held down by guards, was found to be “missing or destroyed,” while a Nicaraguan detainee died by suicide after staff placed him in a room without a vision panel and left him unattended for intervals exceeding 15 minutes.

• SoFi Stadium food workers reach deal but threaten to strike if ICE appears at World Cup matches: UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, reached a wage agreement Tuesday with food contractor Legends Global ahead of Friday’s U.S. World Cup opener but reserved the contractual right to walk off the job if ICE agents appear at the stadium during matches. The union, which has represented predominantly immigrant hotel and restaurant workers in Los Angeles since the late 1980s and played a central role in turning California from a purple to a deep-blue state through Latino organizing drives in the 1990s and 2000s, said it would strike if it determined “in good faith that federal immigration enforcement threatens worker safety during a World Cup match.” Read more about Local 11 in the latest from Harold Meyerson at The American Prospect here.

• DIA raises Israel counterintelligence threat to “critical,” highest level, amid spying allegations: The Defense Intelligence Agency has reportedly elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to “critical”—its highest designation, now ranking the U.S. ally above some adversaries—after American personnel in Israel discovered spyware on their phones. Targets of the alleged eavesdropping include Steve Witkoff, Trump’s top Iran negotiator, Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, and Michael DiMino IV, the Pentagon’s senior Middle East policy director; the DIA report also details Israeli military officers planting listening devices at DIA headquarters in 2021 and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service attempting to bug a Secret Service vehicle last year. Drop Site’s Julian Andreone reported from Capitol Hill on lawmakers’ reactions to the findings. His interviews are available here.

Other International News

• Pakistan air raids kill civilians including children in Afghanistan, Kabul says: Pakistan carried out air strikes Wednesday on Afghanistan’s Kunar, Khost, and Paktika provinces, with Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming 26 Pakistani Taliban (TTP) fighters were killed. Afghanistan’s Taliban government said the dead included 11 children, one woman, and an elderly man, with 14 more women and children wounded; an Afghan government spokesman condemned the raids as a “humanitarian crime and act of aggression.” The strikes, the deadliest in weeks following a period of relative calm, came in response to a series of recent TTP attacks on Pakistani security posts, including a June 9 assault that killed six paramilitary constabulary members.

• Anti-immigrant riots erupt in Belfast: Hundreds of masked protesters torched vehicles, a bus, and a building in Belfast on Tuesday after a 30-year-old Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack that left a man in his 40s with severe injuries. Crowds also gathered in the nearby town of Antrim. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned what she called “groups of masked men burning families out of their homes” as “disgusting cowardice,” while Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson declared a “critical incident” and appealed for calm.

• Ukrainian drone strikes hit museum and oil refinery targets: Ukrainian drones struck the historic Panorama Museum in Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as key Russian energy infrastructure including oil refineries in the Samara region. The attacks disrupted transport routes into Crimea adding to fuel shortages and rationing on the peninsula. The infrastructure strikes come amid an intensified strategy by Kyiv aimed at raising the economic cost of the war by hitting energy assets far from the front lines.

• Brazil intercepts 108 Cuban migrants in single day: Brazilian federal police intercepted 108 Cuban nationals in a single day Monday—the largest such operation ever recorded in the country’s Roima state—arresting five human smugglers as part of Operation Safe Route. Many of those rescued in the operation reported they had gone without food for at least two days. The surge is part of an exodus from the island in response to a U.S.-imposed fuel blockade that since January has blocked virtually all foreign oil from reaching Cuba, triggering island-wide blackouts and acute shortages of food and medication. Cuban refugee applications in Brazil surpassed those from Venezuelans in 2025, exceeding 40,000 requests.

• Private company secures oil deal in Cuba: A Florida energy company has signed an agreement to store and sell U.S. fuel inside Cuba, creating the first mechanism for large-scale gasoline and diesel deliveries aimed at the island’s private sector rather than the state, the Miami Herald reported. Coral Gables-based Vanguard Energy will lease storage facilities from Cuba’s state fuel company while retaining ownership and control of the fuel, which will be sold to vetted private businesses, embassies, religious groups and humanitarian organizations. The deal, enabled by the Trump administration’s oil blockade, which permits fuel exports only for private economic activity, could ease Cuba’s severe energy shortages and lower fuel costs. Supporters say it may open the door to broader market reforms, while critics question how authorities will prevent fuel diversion to the Cuban government. The deal comes as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that oil restrictions imposed by the U.S. on Cuba are causing widespread harm to the population and endangering lives, urging that these sanctions be lifted.

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Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon despite “ceasefire” and Iranian warnings. Hezbollah and Ansarallah launch drones toward Israel. Hezbollah continues attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Pakistani and Lebanese army chiefs meet. Lebanese turtle conservationist wounded in Israeli airstrike. Israeli forces detain Gaza ambulance workers, Health Ministry says. Nine Palestinian fishermen detained by Israel off Gaza coast. Israel reopens Gaza crossings after two-day closure. Israel continues assault on West Bank. Israeli parliament approves expanded deductions from Palestinian tax revenues. Italian prosecutors open investigation into Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Two Iranian air defense personnel killed in Monday’s Israeli strike. President Donald Trump talks Iran, Lebanon, in New York City. Voters in four states head to polls on Tuesday. Trump nominates Todd Blanche as attorney general. U.S. airline fuel costs surge 78%. Progressive city council member Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Trump DOJ killed criminal Clean Water Act investigation into Sen. Jim Justice’s coal empire. Donald Trump Jr. secretly holds stake in Texas oil refinery startup that secured nine-figure investment from Ambani family. Congo military court sentences 54 to death over 2017 killings of UN investigators. Pentagon expands blacklist of alleged Chinese military-linked firms. Switzerland weighs European air defense alternative. Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez meets Turkish President Recep Erdogan in Istanbul. Kenyan police fire tear gas at protesters opposing U.S. Ebola quarantine facility. Russian strikes kill five overnight in Ukraine. Eleven killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

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Lebanon

• Killed and wounded: At least 3,666 people have been killed, and 11,321 wounded, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Over 29 people were killed, and 133 wounded, in Israeli strikes during the past 24 hours.

• Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon despite “ceasefire” and Iranian warnings:

  • Strikes and forced displacement in Tyre (Sour): At least 13 people were killed and 45 others wounded in Israeli attacks on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre over the past 24 hours, according to the state’s National News Agency. An Israeli airstrike on the al-Masaken neighbourhood Tuesday killed eight people and injured 32 others, with rescue teams continuing to search through the rubble, while a separate strike on a building in the al-Raml district wounded five more people. The Israeli military also issued a forced displacement order for residents of Tyre, including its historic Christian quarter, nearby neighbourhoods and refugee camps. A separate Israeli strike on Tyre on Monday, near a Red Cross center, killed five people and wounded eight, including four Red Cross paramedics.

  • “Double-tap” attack on Civil Defense: The Israeli military carried out a double-tap strike on the southern Lebanese town of Sharqiyeh on Tuesday, hitting civil defense workers who had responded to evacuate an injured person, wounding the two rescuers, Lebanon’s civil defense agency said. More than 100 rescuers have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2.

  • Strikes across the south: A wave of Israeli attacks on towns in southern Lebanon killed at least four people on Tuesday, including an attack in front of a house in Habboush which killed one, and a drone strike on Kfar Reman which killed two, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

• Hezbollah and Ansarallah launch drones toward Israel: Hezbollah and Ansarallah forces launched drones toward Israel on Monday, with Hezbollah drones crossing into northern Israel, despite Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz having warned earlier in the day that further attacks on northern Israel would trigger new strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

• Hezbollah continues attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon: Hezbollah claimed at least 16 attacks against Israeli forces Monday, nine of them concentrated around Yohmor al-Shaqif in Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate, in what local reporting described as an effort to repel an Israeli advance toward Kfar Tibnit.

  • Hezbollah also reported that it struck an Israeli military bulldozer with artillery and a guided missile, targeted multiple troop concentrations, and forced an Israeli Hermes 450 drone to retreat with a surface-to-air missile over the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.

• Hezbollah says Iran’s missile response is a “message of commitment” to Lebanon: In its first statement since Iran’s missile response following Israel’s strikes on Beirut, Hezbollah praised Iran’s strikes as “a message of moral, political and field commitment” to Lebanon. The Iranian response confirms that the priority for regional stability “is to ensure compliance with agreements by the Israeli enemy, before anyone else,” the group said in a statement, noting also the support from Yemen’s Ansarallah movement. Hezbollah called for Lebanese authorities to improve official ties with Tehran and “benefit from this support to achieve national goals,” including withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of displaced people and post-war reconstruction.

• Pakistani and Lebanese army chiefs meet: Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal met with Pakistani field marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi on Tuesday to discuss defense cooperation, Pakistan’s military said, as Pakistan continues to mediate between the United States and Iran to end their ongoing conflict. Munir “underscored [the] Pakistan Army’s commitment to expanding defence collaboration with the Lebanese Armed Forces,” according to a readout from the meeting. The latest “ceasefire” agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government states the United States would help guide the creation of “pilot zones” in Lebanon, “in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control…to the exclusion of all non-state actors,” referring to Hezbollah.

• Lebanese turtle conservationist wounded in Israeli airstrike: Mona Khalil, a pioneering Lebanese marine turtle conservationist who founded the Orange House Project on Mansouri Beach in southern Lebanon, was wounded in an Israeli airstrike on her home Thursday. Khalil underwent surgery for severe injuries, including a serious abdominal wound, before her condition stabilized Friday, according to Lebanese media and the NGO Green Southerners. “For more than two decades, her efforts helped transform this relatively small stretch of coastline into one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites on the eastern Mediterranean coast,” the NGO told the New Arab.

Palestine

• Killed and wounded: Over the last 24 hours, eight Palestinians were killed—seven in new attacks, and one due to wounds sustained in an earlier attack—and 43 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,988 killed, with 173,205 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 978 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,097, while 782 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli forces detain Gaza ambulance workers, Health Ministry says: Israeli soldiers detained seven ambulance workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society on Tuesday while they were carrying out their humanitarian duties on Salah al-Din Street in Gaza, according to the Strip’s Health Ministry. In a statement, the ministry condemned the detention and said five of the medics were released following questioning, while two are still being held by Israeli forces.

• Nine Palestinian fishermen detained by Israel off Gaza coast: The Israeli navy arrested nine Palestinian fishermen working off the coasts of Gaza City and Deir el-Balah on Tuesday, taking them to an unknown location, according to Wafa and Gaza fishermen’s committees. The detentions come amid ongoing Israeli attacks targeting Gaza’s fishing sector, including, shootings, detention and the confiscation of boats and fishing equipment. At least 238 fishermen have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023.

• Israel reopens Gaza crossings after two-day closure: Israel’s military coordination agency COGAT said the Kerem Shalom crossing will reopen on Tuesday for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza after being shut during the recent Iran–Israel escalation. It also said the Rafah crossing will resume limited two-way movement of people under the previous operating mechanism, in coordination with Egypt and the World Health Organization. The announcement follows a suspension of aid deliveries and medical evacuations on Sunday, which left thousands of patients unable to leave Gaza for treatment. Israel continues to heavily restrict the entry of essential supplies and movement through crossings, with only 36.3% of the agreed volume of aid and commercial trucks allowed into the enclave, according to Palestinian reports.

• Israel continues assault on West Bank: Israeli forces carried out raids and arrests across multiple occupied West Bank cities and towns Tuesday, storming Bethlehem, Tulkarem, and the village of Husan with “heavy machinery.”

  • In another incident, Israeli bulldozers destroyed the main water pipeline east of Tammun town in the Tubas governorate, cutting off water to families, livestock, and crops, according to Wafa.

  • Israeli authorities also issued demolition notices for 12 homes in Masafer Yatta, settlers vandalized properties belonging to Bedouin residents near Taybeh village in Ramallah, and at least five Palestinians were detained across the occupied West Bank.

• Israeli parliament approves expanded deductions from Palestinian tax revenues: The Knesset approved a law expanding deductions from Palestinian tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), allowing additional funds to be withheld to cover compensation and benefits paid to “Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks,” according to the Times of Israel. The legislation authorizes deductions for payments to injured individuals, families of those killed and property damage claims, with any surplus transferred to the Israeli treasury and the measures applied retroactively from January 1, 2025. Rawhi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, described the law as an “organized act of piracy” and a “blatant theft” of Palestinian funds, saying it was part of a systematic effort to “besiege the PA, dry up its financial resources and weaken its institutions.” Israel has withheld all of the PA’s clearance revenues over the past year, claiming the Authority allocates amounts for “terrorists and their families.”

• Italian prosecutors open investigation into Israeli minister Ben-Gvir: Italian prosecutors opened an investigation Monday into Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on suspicion of torture and kidnapping of Italian citizens, who were part of the group of activists detained in Israel from the Global Sumud Flotilla, according to a report from The New Arab. The probe follows mounting international backlash over Ben-Gvir’s posting of video showing detained activists kneeling with their hands bound, which the Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called “unacceptable”—leading Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador, push the European Union to consider sanctions against Ben-Gvir, and France to ban him from its territory.

• Son of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya says his father’s life is at risk: The son of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza who has been held in Israeli detention since December 2024, warned on Monday that his father’s life is at risk after being transferred to solitary confinement in Nafha Prison. Abu Safiya’s son said that the doctor is being held in a two-meter cell with no food, water, medicine, or access to his lawyer. The family says his transfer is in direct retaliation for filing a legal appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court. “How can a person be punished for asking why he is being detained?” his son asked.

Iran and Ceasefire

• Two Iranian air defense personnel killed in Monday’s Israeli strike: At least two Iranian air defense personnel were killed in an Israeli attack Monday, with funeral ceremonies scheduled in Tehran for Tuesday, Iran’s state television reported.

• Trump talks Iran, Lebanon in New York City:

  • President Donald Trump told reporters on the tarmac of an airport in New York City on Monday that a deal between Iran and the United States was nearing, saying that “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” and that the Strait of Hormuz would “open up immediately upon signing.” He gave a tentative timeline of “two or three days” for the deal’s announcement, and said that no “sticking points” remained.

  • Trump also said he did not ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from retaliating for Iran’s strikes on Israel this weekend (which were retaliations for Israel’s strikes on Beirut) but urged him to end the fighting in Lebanon as quickly as possible, saying he told the Prime Minister, “I said do what’s right but I want you to stop as quickly as you can.”

  • CENTCOM confirms two Apache pilots rescued from Strait of Hormuz after helicopter crash: U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday that two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots who crashed into the Strait of Hormuz were recovered within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The crew was retrieved by an unmanned maritime drone, an unnamed U.S. official told ABC News. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

World Cup 2026

• Visa denials and border detentions shadow World Cup: A pattern of visa denials and border incidents has emerged in the run-up to the World Cup in the United States, which it will host alongside Mexico and Canada.

• Iran says around 15 members of its technical and support staff were denied U.S. visas, with several officials remaining in Mexico. The team has, as a result, relocated its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, forcing it to maintain a cross-border commute for much of the tournament.

• Iran’s football federation announced Tuesday that the United States revoked its allocated ticket quota for its World Cup group-stage matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt—all scheduled to be held on U.S. soil—leaving the federation unable to distribute tickets to supporters who had already begun making travel arrangements. The federation notes that this is a violation of FIFA regulations entitling participating federations to eight percent of tickets per match

• Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, and the team’s photographer was denied entry outright over unspecified “vetting concerns,” according to the Chicago Sun Times.

• Members of Senegal’s national football team appeared to undergo unusually strict security screening after arriving in the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Anadolu Agency. Footage appears to show players being individually searched on the airport tarmac before entering the terminal.

• At least 40 Moroccan supporters were denied U.S. visas without reason, despite having purchased packages and despite their group having traveled to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

• FIFA-appointed Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without elaborating. Artan was reportedly issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week. He was held in a small room in the airport for 11 hours and interrogated by border officials before being flown to Istanbul, according to The New York Times. Artan was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football and was due to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at the World Cup after. FIFA did not condemn the move, saying that “In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.” After being denied entry, FIFA subsequently dropped Artan from the official World Cup roster instead of having him officiate matches in the two other host countries, Canada or Mexico.

• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday responded to growing U.S. restrictions for fans, players, and officials at the World Cup. “The World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of the world as a whole, and some of the decisions that we’ve seen been taken by the federal administration, be it the denial of visas for journalists from certain countries, or the rejection of a visa for a coach of a team, as well as single-day visas for specific foreign national teams, this is anathema to what this tournament is supposed to be about,” Mamdani said during a press conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Voters in four states head to polls on Tuesday: Voters in Maine, Nevada, South Carolina, and North Dakota are casting ballots in primaries Tuesday, with the most-watched contest being Maine’s Democratic Senate primary, where progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner is expected to win despite last-minute attacks on his campaign. If he does, he will challenge long-time Republican incumbent Susan Collins in the general. Also in Maine, Troy Jackson, a logger and state senator who secured Platner’s endorsement, is running against Nirav Shah, a physician who oversaw the state’s COVID response in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

  • In South Carolina, Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is favored in the Republican gubernatorial primary over Rep. Nancy Mace, though the race will likely head to a runoff, while four-term Sen. Lindsey Graham faces a five-person Republican primary field led by self-funding Greenville businessman Mark Lynch.

• Trump nominates Todd Blanche as attorney general: President Donald Trump on Monday nominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche—his former personal defense lawyer—to lead the Justice Department permanently, setting up a contentious Senate confirmation fight amid bipartisan criticism of Blanche’s role in a since-abandoned proposal to create a $1.8 billion political slush fund, as well as his handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files (Blanche told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham earlier this year that it is “not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein”). Blanche has overseen sweeping changes at the department since becoming deputy attorney general in early 2025, including the firing of more than 200 agents and prosecutors who worked on cases involving Trump or his allies, and greenlighting the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a social media post.

• U.S. airline fuel costs surge 78%: U.S. airlines spent nearly $6.5 billion on jet fuel in April—up 78 percent from $3.6 billion a year earlier despite consuming slightly less fuel, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data released Monday. The International Air Transport Association now forecasts global airline net profits will fall to $23 billion in 2026, down from a prior estimate of $41 billion, as jet fuel prices averaging $152 a barrel push the industry’s total fuel bill to roughly $350 billion, costs which have prompted American Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, and other major airlines to cancel routes and cut schedules.

• Progressive city council member Raman advances to November runoff against L.A. Mayor Bass: Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman advanced to a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass on Monday after overtaking Republican reality television personality Spencer Pratt by nearly 22,000 votes as the county continued processing mail ballots. This sets the stage for an all-Democrat matchup between Bass—who received under 35 percent of the primary vote—and Raman, who began her political career with the backing of the city’s DSA chapter and who entered the race after initially endorsing Bass for reelection. Raman, who was born in India and would be the city’s first South Asian woman mayor if elected, has moderated her earlier positions on policing and homeless encampments.

• Trump DOJ killed criminal Clean Water Act investigation into Sen. Jim Justice’s coal empire: The Trump administration shut down a federal criminal investigation into Sen. Jim Justice’s West Virginia coal empire earlier this year after prosecutors said they had a strong case and had already begun gathering evidence, including subpoenaing records and approaching former employees, ProPublica reported Monday. Authorities were investigating potential criminal violations of the Clean Water Act by companies operated by Sen. Justice’s son, Jay—part of a longer term effort to curtail serial pollution offenses by the family’s Southern Coal company. The Office of the Deputy Attorney General under Todd Blanche ordered prosecutors to stand down before they could fight the company’s legal challenge to the subpoenas, with the DOJ telling ProPublica the probe was “a politically motivated prosecution” inconsistent with the administration’s priorities. Read ProPublica’s full report on the DOJ’s aborted investigation here.

• Trump Jr. secretly holds stake in Texas oil refinery startup that secured nine-figure investment from Ambani family: Donald Trump Jr. secretly acquired a stake in America First Refining, a struggling Texas oil refinery startup that subsequently received a nine-figure investment from India’s Reliance Industries—owned by the Ambani family, whose patriarch had been publicly targeted by the Trump administration over Russian oil purchases just months earlier—according to a new investigation from ProPublica. The investment coincided with a series of U.S. policy wins for Reliance, including a dramatic tariff reduction on India, a license to purchase Venezuelan oil, and a sanctions waiver to buy Russian crude. Read more about the Trump-Ambani connection here.

• California Democrat fast-tracks bill to strip telecom oversight from state utility regulator: California Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner, a Democrat with significant support from the telecom industry, is advancing Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9, which would strip the California Public Utilities Commission of its constitutional authority to regulate telecommunications and ensure affordability. Critics say the bill, which passed the state Assembly 67-1 on May 18 and now goes to the senate, would dismantle one of the country’s most consumer-oriented telecom regulatory bodies, shifting oversight to the state legislature and a broadband office that does not yet exist. A full piece on this bill is available from The American Prospect, here.

• Justice Department moves to strip 17 naturalized citizens of citizenship: The U.S. Justice Department filed civil actions Monday seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalized Americans who it alleges concealed serious crimes or provided false information during the naturalization process, including 12 individuals already convicted of or who pleaded guilty to offenses ranging from child sexual abuse and healthcare fraud to drug trafficking and money laundering, according to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. The government is invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows citizenship to be revoked if obtained through concealment of material facts.

Other International News

• U.S.-Nigerian airstrikes on Metele village killed at least 27 civilians: U.S. and Nigerian military airstrikes on the village of Metele in Borno state on May 16 killed at least 27 civilians including 12 women and children, according to the village head’s casualty list shared with Drop Site News, contradicting AFRICOM’s claim that the coordinated operation “eliminated more than 175 ISIS terrorists” with no mention of civilian death. “What remains with me most is the fear, confusion, and suffering that followed the explosions,” one villager said. “Many people were crying and calling out the names of their loved ones. Parents were searching for their children, and family members were trying to locate relatives amid the confusion. Those sounds are among the memories that remain with me most strongly” Read Adamu Aliyu Ngulde’s full report for Drop Site here.

  • Separately in Nigeria, a cholera outbreak that began in early May in the northeastern Borno state has killed at least 74 people and infected more than 7,850 across 14 local government areas, with infections rising sharply and more than 500 cases recorded in a single day on June 5, Médecins Sans Frontières reported Tuesday

  • Armed bandits in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara state abducted between 39 and 50 villagers Sunday after inviting them to a forest meeting near Magamin Diddi village under the pretense of peace negotiations to ease movement restrictions on the community, police and residents said Monday. The kidnappers are demanding 125 million naira ($91,880) in ransom, with several abductees released to relay the demand, as security forces deploy to locate the remaining captives in a state at the center of a long-running crisis of mass kidnappings and village raids by armed groups.

• Congo military court sentences 54 to death over 2017 killings of UN investigators: A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sentenced 54 people to death Monday over the 2017 abduction and killing of United Nations investigators Michael Sharp, an American, and Zaida Catalán, a Swedish-Chilean national, who were murdered while probing violence in the country’s Kasai region. Among those convicted was Congolese army Col. Jean de Dieu Mambweni, whom prosecutors identified as a central figure in the killings.

• Pentagon expands blacklist of alleged Chinese military-linked firms: The U.S. Defense Department added dozens of Chinese companies to its updated contractor restriction list including tech giants Alibaba and Baidu as well as electric vehicle maker BYD, saying they are connected to China’s military or defense industrial base. The designation does not amount to formal sanctions, but it bars the Pentagon from contracting directly with listed firms later this month and from purchasing their products or services through intermediaries beginning in June 2027.

• Switzerland weighs European air defense alternative: Switzerland’s top security official Markus Mäder said Monday the country is prioritizing European interoperability as it considers alternatives to its U.S. Patriot air defense order, which was originally due in 2027 but has been delayed until 2032 or later. In his comments, he expressed interest in the French-Italian SAMP/T system. Switzerland, which remains outside both NATO and the EU, has received responses from France, Germany, Israel, and South Korea as part of its search for a second long-range air defense system.

• Venezuelan acting president Rodriguez meets Erdogan in Istanbul: Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez made an unannounced visit to Istanbul on Monday, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for one-on-one and delegation-level talks focused on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Turkey’s presidential office. Venezuela has become one of Turkey’s most important trade partners in South America; bilateral trade between the countries reached $448 million in 2025, according to official Turkish statistics.

• Kenyan police fire tear gas at protesters opposing U.S. Ebola quarantine facility: Kenyan police dispersed protesters with tear gas Tuesday in Nanyuki, where demonstrations have continued against a 50-bed U.S. quarantine facility being constructed at Laikipia airbase for Americans exposed to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The construction of the facility has continued despite Kenyan court orders barring further work on the site, and U.S. military planes have continued ferrying staff and equipment to the base, with an official statement from the U.S. State Department claiming it is “working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.” Last week’s demonstrations resulted in two deaths.

• Russian strikes kill five overnight: Russian missile and drone strikes killed five people across Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Donetsk regions overnight, including a pregnant woman in the northeastern town of Chuhuiv, Ukrainian officials said, with 16 additional people wounded, including children.

  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a “very positive” call with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Monday and met with British, French, and German leaders in London, where the three European governments reiterated their “unwavering” support for Ukraine and discussed coordinating further pressure on Russia’s war economy ahead of the G7, NATO, and Coalition of the Willing summits.

• Eleven killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir: At least 11 people were killed and dozens were wounded Sunday when police clashed with supporters of the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee in Rawalakot, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a day before a planned JAAC rally demanding greater political rights for people living in the region and the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for Indian Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan—seats a Supreme Court ruling upheld as constitutionally protected just before the violence erupted. Four police officers and a bystander were killed when JAAC supporters opened fire on security forces, who killed six protesters in response. JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir called Sunday’s events “a massacre” and vowed the group would proceed with Tuesday’s rally.

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Iran and Israel exchange fire. Iran declares end to attacks against Israel. President Donald Trump calls for both sides to “stop shooting.” Tehran blames Washington for escalation with Israel. Iranian official says nuclear deal “not really feasible.” Ansarallah to resume attacks on Israel-affiliated vessels in Red Sea. Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue following exchange of fire with Iran. Israel strikes Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah denies direct contact with U.S. At least five killed in Gaza early Monday. Israeli strikes kill at least 13 in Gaza on Sunday. At least 3,189 ceasefire violations committed by Israel in Gaza, report says. Israeli soldier filmed joining settler mob attack on West Bank town of Huwara. Trump pushes back on rate hike expectations. Pentagon elevates Israel espionage threat to “critical.” Trump pardons former Indiana congressman convicted of insider trading. Flesh-eating parasite threatens Texas cattle herd as beef prices hit record highs. Sudanese army drone strikes kill at least 13 civilians at North Kordofan market. Russia strikes Chernobyl spent nuclear fuel facility. Israeli forces kidnap five Syrian civilians. Peru presidential runoff too close to call as quick count shows statistical tie. Bolivia’s legislature grants president authority to deploy military against protesters. Nigerian army rescues 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in Borno State. Xi visits North Korea for first time in seven years. Magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills 32 in southern Philippines. Pashinyan claims victory in Armenia election.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran and Israel exchange fire: Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight and early Monday in the most serious escalation of fighting since a ceasefire was declared on April 8.

  • Iran launched a wave of strikes on northern Israel after Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday without warning, enforcing, for the first time, its demand that Israel abide by a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of the deal. Three houses were damaged after a projectile struck a residential neighborhood in an illegal settlement in the northern West Bank, according to Israeli monitoring account MB Insider. No casualties were reported.

  • Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran and hit a petrochemical factory in the city of Mahshahr. The Security Deputy of Khuzestan Province said the strike caused partial damage. Iranian state television also reported the sound of explosions in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz, and Tehran.

  • Iran fired again in response, with the IRGC claiming it struck Israel’s Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases and targeted a petrochemical facility in Israel.

  • Israel closed all crossings into Gaza and halted the entry of humanitarian aid on Sunday following the Iranian strikes (more in Gaza section below).

• Iran declares end to attacks against Israel: Iran’s armed forces announced on Monday the end of military operations against Israel but warned of “harsher” attacks if Israel resumed strikes on Lebanon according to the Fars news agency—including in southern Lebanon, where Israel is trying to maintain a permanent presence. Israeli military sources speaking to the state’s Army Radio reported Monday that while they have received an order to stop attacks on Iran, strikes on Lebanon will continue.

• Trump calls for both sides to “stop shooting”: President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that “Israel and Iran are looking to do an immediate CEASEFIRE!” Writing on Truth Social, Trump said, “Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly.” In an earlier Truth Social post, Trump said Israel and Iran must “immediately stop shooting.”

  • In an interview with The Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have “no choice” but to accept any agreement the United States reaches with Iran. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots,” Trump said.

• Tehran blames Washington for escalation with Israel: After reporting on Sunday indicated that Trump had asked Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from striking Iran, and Israel subsequently carried out strikes anyway, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei blamed Washington for Israel’s escalation. “No one believes that the Israeli regime would take any action without coordination with the United States,” Baghaei said at a press briefing in Tehran on Monday.

• Iranian official says nuclear deal “not really feasible”: An Iranian official told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill on Sunday that reaching an agreement with Trump is “not really feasible” at this point.

  • The official said a draft agreement has been on Trump’s desk for nearly 20 days, but Trump is “driven by his fear of the Israeli lobby and his hope that the naval blockade plan will prove effective,” adding that “Iran will no longer accept or tolerate his current position.”

  • The two central sticking points, the official claimed, are Israel’s ongoing war against Lebanon and its expanded occupation of southern Lebanon, and Trump’s refusal to unfreeze Iranian funds for reconstruction.

• Ansarallah to resume attacks on Israel-affiliated vessels in Red Sea: Yemen’s Ansarallah claimed an attack on Israel on Monday and said Israel-affiliated vessels would again be targeted in the Red Sea. The statement from Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree was broadcast on television. The group had previously targeted Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, causing global trade disruptions in the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

• U.S. forces shoot down two Iranian drones over Strait of Hormuz: U.S. Central Command announced Saturday, previous to these attacks, that American forces in the Middle East intercepted and destroyed two Iranian one-way attack drones in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Iran prosecuting over 3,000 people accused of collaborating with U.S. and Israel: Iran’s judiciary launched legal proceedings against 3,121 people for “cooperating with the enemy,” a spokesperson told Iranian media, saying those under prosecution are “traitors to the homeland and mercenaries” who collaborated with the US and Israel. Jahangir said over 2,400 of them have been arrested and remain in custody.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,613 people have been killed, and 11,072 wounded, in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue following exchange of fire with Iran: Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Monday, following Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel in response to attacks on Beirut. The strikes hit multiple towns and villages in the Tyre, Zahrani, and Bint Jbeil districts, including al-Samaiyya, Burj al-Shamali, Kfarhouna, Khirbet Dweir, al-Khiraib, and Qalawiyah.

  • One person was killed and several others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the town of al-Khiraib in the Tyre district.

  • At dawn, four people were killed in a series of airstrikes on Zefta, including one attack that hit a shelter.

• Israel strikes Beirut’s southern suburbs: Israeli forces struck the Dahiyeh district of Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, killing at least 2 people and wounding 11 in strikes on residential apartments, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

  • Israel reportedly informed the United States of the strikes in advance, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, though two senior U.S. officials denied to Axios’s Barak Ravid that the White House approved the strikes.

  • Iranian officials, who had previously warned against Israeli strikes on Beirut, responded to the attacks immediately with a wave of strikes on the northern parts of Israel. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, who leads Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, warned that the Beirut strike and the ongoing U.S. naval blockade had crossed a red line, and Iranian MP Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, warned of “a decisive and painful response,” adding: “Look at the sky over the occupied lands tonight.”

• Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon over the weekend:

  • Israel struck a residential building in the town of Saksakiyeh in Lebanon’s Saida district Saturday, killing at least six people and wounding several others, according to Cradle Media.

  • Five Israeli attacks were reported Sunday in the Yater valley area of the Bint Jbeil District in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate.

  • Lebanon’s army confirmed Saturday that Israel attacks had killed three of its personnel, including a brigadier general, a captain, and a soldier. An Israeli drone strike also killed a Lebanese paramedic on Saturday.

• Hezbollah denies direct contact with U.S.: Hezbollah parliament member Ali Moghaddad rejected Trump’s recent suggestion of direct communication with the group, saying Sunday that “there is no direct connection with the American side, whether with Trump or others.” Moghaddad said all communication runs exclusively through intermediaries—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

• Israel bombed Lebanon nearly 3,500 times during “ceasefire”: Israel has ‌carried out nearly 3,500 airstrikes on Lebanon and demolished hundreds of structures since a “ceasefire” was announced by President Donald Trump on April 16, according to Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. In comments published by his office, Salam said between April 17 and ‌June 7, Israel carried out 3,491 airstrikes, 407 demolitions, and six “razing” operations to flatten entire villages in southern Lebanon.

• 29 Lebanese army soldiers killed by Israel since March: At least 29 Lebanese army members have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, according to Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos. Marcos added that three police, one member of the General Security Directorate and 13 state security members have also been killed in Israeli attacks.

• Four Israeli soldiers wounded in southern Lebanon: Four Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drone attack in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, the Israeli military said. Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sunday that 16 Israeli soldiers and officers have been killed since the Lebanon ceasefire was announced on April 16, 2026.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, nine Palestinians were killed and 43 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,980 killed, with 173,171 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 970 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 3,063, while 782 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• At least five killed in Gaza early Monday: Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least five Palestinians early Monday, according to WAFA. Three people were killed in an Israeli attack on Jabalia, while two others were killed and several more injured, some critically, when Israeli forces targeted a group of people in the al-Attar area west of Khan Younis. Separately, an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in northwestern Khan Younis wounded three people, with several more Palestinians reported injured after Israeli aircraft struck Gaza City.

• Israel reimposes full siege on Gaza following Iranian strikes: Israel closed all crossings into Gaza and halted the entry of humanitarian aid on Sunday following Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes, cutting off supplies to roughly 2 million Palestinians in the territory. Israel has imposed similar blanket closures during previous periods of regional escalation, including immediately after the outbreak of war in late February.

• Israeli strikes kill at least 13 on Sunday: Israeli attacks across Gaza, which began at dawn on Sunday, killed at least 13 Palestinians and wounded more than 35 others.

  • Five people were killed, and 17 were injured when an Israeli airstrike struck a police post at Al-Nass Junction in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, and four more were killed when a vehicle near Al-Buraq School in western Gaza City was targeted.

• Israeli navy kills Gaza teenage fisherman off Deir el-Balah coast: Israeli naval vessels opened fire with machine guns on a fishing boat off the coast of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Sunday, killing a 16-year-old fisherman, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

  • At least 238 fishermen have been killed by Israel since October 2023, with more than 20 killed or detained since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza’s Fishermen Syndicate.

  • Israel has banned the entry of fishing equipment into Gaza since October 2023, crippling a sector that once supported roughly 5,000 fishermen, with total losses estimated at over $70 million and more than 90% of fishing infrastructure destroyed.

• Strikes on Saturday: Israeli attacks killed 10 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.

  • An Israeli strike on a tent sheltering displaced families west of Gaza City killed seven Palestinians, including a woman, and wounded at least 15 others Saturday, according to local reports.

  • A child was receiving treatment on Saturday after being shot in the head and arm by Israeli sniper fire in the Al-Mahatta area east of Gaza City.

• At least 3,189 ceasefire violations committed by Israel in Gaza, report says: Israeli forces have carried out at least 3,189 ceasefire violations in Gaza since the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement took effect in October 2025—an average of around 13 violations per day—according to the latest ceasefire monitoring report shared by the Palestinian side and obtained by Drop Site. Only 36.3% of the agreed volume of aid and commercial trucks and 14.8% of fuel deliveries have entered Gaza since the ceasefire came into force, the report says—and at the Rafah crossing, only 34.5% of scheduled travelers have crossed.

• Israeli soldier filmed joining settler mob attack on West Bank town of Huwara: An Israeli soldier was filmed assaulting Palestinian men alongside masked settlers during a violent mob attack on the occupied West Bank town of Huwara that left at least nine residents wounded, the Times of Israel reported Saturday. Dozens of settlers arrived in pickup trucks, beating residents, hurling stones, smashing vehicles and buildings, setting fire to an auto repair shop, and stealing livestock, with one Palestinian suffering serious head injuries. The Israeli military acknowledged the footage, called the soldier’s conduct “serious,” and said it had opened an investigation, though no arrests have been reported.

• Israeli forces arrest Palestinian academic and parents in pre-dawn Hebron raid: Israeli forces arrested Dr. Bilal Al-Shobaki, head of the Political Science Department at Hebron University, in a pre-dawn raid on his home Sunday, also detaining his parents Samira and Mahmoud Al-Shobaki at their residence earlier in the night. Al-Shobaki’s wife Zein Asqalan told The New Arab that a large force of soldiers stormed their building around 2 a.m., searched the home, damaged property, and took Al-Shobaki to an unknown location. Al-Shobaki had returned from an academic exchange program in Italy only hours before his arrest.

• Medicine shortages push West Bank healthcare toward collapse: More than a third of essential medicines stocked by the Palestinian Health Ministry in the occupied West Bank have completely run out, according to a report by Ultra Palestine—including 50 of 97 drug types used to treat cancer patients. Health officials warned that more than 4,000 cancer patients and thousands of kidney dialysis patients are at immediate risk, and that around 11,000 surgeries could be delayed due to shortages. The crisis has been driven in part by Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, compounded by years of underinvestment and mounting debt, with drug suppliers reporting the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian governing body in the occupied West Bank, owes them roughly 1.35 billion shekels (approximately $385 million).

• Leaked documents reveal AI-powered mass surveillance built into Israeli drones: Internal Israeli military documents obtained by Haaretz reveal artificial intelligence and mass-surveillance capabilities built into the Israel Defense Forces’ drone fleet operating over Gaza and Lebanon. The documents show Israeli Hermes 450 and 900 drones, manufactured by Elbit Systems, have flown around the clock since October 7, 2023 using systems to automatically detect, classify, track, and pass targets to command centers, pilots, and ground troops.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump pushes back on rate hike expectations: Trump said that the Federal Reserve would be wrong to raise interest rates, pushing back against market sentiment following a stronger-than-expected May jobs report that spurred bets on a rate increase. “There’s no reason to raise interest rates,” Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press, adding that raising the benchmark rate is “the wrong thing to do” and that rates should instead be lowered

• Pentagon elevates Israel espionage threat to “critical”: The Defense Intelligence Agency has raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to “critical”—its highest level, now placing the U.S. ally above some adversarial nations—after American personnel in Israel discovered spyware on their phones, the New York Times reported Friday. Targets of the reported eavesdropping include Steve Witkoff, Trump’s top Iran negotiator, Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy official, and Michael DiMino IV, the Pentagon’s senior Middle East policy director. The DIA report also details Israeli military officers planting listening devices at DIA headquarters in 2021 and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service attempting to bug a Secret Service vehicle last year.

• Trump pardons former Indiana Rep. convicted of insider trading: President Trump pardoned former Republican Rep. Stephen E. Buyer of Indiana, who was convicted in 2023 on four counts of securities fraud and sentenced to 22 months in prison. Buyer was found to have traded stock on nonpublic information. He purchased $568,000 in Sprint securities after learning that T-Mobile planned to acquire Sprint from a T-Mobile executive, netting more than $107,000 in profit, and bought more than $1 million in Navigant stock after learning from client Guidehouse of its planned acquisition, making a profit of more than $227,000.

• Flesh-eating parasite threatens Texas cattle herd as beef prices hit record highs: The New World screwworm, a fly whose larvae eat living flesh and can kill untreated livestock, has been detected in two calves near the Mexican border in south Texas, alarming agriculture officials and beef industry leaders already contending with record-high prices. A USDA estimate warned a full outbreak could cause $1.8 billion in losses to the Texas economy and cost the state’s farmers $732 million per year. The primary countermeasure—releasing sterile male flies to collapse the pest population—faces a critical bottleneck: the only sterile fly production facility in North America is in Panama and produces roughly 100 million flies per week, far short of the 400 to 500 million needed, with a new Texas facility not set to open until November 2027.

• Trump to attend Game 3 of NBA Finals in NYC amid heightened security: President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend Game 3 of the NBA Final at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Monday night amid heightened security. Ticket holders have been told to arrive at least two hours before tip off without any bags. Mayor Zoran Mamdani is also expected to attend the game. A watch party that had been planned for Monday outside Madison Square Garden has also been canceled for security reasons. The Knicks are appearing in their first finals since 1999 and hold a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series against the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks have not won the NBA national championship in 53 years. Rep. Jim McGovern, Democratic Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said this weekend in a video campaign calling for the NBA to end its complicity in Sudan that, “Fans should know that the sport they are enjoying is fueling crimes against humanity. They should know that the NBA is investing in the UAE, and the UAE is investing in atrocities in Sudan.”

Other International News

• Sudanese army drone strikes kill at least 13 civilians at North Kordofan market: Sudanese Armed Forces drones struck the Abu Zuaima market in Hamrat al-Sheikh, North Kordofan state, Saturday morning, killing 11 civilians and wounding dozens. Less than 24 hours earlier, similar strikes on villages and civilian vehicles in the same area killed at least two more, according to Sudan Tribune. Hamrat al-Sheikh, held by theRapid Support Forces(RSF) sits at a strategic crossroads connecting Kordofan, Northern state, and the Darfur region, and has faced continuous SAF airstrikes.

  • Separately, a Rapid Support Forces drone struck a fuel station and other locations in El Obeid, a key North Kordofan city on Saturday, according to the Darfur Victims Support Organization.

• Russia strikes Chernobyl spent nuclear fuel facility: Russian forces targeted a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near Ukraine’s Chernobyl power plant Sunday, significantly damaging a fuel-reception building meters away from where large amounts of nuclear material are stored, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had been briefed by Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “extremely vile” and accused Russia of using a Shahed drone. Ukraine’s state atomic agency Energoatom said no spent fuel was stored in the building at the time, the resulting fire was extinguished, and no injuries were reported. Radiation levels remained within normal range.

  • Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian attacks killed at least five people Sunday, including two killed by a guided bomb at a bus stop in Zaporizhzhia and two more killed in drone and aerial bomb strikes in Dnipropetrovsk.

• Israeli forces kidnap five Syrian civilians: Israeli forces kidnapped five civilians, including two minors, during two incursions into Syria’s Quneitra province early Sunday, according to the Sijil Centre, which documents Israeli violations in Syria. Four of those detained were from the village of Jbata al-Khashab in northern Quneitra and one from Sayda al-Hanout in the province’s south.

• Peru presidential runoff too close to call as quick count shows statistical tie: Peru’s presidential runoff remained too close to call Sunday as Ipsos Peru’s 100% quick count showed leftist Roberto Sánchez with 50.3% of verified votes against conservative Keiko Fujimori’s 49.7%, a margin within the poll’s ±1.9% margin of error.

• Bolivia’s legislature grants president authority to deploy military against protesters: Bolivia’s Chamber of Deputies passed a law Sunday granting President Rodrigo Paz the authority to use the military to clear roadblocks set up by anti-government protesters. The law allows soldiers to use force against protesters and grants them a “presumption of legality,” meaning their actions will be deemed lawful unless proven otherwise. Weeks of demonstrations have called for Paz to resign over rising inflation, low wages, and his abolition of fuel subsidies.

• Nigerian army rescues 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in Borno State: The Nigerian army secured the release of 360 people abducted by Boko Haram earlier this year in the country’s northeast, it announced Sunday, after state forces deployed in a rescue operation in the Mandara mountains in the country’s southern Borno state. Two infants died due to the difficult terrain and conditions of captivity, army spokesperson Haruna Sani said. A local youth leader and Borno senator confirmed the release to AFP but said the group included more than 400 people; Boko Haram had demanded millions of Nigerian naira in ransom.

• Xi visits North Korea for first time in seven years: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday for his first visit to North Korea since 2019, holding talks with Kim Jong Un amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korean outlets described the trip as a demonstration of the countries’ “invincible friendship.”

• Magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills 32 in southern Philippines: A powerful offshore earthquake struck near Mindanao in the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 32 people and triggering tsunami warnings across parts of Southeast Asia. Authorities reported widespread damage, power outages, and dozens of aftershocks as rescue crews searched collapsed structures, though tsunami alerts were lifted.

• Pashinyan claims victory in Armenia election: Incumbent Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed victory early Monday after preliminary results showed his ruling Civil Contract party winning about 49% of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary election. Pashinyan called the result a “historic victory,” while opposition figures alleged pressure and arrests during the campaign. Pashinyan ran on a campaign of building ties with the West and pivoting away from Russia in the wake of the loss of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to an earlier Azeri invasion and the lack of support from Moscow.

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Palestine

• Israeli attacks continue across Gaza: Israeli forces continued ceasefire violations across Gaza Thursday night and into early Friday, killing at least two Palestinians and wounding dozens. Israeli strikes hit a displacement tent, a gas station, residential buildings, civilian vehicles, and a bicycle, while naval gunboats opened fire on the Gaza City coastline, Palestine Online reported.

  • Israeli forces bombed a tent west of Khan Younis at 4:07 a.m., killing an 18-year-old and wounding a sleeping grandfather, according to Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha.

  • Another person was killed and others wounded in a strike on the Isleem Petroleum Station near Al-Sha’abiyya junction in Gaza City, five were wounded in a strike on a residential building in Tel al-Hawa, and Israeli drones struck a civilian vehicle on Al-Quds Street with three missiles before reportedly pursuing the fleeing driver with further strikes.

• “The war is not over”: Gaza grandfather whose daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren were burned alive rejects claims of ceasefire: Ibrahim Labad’s family was burned to death after an Israeli strike set their Gaza City apartment ablaze shortly after midnight Thursday. He told Drop Site contributor Mohamed Ahmed that claims the war has ended are a trick. “I only saw myself and my wife. Everything else was darkness and fire,” Labad said, describing being pulled out through a small opening under the door before learning five members of his family had been killed and several others wounded. Nine-year-old Hala Labad survived the strike as the sole remaining member of her immediate family. “Every day there are martyrs. Every single day. Everywhere in Gaza there are martyrs,” Labad said. “What war ended? It only ended for one side.”

• Iranian foreign minister reaffirms support for Palestinians: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone on Thursday with Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, covering developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the broader region, according to a Hamas statement. Al-Hayya praised Iran’s insistence on a simultaneous cessation of war on all fronts and briefed Araghchi on conditions in Gaza, including Israel obstructing an implementation of the ceasefire while reaffirming the resistance factions’ commitment to continuing until Palestinian national objectives are achieved.

• Hamas arrives in Cairo ahead of new round of ceasefire talks: A Hamas delegation led by Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s leader in Gaza, arrived in Cairo on Friday ahead of a new round of negotiations expected to begin on Saturday and continue for several days. Hamas said the talks with Egyptian officials and mediators would focus on completing implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, stopping “repeated Zionist aggressions” on the Gaza Strip, and establishing mechanisms for moving to the second phase of the deal. The delegation is also expected to hold meetings with Palestinian factions to coordinate a unified national position.

• Gaza flotilla volunteers held 11 days in Libyan “black site” enter dry hunger and water strike: Ten volunteers with the Global Sumud Flotilla, detained in Benghazi, Libya for 11 days while attempting to reach Gaza, are in deteriorating condition after entering a dry hunger and water strike on Monday. The group has been held without access to lawyers, embassies, or independent medical teams. In a secretly placed phone call, one detainee described their location as “a black site similar to a CIA black site, a prison that has no name.” The organizations are calling on the Argentine government (one member is an Argentine national), the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the foreign ministries of all nationalities involved to intervene immediately to prevent irreversible harm.

• Ireland bans Ben Gvir and Smotrich from entering the country: Ireland announced a ban on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, barring them from entering the country over their anti-Palestinian statements and conduct toward Gaza flotilla activists, according to the Times of Israel. Irish Prime Minister, Micheal Martin, said last month that the two extremist ministers’ statements “essentially amount to a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine.” Both ministers have previously been sanctioned by several EU countries for inciting extremist violence.

• Israel transfers Gaza doctor to solitary confinement: Israeli authorities transferred detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya to solitary confinement at Nafha Prison on June 3 following his legal team’s challenge to an extension of his detention, with his lawyer describing the move as punitive and saying it has left Abu Safiya without necessary medical treatment. Healthcare Workers Watch reports that at least 83 Palestinian healthcare workers are currently held by Israel, including 75 from Gaza.

• Palestinian rights group says May was deadliest month of 2026 in Gaza: May 2026 recorded the highest death toll for any month of 2026, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights announced Thursday, with 119 killed, including 19 children and 10 women. Women, children, and the elderly accounted for roughly 30% of Israel’s victims in May.

• Israeli forces shoot two Palestinians in Hebron: Israeli forces shot two Palestinians—injuring one seriously—when they attempted to access their land near Hebron, as armed settlers ploughed the property for a second consecutive day, raised Israeli flags, and blocked roads with earth mounds and stones to prevent residents from reaching their fields, Wafa reported. Settlers also assaulted a third Palestinian in the area, leaving him wounded.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,558 people have been killed, and 10,870 wounded, in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

• Israeli strikes kill eight in Lebanon on Friday:

  • At least eight people were killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Friday, according to the state’s National News Agency. Four people were killed in multiple Israeli drone strikes across areas in the south. Two men were killed in separate incidents in Nabatieh and Kfar Roumman after Israeli drones struck their vehicles. In two other strikes, Israeli drones targeted motorcycles in Bint Jbeil and in Deir al-Zahrani, killing one person in each attack.

  • An Israeli strike on Doueir destroyed a residential building and killed one person, leaving another in critical condition. In Habboush, two separate strikes killed two men, one of whom was a physician.

  • A strike on Qalawiya Tower killed one person and wounded another, and Israeli aircraft bombed Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Zibdine, Shoukin, and Jibchit. Near Tyre, warplanes struck close to Jabal Amel Hospital targeting the Bank Audi area, while Israeli forces carried out a demolition operation in Khiam.

  • The Israeli military also issued forced displacement orders on Friday to residents of nine towns in southern Lebanon.

• Parties continue to respond to Wednesday’s “ceasefire agreement”:

  • Israeli Defense Minister hails Lebanon ceasefire for codifying Israel’s right to maintain a presence: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the U.S.-brokered Lebanon ceasefire declaration includes “unequivocal” support for Hezbollah’s disarmament, the removal of Hezbollah forces from south of the Litani River, continued IDF presence in Lebanon, as well as a “freedom of action for Israel.” Katz described the agreement as an “expression of the reality” Israel’s military has created in Lebanon and said it could eventually lead to a formal “peace” agreement with the Lebanese state.

  • Lebanese parliament speaker rejects “booby-trapped” ceasefire, says Hezbollah withdrawal contingent on Israeli pullback: Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament and leader of Lebanon’s Amal Movement, the Shia ally of Hezbollah, criticized the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan as a “hybrid agreement” that had been “booby-trapped” with conditions, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Berri said the text could have been viewed positively had it simply called for an unconditional ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas, but instead included provisions requiring “a complete cessation of fire by Hezbollah” and the withdrawal of its fighters from south of the Litani River. He said he would only accept two principles: “a full and comprehensive ceasefire without conditions” and a parallel withdrawal of both Hezbollah from south of the Litani and Israeli forces from territories they occupy. “The rest of the text is unjust and not worth mentioning,” he added.

  • IRGC demands full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Quds Force issued separate statements Thursday declaring that no calm will be established in the region without a full Israeli withdrawal. The IRGC said its primary condition for accepting a ceasefire in the regional war has been a halt to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and warned that the Lebanese people will not allow Israel to achieve through a forced agreement what it failed to achieve through war. “The enemy must immediately halt its attacks on the people of Lebanon, and swiftly withdraw to international borders by evacuating the occupied Lebanese territories, and recognize the territorial integrity of Lebanon,” the IRGC said, according to Press TV. “Our primary condition for accepting a ceasefire in the regional war has been a ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon.”

• Israel killed 91 medical workers of one health body in Lebanon: At least 91 medical personnel of the Islamic Health Authority in Lebanon have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks across the country, the organization said Friday via Al-Araby TV. Mahmoud Karki, a media official in the healthcare and emergency service provider affiliated with Hezbollah, said Israeli forces claim, without evidence, that ambulances are being used to transport weapons. Israel has killed over 125 health workers in Lebanon since March 2, according to the state’s Health Ministry.

• Hezbollah claims operations in southern Lebanon: Hezbollah claimed strikes on six Merkava tanks around Beaufort Castle using guided missiles and Ababil suicide drones, and the downing of four Israeli Hermes-450 surveillance drones using surface-to-air missiles. The group also claimed strikes on a command position around Beaufort Castle, a newly established logistical support center in Yahmar al-Shaqif, a site in Al-Adaisseh hit with a drone swarm, and repeated rocket and artillery barrages targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicle concentrations throughout the night.

  • Israeli captain killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missile in southern Lebanon: An Israeli Armored Corps captain in the 75th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade was killed after a Hezbollah fighter fired a guided anti-tank missile at his tank north of the Litani River, according to Israeli military reports. The 21-year-old was the fourth Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon this week.

Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran’s foreign minister warns U.S. bases in region are legitimate targets: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Friday that U.S. bases in the region used for any aggression against Iran are legitimate targets, and said Iran had warned regional states accordingly. When discussing the war more generally, Araghchi said that standing against the world’s greatest nuclear-armed power for 40 days has been “no joke” and that “the world has realized the true power of the Iranian nation.”

  • In the same remarks, Araghchi noted Iran’s commitment to “fostering sustainable, constructive ties with Saudi Arabia.”

• Oman reportedly briefly suspends oil loading at primary crude export terminal: Oman suspended oil loading operations at the Mina al Fahal terminal near Muscat on Thursday, its primary facility, after an explosion near its offshore berths, according to Reuters. Two sources familiar with the matter told the outlet that the shutdown is believed to have been caused by a drone attack. Oman’s largest oil producer later said the terminal was operating normally.

• CNN footage reveals fire aboard USS Gerald Ford was far more severe than Pentagon acknowledged: New footage obtained by CNN shows the fire, which was reported aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier two months ago, was more extensive than the Pentagon’s official account suggested, disrupting the operational capability of the $13 billion warship at the height of the U.S. war on Iran. The Navy had claimed the fire was quickly contained, and the carrier remained fully operational, but CNN’s footage shows devastated sailors’ quarters with collapsed ceilings, burnt metal, and deformed beds amid piles of ash.

• Houthi leader warns of readiness for escalation: Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Thursday in a televised address on Al-Masirah TV that his group is prepared for regional escalation and is coordinating with its regional allies on developments in Lebanon and Palestine. Separately, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry expressed support for Hezbollah, calling resistance the “most effective option” to end Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory and halt attacks.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• House Armed Services Committee rejects amendment to strip U.S.-Israel military integration provision from defense bill: The House Armed Services Committee rejected Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) amendment Thursday to strip Section 224 from the National Defense Authorization Act, a provision that would require the Pentagon to designate an executive agent to synchronize cooperative efforts between the U.S. and Israeli militaries. The measure failed in a voice vote.

  • The provision follows a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) endorsing a “move from aid recipient to partner,” language Khanna said Section 224 directly mirrors. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the committee’s top Democrat, said he opposed Netanyahu’s leadership but backed the provision regardless. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has pledged to introduce an amendment to revoke Section 224 when the NDAA goes to a full House floor vote.

  • Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), the only other committee member to join Khanna in opposition to the measure, encouraged people to “Watch as a stream of Republicans and Democrats stand up in support of the enhanced cooperation.”

• Tlaib’s Lebanon War Powers Resolution defeated: The Lebanon War Powers Resolution proposed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was defeated on Thursday after drawing support from 90 lawmakers, prompting Democratic leadership to back a separate resolution they said would prevent direct U.S. involvement in the conflict. Ahead of the vote, Tlaib told Drop Site’s Julian Andreone that every day of inaction results in 11 more Lebanese children killed or injured by the Israeli military in what she called a U.S.-supported invasion. After the vote, Tlaib urged House Democratic leadership to move forward with a new Lebanon War Powers Resolution.

• Senate passes $70 billion immigration enforcement bill: The Senate voted 52-47 Friday morning to approve $70 billion in additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol, sending the bill to the House with no Democratic support; Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was the only Republican to vote against the bill. The marathon session was repeatedly upended by Trump’s controversial “anti-weaponization fund,” which Trump said Wednesday he considers “so important,” even as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the Justice Department would not move forward with it. Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Jon Husted (Ohio), and Dan Sullivan (Alaska)—all facing competitive reelection races in November—voted with Democrats on a failed 50-49 motion to eliminate the provision.

• House passes agriculture spending bill that would slash WIC fruit and vegetable benefits: The House voted 213-210 Thursday to pass a bill to fund the Agriculture Department that would cut $141 million in fruit and vegetable funding from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which serves nearly 5.4 million pregnant women and young children, according to the Washington Post. The National WIC Association estimated the cuts would reduce monthly produce benefits from $52 to $13 for breastfeeding mothers and from $26 to $10 for young children, as grocery prices continue to rise nationally.

• ICE eliminates requirement to report deaths occurring within 30 days of release from custody: ICE acting director David Venturella sent a memo to agency employees on Thursday announcing that the agency is ending its requirement to report deaths that occur within 30 days of a detainee’s release. The agency will report only deaths that occur while people remain in agency custody, the Washington Post reported, reverting a 30-day rule adopted under the Biden administration. The policy change comes as ICE has recorded 18 detainee deaths in the first five months of 2026.

• Trump administration has re-separated dozens of families protected by landmark settlement, AP investigation finds: The Trump administration has re-separated dozens of children from parents, in contravention of a 2023 court settlement that protects these families—a settlement that the first Trump administration’s policy of family separation precipitated—according to a new investigation by the Associated Press. In some cases, officials have deported parents even after being notified by the ACLU that they were off limits for removal.

  • Among those affected is Ederson Galicia Alva, an 11-year-old who was first taken from his mother at the border in 2018 at age three, then separated last June again when agents arrested his mother near Mar-a-Lago and deported her to Guatemala. “I felt the very same thing I went through the first time,” his mother said in response to the outlet. “I was living it all over again.” Read the AP’s full investigation here.

• AIPAC super PAC spends $1.2 million in Maryland congressional race to replace Steny Hoyer: AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, has spent nearly $1.2 million to boost Adrian Boafo—retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer’s former campaign manager and a former lobbyist for Oracle, Jewish Insider reports. Prince George’s County Councilmember and congressional candidate Wala Blegay, speaking with Breaking Points, argued the race extends beyond AIPAC, with residents facing soaring utility bills, federal layoffs, and a wave of proposed AI data centers tied to the same corporate interests funding establishment politics.

• Whistleblower says DOGE sought to have 2.7 million living people declared dead to pressure immigrants into self-deportation: A former senior Social Security Administration official has disclosed in a whistleblower complaint to Senate investigators that DOGE officials sought to have 2.7 million living people, including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, added to the agency’s Death Master File as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, the Washington Post reported Thursday. Jeremiah Schofield, who spent 25 years at the agency, said he refused to implement the plan after sampling 25 names from the list and finding all were alive, and that a DOGE official confirmed on a speakerphone call that the goal was to force immigrants to self-deport or show up at Social Security offices where they could be arrested. The Social Security Administration said the plan was never carried out, though the Post previously reported that a smaller version—marking 6,100 immigrants as dead—was implemented last year.

• New York Times drops investigation into Graham Platner: The New York Times published an investigation into Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s past relationships on Thursday, with the most serious allegation from ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield stating that Platner shoved her into a room. Fifield is a longtime Republican operative, with past stints at the Heritage Foundation, super PACs, and the Chamber of Commerce. Notably, after publication, Fifield’s podcast co-host Bethany Mandel confirmed on X that Fifield was the original source of the claim that Platner had bragged about “my Totenkopf”—but that when that anonymous claim had not tanked his candidacy, she went to the Times.

Other International News

• WFP warns U.S.-Iran war is pushing 45 million people toward acute hunger: The United Nations World Food Programme warned on Friday that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war is putting millions at risk of hunger. The sharpest impacts of the war have been felt in fragile states already facing preexisting vulnerabilities. In Somalia, 6.5 million people—roughly a third of the population—are expected to face severe hunger in 2026, with an additional 2.5 million unable to afford a basic food basket, while Afghanistan could see 17.4 million people affected on top of 13.8 million who were already food insecure before the war. The WFP also warned of a “double squeeze” on the global humanitarian system from rising delivery costs, estimating it will serve 1.5 million fewer people than planned in 2026, and that a six-month continuation of the conflict could cause more than 9 million additional people to lose assistance altogether.

• Trump administration sanctions Cuban president, first lady, and Castro family members: The Trump administration sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Lady Lis Cuesta Peraza, his stepson Manuel Anido Cuesta, Raúl Castro’s son Alejandro Castro Espín, and Castro’s grandson Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis on Thursday, along with five entities, including Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. Díaz-Canel called the measures “illegitimate,” saying Washington’s “aggressiveness will clash with our determination to resist.”

  • Trump told reporters Thursday that the island nation is “sort of collapsed” and threatening to “handle that” as soon as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran concludes. “We’ll take care of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and as soon as that is done, on our way back we’ll just make a brief stopover.”

• Trump administration backs Bolivian president against protests: War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. military would “reject all attempts to overthrow the legitimate government” of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, and framed mass anti-government protests by teachers, miners, farmers, and union workers as an attempted coup linked to “narco-terrorists.” Paz, who was elected in October and attended the Trump administration’s inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Coalition summit in March, has faced mounting unrest since scrapping fuel subsidies and pursuing economic reforms that have alarmed Bolivia’s powerful coca farming unions.

• Hundreds protest outside UNHCR headquarters in Tripoli demanding expulsion of migrants, closure of UN agency: Hundreds of Libyans gathered outside the UNHCR headquarters in Tripoli on Thursday in the largest of several recent anti-migrant demonstrations, chanting “Libya belongs to Libyans” and calling for the closure of the UN refugee agency, which they accused of seeking to permanently settle undocumented migrants in the country. Demonstrators erected tents, blocked the building’s main gate with a truckload of sand, and carried signs reading “Libya is not the world’s garbage bin.” The UN mission in Libya denied running any resettlement programs in the country, saying it works to find solutions outside Libya, including evacuation to third countries and voluntary returns, and warned against the spread of hate and incitement against UN staff. Libya, with a population of roughly 7 million, hosts an estimated 900,000 migrants according to the International Organization for Migration, many of them Sudanese refugees.

• Russian drone strike kills four outside Kyiv: A Russian drone strike on a dairy factory in the Kyiv region killed four people and wounded seven Friday, destroying an administrative building and damaging two vehicles at a facility that produced yogurt and baby food, regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces also struck food warehouses and a postal facility in Dnipropetrovsk, an ambulance in Kherson, a school in Sumy, port infrastructure in Odesa, and an outpatient clinic in Kharkiv, and repeated his calls for additional air defense support and sustained economic pressure on Moscow.

  • Zelenskyy proposes direct talks with Putin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an open letter to Vladimir Putin to propose direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, saying it would be “wrong to simply wait” for the war in Europe to become Washington’s focus again and calling for a full ceasefire during talks—an idea Putin had earlier ruled out. While proposing a peace framework, the letter also included mockery of Putin, pointing to Ukraine’s recent strikes inside Russia and saying that “after 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll” on the Russian leader.

  • IAEA brokers localized ceasefire around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for repairs: The International Atomic Energy Agency announced Friday that it has brokered a localized ceasefire around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—Europe’s largest—to allow technicians from both sides to repair war-related damage to the Dniprovska power line, which has been severed for more than two months and left the plant reliant on a single backup line to cool its six shutdown reactors.

• Xi Jinping to visit North Korea next week in first trip to Pyongyang in seven years: Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on June 8–9 at Kim Jong Un’s invitation, state broadcaster CCTV announced Friday, marking Xi’s first trip to Pyongyang since 2019. Kim has supplied troops and weapons to Russia’s war in Ukraine, after Xi hosted Putin in Beijing last month to discuss the U.S. war with Iran, and Trump has expressed interest in reviving his own relationship with Kim. The visit comes as Kim called on Thursday for an “exponential” expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

• U.S. terrorist designations of Brazilian gangs raise fears of military intervention: The U.S. designation of Brazil’s Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital as foreign terrorist organizations, effective Friday, could shift investigations currently handled by the FBI, DEA, and U.S. immigration authorities to the CIA, according to two São Paulo state officials who spoke to Reuters anonymously. Brazilian officials in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration also fear the designation could pave the way for U.S. military or covert actions in Brazil similar to operations carried out in Venezuela and against Mexican cartels. “We will not allow any form of foreign intervention ​in our country,” National Public Security Secretary Chico Lucas told the outlet.

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FROM DROP SITE:

• Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill discusses U.S.–Iran negotiations, Gaza, and the U.K. government’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech in an interview with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim.

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Lebanon

• Hezbollah rejects “illusory” ceasefire, demands Israeli withdrawal and end to aggression: Hezbollah rejected a new ceasefire plan announced Wednesday by the U.S., Israel, and the Lebanese government that was negotiated without its participation.

  • The United States, Israel, and Lebanon issued a joint statement Wednesday announcing that they had signed a ceasefire agreement reportedly conditioned on Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani River, complete cessation of Hezbollah fire, and the creation of “pilot zones” under exclusive Lebanese Armed Forces control. It includes no provision requiring Israel’s withdrawal from the country, nor does it call for a complete cessation of Israeli strikes.

  • In the statement, the three parties condemned Iran, citing its “ongoing activities that undermine stability throughout the Middle East.” The statement also notes that the U.S. has committed to supporting the Lebanese military in its attempt to assert control of the country. Talks between the parties are set to reconvene the week of June 22, when a “comprehensive agreement” will be under discussion.

  • Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem rejected the “illusory” ceasefire proposal in a televised statement, saying it was “a roadmap for the annihilation of a section of the Lebanese ​people and the enslavement of the rest.” Qassem said that any ceasefire must include southern Lebanon, and “ending the comprehensive aggression, achieving a ceasefire, and securing Israel’s withdrawal.” “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation,” Qassem added.

  • Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described ceasefire negotiations as difficult, saying the head of the Lebanese delegation Simon Karam suspended participation at one point due to Israeli intransigence, prompting Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene and revive the talks. Aoun called the resulting agreement “a last opportunity,” and said implementation could begin within 24 hours once all parties provide their approval.

• Israeli officials signal that they will not respect ceasefire, continue strikes:

  • IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared on Wednesday, prior to the new ceasefire plan being announced, that “there is no ceasefire” for Israeli forces in Lebanon. “We are working to maximize the freedom of action that has been granted to us and will seize every opportunity to remove threats to the citizens of Israel and to our forces,” he said. He added that Israel would not withdraw from its self-declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon until it believes the “threats to northern Israeli communities have been removed”, and threatened to maintain troop positions along the so-called “Yellow Line” indefinitely.

  • Similarly, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the ceasefire with Lebanon grants the Israeli military the “freedom” to strike Beirut in response to any Hezbollah fire on Israeli communities. Katz stated that Israeli forces would continue their military operations within the country, remain in the security zone up to the “Yellow Line,” and press on in its efforts to “dismantle” Hezbollah’s infrastructure.

• Casualty count: At least 3,526 people have been killed, and 10,733 injured, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue Thursday:

  • Five people were killed and four others were wounded in an Israeli strike on Sohmor in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Thursday, according to the state-run National News Agency. An Israeli attack on a motorcycle in Maaroub killed one person and wounded another. Three people were also killed in a strike on Al-Abassiya in Tyre.

  • The Israeli military also issued an order to residents of southern Lebanon Thursday, demanding they not return to areas south of the Zahrani river, and stating that “anyone who travels south would be putting their life at risk.”

  • A series of mortar attacks killed a UNIFIL peacekeeper on Thursday morning at a Spanish base near Marjayoun in southern Lebanon and wounded two others, the UN mission said. UNIFIL later reported that the peacekeeper was a Serbian national, though it has yet announced who was responsible for the attack. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed Thursday that a mortar attack wounded two Spanish members of the UN mission, and offered his nation’s “most absolute condemnation of the violence” on X.

• Hezbollah reports strikes on Israeli officer, soldiers: A Hezbollah explosive FPV drone struck the vehicle of IDF Northern Command chief Major General Rafi Milo in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting it just after he and an aide stepped out during a field visit to a village with other officers. No casualties were reported from the attack, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. Hezbollah also announced on Thursday that it targeted a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers with drones in the town of Al-Qantara.

• Israel kills five paramedics in Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike on the town of Zebdine in the Nabatieh district killed one paramedic and wounded a second on Wednesday, according to the country’s Health Ministry. This was at least the fifth paramedic killed in Lebanon that day.

Iran and Ceasefire

• Iranian foreign minister says ceasefire must cover Lebanon: In a wide-ranging interview with Al-Mayadeen earlier on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any end to the war must halt hostilities across all fronts, declaring that, “Either the war stops in both Iran and Lebanon, or it doesn’t stop in either.” Araghchi said he personally lobbied Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure Lebanon was explicitly included in any ceasefire text.

  • Also concerning Lebanon, Araghchi called Hezbollah “an integral part of Lebanon’s political structure,” and complimented the party’s current Secretary General, Naim Qassem, for exceeding Iran’s expectations in the current conflict.

  • Regarding negotiations, Araghchi said messages continue to be exchanged with Washington, but “no progress has been made in days.” He also argued that the 40-day war had disproved American assumptions that Iran was a “weak country,” stating that “the Americans were forced to seek negotiations,” because the Iranian people had united against it.

• Trump says Iran was “reciprocating” U.S. strikes, declares ceasefire still intact: President Donald Trump addressed this week’s hostilities in an Oval Office press gaggle on Wednesday. He told reporters that Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain were a direct response to prior U.S. military action, stating that Iran was “slightly provoked,” and stopped short of condemning the strikes. “There’s a reason for everything,” Trump said. Trump claimed that the broader ceasefire agreement remains in effect, and added that negotiations are progressing “very well.” “If it happens,” he said, referring to a potential ceasefire deal, “it may happen over the weekend.”

• Satellite imagery appears to show damage at U.S. air base in Kuwait following Iranian strikes: New satellite imagery released on Soar Atlas Thursday appears to show damage at the U.S. Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait following Wednesday’s Iranian attacks, undercutting the U.S. claim that all incoming missiles and drones were intercepted or failed.

• Khamenei warns of Israeli and U.S. attempts to sow division: Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that the United States and Israel, having failed militarily and suffered what he called “deep humiliation,” have shifted to a hybrid war aimed at sowing doubt, despair, and division within Iran. “Any action that breeds cynicism or despair among the people is a form of helping the enemy of this country and its people,” he said, urging Iranians to respond to these efforts with “steadfastness, clear-sightedness and unity.”

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, 11 Palestinians were killed and 32 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,956 killed, with 173,043 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 947 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,935, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israel bombards Gaza City, killing at least 9: At least nine Palestinians were killed and 15 others were wounded in a wave of Israeli airstrikes that struck Gaza City shortly after midnight Thursday. The strikes hit homes in Al-Shati refugee camp, the Karama neighborhood, Tel al-Hawa, and Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City. Witnesses described widespread destruction and bodies burned beyond recognition after homes were hit while families were sleeping. One strike on an apartment in northwestern Gaza City killed five people, leaving a nine-year-old girl as the sole survivor among her relatives.

• Palestinian agencies say Gaza war generated 33.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions: The Israeli war on Gaza generated an estimated 33.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions—comparable to the annual emissions of some countries—according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Environmental Quality Authority via WAFA. About 1.9 million tonnes were linked directly to Israeli military operations and the remainder associated with debris removal and future reconstruction. In a joint statement marking World Environment Day, the agencies said Gaza is facing a severe environmental collapse, citing the destruction of more than 90% of wastewater infrastructure, the accumulation of around 710,000 tonnes of household waste and more than 60 million tonnes of rubble from the destruction of over 330,000 housing units. The statement also cited a recent UNOSAT report showing that about 86% of Gaza’s agricultural land had been damaged or destroyed by the end of June 2025, rising to 94% in northern Gaza. The agencies further reported a rise in Israeli environmental violations in the occupied West Bank, with 685 incidents recorded in 2025 compared with 535 in 2024.

• Israeli forces and settlers carry out raids, assaults, and detentions across the occupied West Bank: Israeli forces wounded five Palestinians during a Thursday raid on a home in Doha west of Bethlehem. In Nablus, dozens of Israeli military vehicles and a bulldozer stormed Joseph’s Tomb overnight, and in Beita, Israeli settlers reportedly beat a Palestinian man, according to Al Jazeera. Israeli troops also detained dozens of Palestinian workers near Tarqumiyah and Beit Ula northwest of Hebron. Eight Palestinians were also detained in Ramallah and al-Bireh, including a disabled woman.

• Israeli soldiers detain American college student, Palestine football team players in West Bank: Israeli soldiers raided the Ramallah home of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American citizen and second-year student at Birzeit University, at around 3:00 a.m. on Monday, detaining her alongside three other female students—Natalie Abu Diya, Jolan Abu Awwad, and Laila Khalil—as part of a broader overnight sweep that resulted in at least 31 Palestinian detentions across the West Bank. Safi is being held without charge, and the Israeli government has not notified her family or the U.S. Embassy of her whereabouts or the basis for her detention. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) condemned the arrest on Thursday, calling upon the State Department to “secure her release NOW.” One of the women detained, Natalie Abu Diya, is a former player with Palestine’s national football team; another current player, Rand Halawani, was also detained after being summoned to an Israeli police station.

• More than 9,500 Palestinians reported missing in Gaza since October 2023, including thousands of women and children: More than 9,500 Palestinians have gone missing since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, among them approximately 4,700 women and children, Gaza-based human rights organization Al-Damir reported Thursday. More than 8,100 are believed trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, while over 800 were detained by Israeli forces at military checkpoints during displacement between northern and southern Gaza. Al-Damir called the disappearances a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and said Israel bears full responsibility as the occupying power for disclosing the fate of the missing.

• Israeli court overturns Red Cross ban as Palestinian Prisoners Society condemns judicial “legal cover”: Israel’s High Court of Justice unanimously ruled that the government’s blanket ban on visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Palestinian prisoners is unlawful and must be revoked, according to the Times of Israel. The ban, imposed after October 7, 2023, was challenged by several rights groups. Responding to the ruling, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society head Abdullah Al-Zaghari said the decision would remain “devoid of practical effect” unless it results in the immediate resumption of Red Cross visits and meaningful protections for detainees. He also said the ruling should not serve as a pretext to overlook the Supreme Court’s longstanding role in providing “legal legitimacy” to occupation policies and a system of impunity. Al-Zaghari said Israeli courts have played an increasingly dangerous role since the start of the Gaza war by furnishing “legal cover” for ongoing abuses against Palestinians, including prisoners, who have been subjected to starvation, denial of medical treatment, and torture.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end Iran war: The House passed a concurrent resolution Wednesday directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress explicitly authorizes the use of military force, with four Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Tom Barrett (Mich.), and Warren Davidson (Ohio)—joining every Democrat in support. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, invokes the 1973 War Powers Act, whose 60-day window for unauthorized military operations closed in early May.

• Tlaib proposes Lebanon war powers resolution: The House is scheduled to vote on a Lebanon War Powers resolution brought forward by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Members debated the bill yesterday; in one exchange, Tlaib explained to Republican Brian Mast (Fla.)—one of the House’s most ardent supporters of Israel and a former volunteer in its military—that the act only restricts U.S. forces from engaging in hostilities. “If U.S. armed forces are there and they’re not participating in this ethnic cleansing campaign [or] they’re training the Lebanese Armed Forces—then they’re fine,” she said.

  • Despite the passage of a similar bill regarding the administration’s power to wage war against Iran, Tlaib’s bill has a difficult path to passage, with Axios reporting that Reps. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.)—the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence Committees—are all on the fence. House Minority Leader Hakeem said he hasn’t “taken a look” at the bill when asked about his vote, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), an avowedly pro-Israel Democrat who initially hesitated to vote for the Iran war powers resolution, has said he would not vote in favor of the measure. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Calif.), the former chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told Drop Site’s Julian Andreone he plans to vote yes.

  • During the same deliberations, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) upbraided Tlaib, accusing her of “advocating” for Hezbollah “on a daily basis.” He added to this a charge that she “liked to hang out” with the group, whom he described as “butchers” and “terrorists.” Tlaib protested the remarks, prompting a shouting match between the two, and requested Miller’s comments be stricken from the record, which they ultimately were.

• Gonzales-Torres advances in California: Progressive Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres is projected to advance to the general election for U.S. House in California’s 34th Congressional District, the AP reported on Wednesday. She will face incumbent Rep. Jimmy Gomez, an AIPAC beneficiary facing a sexual misconduct investigation.

• Congress presses Rubio on Israel:

  • During congressional testimony on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to answer a question from Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) about Israel’s nuclear capabilities. “That’s a question…you know, they’ve never acknowledged they’ve had a nuclear program,” Rubio answered. “Speaking frankly, I think most of the world assesses that they do, but they’ve never acknowledged that, probably,” he said, before adding that it was a “feature” of U.S. foreign policy that “we don’t discuss it.”

  • When Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.) pressed Marco Rubio during his appearance about the number of Palestinians killed while attempting to access food aid in Gaza, Rubio deflected, attributing the deaths to Hamas. Dean pushed back, saying: “IDF soldiers shot some of them. Propaganda ain’t gonna work with me.”

• House moves forward on fusing U.S. and Israeli militaries: Responding to pressure to end U.S. support for the Israeli military, Israeli and U.S. leaders are instead pushing simply to merge the two militaries together, making decoupling them a complex process and giving Israel extraordinary leverage over the U.S. supply chain and weapons platforms. The House Armed Services Committee will vote Thursday on an amendment from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to strip the provision, known as Section 224, from the National Defense Authorization Act. Ex-State Department Official Josh Paul explained its significance yesterday on Breaking Points.

• DHS secretary says ICE training requirements will return to previous standards by July 1: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday that ICE officer training would return to its previous “regular” levels starting July 1, after documents released by Senate Democrats earlier this year showed training hours had dropped by roughly 40 percent following a major hiring push by the agency. A former ICE academy attorney publicly alleged in February that the agency had dismantled its training program by cutting 240 hours of instruction covering the U.S. Constitution, use of force, lawful arrests, and the limits of officer authority.

• Sanders and Sam Altman meet to discuss proposal for public ownership stake in major AI companies: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met Wednesday evening, at Altman’s request, to discuss Sanders’s proposal to transfer a 50 percent public ownership stake in the largest AI companies in the United States. Drop Site Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone questioned Altman on the ethics of making “legalized bribes”; Altman denied doing so, and also denied that OpenAI had lobbied extensively. The company spent $1 million on federal lobbying in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to the New York Times, which has also reported on the company’s activity in Washington as reaching a “fever pitch.”

• Jewish Columbia faculty file EEOC claims alleging harassment for supporting Palestinian rights: Several Jewish faculty members at Columbia University filed claims this week with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before the deadline closed, alleging a hostile work environment—but arguing the hostility they faced stemmed from their support for Palestinian rights rather than from pro-Palestinian protests, as the Trump administration intended the fund to address. In filings shared with the Guardian, faculty described being doxed, spat on, followed, screamed at, subjected to disciplinary charges, and receiving death threats. “I no longer consider Columbia University a safe place to work for Jews who dare to dissent from the political agenda of its most ardently pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian donors and trustees,” one professor wrote in his claim.

Other International News

• U.S. military kills two in latest boat strike in eastern Pacific: The U.S. military attacked a vessel it accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing two men. The strike brings the total number of people killed in U.S. military boat strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean to at least 207 since the campaign began in early September.

• Haiti’s prime minister publishes electoral decree the country’s own electoral council says he secretly rewrote: Haiti’s de facto Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé published a long-awaited electoral decree this week, but the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP)—the independent body legally responsible for drafting such legislation—said the published text is totally different from what it submitted to the executive in April, calling the move unconstitutional. Critics say the modified decree creates a government-appointed Director General position within the CEP with no basis in the council’s organizational structure, effectively giving the executive branch control over the electoral process ahead of elections promised by December 2026. Haiti has had no elected president since 2021 and has not held elections since 2016.

• Bolivia’s Paz running out of options: Pressure is rapidly mounting against President Rodrigo Paz, leaving him with no good options. He has lost two cabinet ministers, coalition members have defected to the protests, and his own Vice-President continues public attacks. A senator and deputy are on hunger strike, while prominent conservative figures from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba are demanding martial law. His new Minister of Defence, Ernesto Justianiano, is known as the most far-right member of the cabinet, supportive of a state of exception. With over 100 blockades crippling the country, including key infrastructure in Potosí, Oruro, and Santa Cruz, Paz has declared a 90-day State of Emergency. He is now pleading with the Armed Forces and police to forcefully “unblock the nation.” Yet protesters have only expanded their reach, seizing an oil field in Santa Cruz. After 36 days of unrest, eight deaths, and hundreds of arrests, union leaders from the COB and Kataristas remain defiant despite arrest warrants, calling to “increase the pressure.” They reject Paz’s dialogue council and demand new elections within 90 days.

• U.S. investigates two more Mexican governors: The Trump administration is investigating two sitting Mexican governors, Sonora’s Alfonso Durazo and Américo Villarreal of Tamaulipas, as part of an expanding U.S. effort targeting public officials suspected of links to organized crime. Both governors have lost their U.S. visas amid ongoing criminal probes, according to the LA Times. The investigations come amid strained U.S.-Mexico relations, particularly over security cooperation and Washington’s increasingly aggressive actions against Mexican political figures. At a political rally on Sunday, President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the investigations as interference in Mexico’s internal affairs, questioning whether they are driven by legitimate anti-crime concerns or U.S. domestic political interests. Both governors deny wrongdoing.

• Germany loses UN Security Council seat: Germany failed to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, losing out to Portugal and Austria in a major diplomatic blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The result marks Germany’s first failure in decades to secure a Western European seat, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calling it a “bitter defeat” and blaming backlash over Berlin’s support for Israel and Russian efforts to punish Germany for its backing of Ukraine.

• Unrest in Mogadishu: Heavy gunfire broke out in Mogadishu on Wednesday, the AFP reported, after former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said government forces attacked him during a meeting in which he was preparing for anti-government demonstrations scheduled for Thursday. The protests are in opposition to current President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to extend his own term by one year beyond its May 15 expiration. Witnesses described shooting in the central part of the capital lasting around 15 minutes, with audible explosions in surrounding districts.

• Sudanese army and RSF clash in Al-Barka: The Sudanese Armed Forces announced Wednesday they had repelled a large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the town of Al-Barka in the Blue Nile region, saying a precisely executed ambush destroyed and seized enemy combat vehicles and inflicted heavy casualties.

• Ukrainian strikes kill four in Russian-annexed Crimea: Ukrainian attacks killed four people and wounded ten in Russian-annexed Crimea on Thursday, according to Russian-aligned regional officials. Strikes reportedly hit a non-residential area of Simferopol, the peninsula’s main administrative city, killing three and wounding seven, and a separate Ukrainian drone strike on a commuter train in eastern Crimea killed one more person and wounded three.

• Islamic State-linked fighters kill 16 civilians in eastern Congo: Fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic State-linked armed group operating in eastern Congo, killed 16 civilians Tuesday night in an attack on a North Kivu village, according to Reuters. The attack occurred near four active Ebola cases, compounding the threat to health workers trying to contain the outbreak. The ADF had separately killed 15 civilians and a soldier in Beni over the weekend.

• China bans four New Zealand lawmakers for visiting Taiwan: China banned four New Zealand parliamentarians Thursday for visiting Taiwan in May, with the Chinese embassy in Wellington saying the lawmakers disregarded Beijing’s repeated warnings and caused serious adverse political impacts by meeting with high-level Taiwanese politicians. The year-long travel bans apply to three lawmakers from New Zealand’s ruling center-right coalition—Laura McClure, David Wilson, and Maureen Pugh—and Labour opposition lawmaker Duncan Webb, who can have the bans reduced or waived only by apologizing for the trip, according to Reuters. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed surprise at the move, noting lawmakers have visited Taiwan for decades without incident.

• Gunmen abduct at least seven students in northwest Nigeria: Suspected bandits stormed off-campus student accommodation in Nigeria’s Zamfara State on Tuesday morning, abducting at least seven students and fleeing to an unknown destination, the Zamfara State Police Command announced Thursday. Search-and-rescue operations involving joint police tactical teams and military personnel have been stepped up to secure the students’ release. Zamfara and other parts of northwest Nigeria have faced persistent attacks by heavily armed bandits who frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom.

More from Drop Site

• Jeremy Scahill discusses Iran, Gaza, and suppression of pro-Palestine speech: Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill told Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, in an interview on Wednesday, that Iran has emerged from the recent conflict in a stronger negotiating position than the U.S. and Israel anticipated, adding that Tehran believes the broad contours of a deal have already been settled and that Trump now needs a political off-ramp. On Gaza, Scahill said the term “ceasefire” has been used as a “surrender cudgel” against the Palestinians, arguing that Israel signed an agreement with Hamas but later violated it repeatedly by continuing to kill resistance figures and civilians in Gaza. “Israel signed a ceasefire with Hamas, not with the children in tents that they continue to burn alive,” he said. He also criticized U.K. policy on pro-Palestinian speech, referencing the barring of journalist colleagues Hassan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the United Kingdom.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran strikes Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for Qeshm Island attack: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes on Tuesday on U.S. military installations in Kuwait—including Camp Arifjan and Ali Al-Salem Airbase—and reported attacks on Bahrain, saying the strikes were retaliation for a U.S. strike on Qeshm Island. Kuwait’s defense ministry also confirmed that around 30 missiles and drones were launched toward its territory, with eight explosions reported in Bahrain. The IRGC also reportedly launched heavy strikes against opposition groups in Erbil, in Iran’s Kurdistan.

  • Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday that drones struck Terminal 1 at Kuwait International Airport, killing one and injuring as many as 63 people; the attack caused significant damage to the terminal.

  • U.S. Central Command released a statement Tuesday saying that it intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones targeting Kuwait and Bahrain, and conducted a strike on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island in “self-defense,” while denying that any U.S. personnel were harmed. CENTCOM’s statement did not address Iranian claims of successful strikes on the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan, or Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

  • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with the foreign ministers of France, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia after Tuesday’s attacks in Kuwait, according to a post from Iran’s Foreign Ministry on X.

  • Kuwait demanded two members of the Iranian diplomatic mission leave the country within 24 hours following the strikes, according to the state’s Foreign Ministry, which said it delivered a formal protest note announcing a reduction in embassy staff and declaring two diplomats persona non grata.

• U.S. strikes tanker in the Gulf: CENTCOM confirmed on Tuesday that it struck the Botswana-flagged commercial tanker M/T Lexie after its crew ignored warnings while attempting to reach Iran’s Kharg Island. U.S. forces have now disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 since imposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13. War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday shared footage of a U.S. Hellfire missile striking this tanker.

• IAEA chief says many Iranian nuclear activities have ceased since start of war: International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that many of Iran’s previously active nuclear operations have stopped, telling reporters in the UAE that the conflict has brought a fundamental change in how the agency assesses Iran’s nuclear program. IAEA inspectors have remained in Iran throughout the war but have been unable to access nuclear sites since strikes began.

• Treasury sanctions Iran’s four largest cryptocurrency exchanges: The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Iran’s four largest cryptocurrency exchanges—Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin, and Ramzinex—along with four Iranian nationals on Tuesday, as part of what Washington calls “Operation Economic Fury,” its financial warfare campaign running parallel to its military conflict with Iran. Nobitex, the largest, processed more than half of all Iranian digital asset inflows in 2025; it also allegedly helped the Central Bank of Iran access hundreds of millions of dollars in stablecoins to stabilize the collapsing rial.

• Rubio tells Senate any sanctions relief for Iran depends on nuclear concessions, declares “the war is over”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday—his first public congressional appearance since the war began on February 28—insisting that any relief on sanctions for Iran is tied exclusively to concessions on its nuclear program.

  • Rubio alleged without providing evidence that Iran had undertaken plots to assassinate several prominent U.S. political figures on American soil. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed these allegations in a post on X on Wednesday morning. “Every accusation is a confession,” Baghaei wrote. “Playing victim can not whitewash your harrowing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Nation of Iran.”

  • Rubio also declared “the war is over” during a heated exchange with Democratic Senator Cory Booker, as Democratic lawmakers blasted the administration for bypassing congressional oversight and providing insufficient information about its strategy for ending the conflict.

• Trump says Supreme Leader “giving approval” in talks: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “giving approval” and “involved, absolutely,” in talks with the United States, President Donald Trump said, adding that “that’s the way it has been for a long, long time.” Speaking on the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast, Trump said he and Khamenei “seem to be getting along quite well,” suggesting a future meeting could be possible “depending on how it all works out.” Trump stated he prefers a negotiated settlement with Iran over authorising military action, warning, “The other way is not nice.”

  • On the same podcast, Trump acknowledged that Israel’s continued assault on Lebanon was complicating peace talks with Iran and admitted that he had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” during a tense phone call Monday. “At some point I said, Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it,” Trump said.

• Iran executes man convicted of killing security officer during antigovernment protests: Iran executed a man convicted of murdering Major Mohammad Javad Bakhshian, a security officer stabbed during antigovernment protests in the western city of Hamadan on January 18, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Tuesday.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,516 people have been killed, and 10,674 wounded, in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli attacks continue on Tuesday and Wednesday:

  • Strikes on paramedics: An Israeli strike directly hit an ambulance belonging to the Al-Risala Association in the southern town of Shahour on Wednesday, killing two paramedics and seriously injuring a third, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Another paramedic from the Al-Risala was killed in a drone strike on the al-Ain neighborhood in Arab Salim. A Civil Defense team from the Islamic Health Authority was also struck Wednesday by an Israeli drone while responding to a previous strike in Zebdin, with reports of injuries among paramedics.

  • One Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli airstrike Wednesday on the Nabatieh–Kfour Tibnit road, according to the Lebanese army.

  • A strike on the town of al-Housh in the Tyre district killed six people. A separate strike in al-Zrarieh killed one person and injured another on Wednesday.

  • Israeli forces issued more forced displacement orders on Wednesday, telling residents of Sidon, Mazra’at Kawkariya al-Riz, and al-Zarariya in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately and move north of the Zahrani River.

  • The Israeli military claimed that part of its Givati Brigade crossed the Litani River on Wednesday morning and entered the villages of Zawtar al-Sharqieh and Zawtar al-Gharbieh in southern Lebanon, as part of an operation involving more than 100 airstrikes on the region. Israel claimed, without evidence, that its troops killed around 20 Hezbollah fighters and seized weapons caches.

  • A wave of strikes on Monday and Tuesday in the Bint Jbeil area killed 5 and injured 48 others, including a child and six medical staff at Tibnin Government Hospital; the hospital was also damaged, in what officials described as repeated Israeli strikes on medical facilities.

  • The Lebanese Army deployed intelligence units to search the Christian quarter of Tyre on Tuesday after the Israeli military alleged that Hezbollah fighters were operating there, according to L’Orient-Le Jour. Several families fled to Sidon and Beirut ahead of potential Israeli strikes, while residents told the outlet they were deeply skeptical of the Israeli military’s claim.

  • Hezbollah claimed two successful attacks on Tuesday against Israeli forces near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, one of which involved artillery and the other a missile barrage.

• “You Either Leave Right Now or You Die”: Israel’s forced displacement of Ain Arab in southern Lebanon: Israeli forces forcibly expelled residents of the border village of Ain Arab in southern Lebanon during a ground incursion that witnesses told Drop Site involved soldiers going door to door and ordering civilians out at gunpoint—as part of a broader Israeli campaign of redrawing lines in the south of Lebanon, which has left more than 1.2 million people displaced since early March. According to residents, soldiers declared the area inside a newly designated Israeli “yellow line” and told people they had two hours to leave, with one soldier reportedly saying, “You either leave right now or you die.” One resident, Nasreen Abd Elaal, said troops entered the village with armored vehicles and a bulldozer before ordering evacuation, adding that “they didn’t even give us that” time to prepare. “To say we are destroyed is not enough…We left our livelihoods in the soil and fled.” Read the full report from Drop Site contributor Lylla Younes here.

• U.S. weighing military training for Lebanese Army: The United States is considering a plan to train the Lebanese Army as part of broader efforts to disarm Hezbollah, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing sources familiar with ongoing Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Washington.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, three Palestinians were killed and 35 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,945 killed, with 173,011 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 936 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,903, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Three Palestinians killed on Wednesday: Three Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across central and southern Gaza on Wednesday, according to WAFA. An Israeli drone strike in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza killed one person and injured several others, while another drone-fired missile in the Al-Maghraqa area killed a second person. In southern Gaza, a woman died from wounds sustained about a week earlier in an Israeli strike on Khan Younis.

• Gaza children surviving on 6 liters of water daily as summer heat raises epidemic fears: More than one million children in Gaza are surviving on roughly 6 liters of water per day—a fraction of the global standard—as infrastructure destruction and the ongoing Israeli blockade continue to devastate water supplies, Gaza Health Ministry chief Dr. Muneer Alboursh said Tuesday. He noted that overflowing sewage, accumulating garbage, and rodent infestations in displacement centers are creating mounting disease risks as temperatures rise in the summer.

• Hamas’s military spokesman tells mediators “moment of truth” has arrived amid escalating Israeli violations: Abu Obaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded speech released Tuesday that mediators and guarantors of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement face “a moment of truth” amid continued Israeli attacks, assassinations, and ceasefire violations carried out under what he described as “false agreements and deceptive understandings.” “Where are your guarantees?” he asked, urging mediators to “restrain the occupation” and compel it to fulfill its obligations.

• Israel advances 2,162 new settlement units in occupied West Bank: Israeli authorities have approved 2,162 new housing units across three settlements in the occupied West Bank in a move that advances large-scale expansion plans, the Times of Israel reported. These expansions include 1,006 units in Gvaot, 922 units in Har Bracha in an early planning stage that could ultimately triple its size, and 234 units in Kiryat Arba near Hebron at the final approval stage. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described this move as strengthening Israeli control and preventing a Palestinian state. “This is not just a planning step, but a national development that solidifies our hold on the territory, strengthens Israel’s security, and establishes clear facts that prevent the establishment of an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country,” Smotrich said.

• Abraham Accords states overtake U.S. as buyers of Israeli arms: Arab countries that signed the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization deals that bypassed the Palestinians, bought more Israeli defense equipment than the United States in 2025, according to Israeli Defense Ministry figures published Tuesday and reported by Haaretz. Israel’s arms exports surged 30 percent year-on-year to a record 55.25 billion shekels ($19.2 billion), with exports to Abraham Accords countries rising to 15 percent of total sales, jumping fivefold in two years, while Europe’s share fell sharply to 36 percent from 54 percent a year earlier and Asia-Pacific’s share climbed to 32 percent. The figures show Israeli defense exports have more than doubled in five years and now account for about 12 percent of Israel’s total exports, with roughly 90 percent of sales generated by Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

• UK has transferred no wounded Palestinian children for NHS care in 2026, Sky News reports: Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government pledged to evacuate up to 300 sick and injured Palestinian children from Gaza for National Health Service treatment, but only around 50 have arrived since the medical taskforce was established in late summer 2025, with zero transfers recorded in 2026, Sky News reported Tuesday. Officials and charities cite strict Home Office entry requirements—including biometric processing that cannot be conducted inside Gaza—as key bottlenecks, while a group of Palestinian children who had already received NHS care traveled to Parliament on Tuesday to lobby MPs to scale up the program.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

Primary results from Tuesday’s elections:

• Adam Hamawy, a former U.S. Army combat surgeon endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), won the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating 12 other candidates. Hamawy, who served as a combat surgeon in Iraq, provided medical aid in Gaza in 2024, and supports Medicare for All and opposing military aid to Israel, overcame last-minute attacks which speciously linked his medical volunteer work in Bosnia to Al Qaeda and which sought to tie him to Omar Abdel-Rahman, after it was revealed he testified at his 1995 trial. He will face Republican Gregg Mele in the general election, though his victory is essentially guaranteed in the deep-blue district.

• California’s highly contested gubernatorial election remains uncalled. As of Wednesday morning, roughly 60 percent of the vote has been counted. Republican pundit Steve Hilton leads all candidates with 27.8 percent of the vote, closely followed by former Democratic congressman and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, at 25.4 percent. Tom Steyer, a billionaire running on a progressive platform of challenging the state’s utility monopolies and who has also advocated for a single-payer healthcare system for the state, has garnered 19.6 percent of the vote. Under California’s “jungle primary” arrangement, the top two finishers in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation.

• In Los Angeles, incumbent mayor Karen Bass is guaranteed a spot in the general election. Bass will face either reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a right-wing populist, or Nithya Raman, a left-wing city councilwoman. With 63 percent of the vote counted, Pratt leads Raman by 8 points.

• Auto mechanic Randy Villegas leads his Democratic opponent, Dr. Jasmeet Bains, by 4 points in California’s 22nd district, which covers a sizable chunk of the state’s Central Valley. Bains has received the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and, notably, reversed her position on Israel after receiving support from the AIPAC-offshoot Democratic Majority for Israel. One of these Democrats will face Republican incumbent David Valdao, a moderate Republican who voted in favor of President Trump’s second impeachment in January 2021.

• San Diego city councilwoman Marni von Wilpert will advance to face Jim Desmond in the San Diego area’s 48th district. Von Wilpert defeats her primary challenger, Ammar Campa-Najjar, after her campaign received millions of dollars from pro-Israel groups, most notably receiving a $1 million ad-buy from DMFI.

• Incumbent Democrat Doris Matsui will likely face her progressive challenger, Mai Vang, in the November general election, though the race remains close and has yet to be called. Zachariah Wooden, a Republican who Matsui reportedly boosted in hopes of nullifying Vang’s challenge, trails Vang by less than a percentage point with less than 50 percent of votes counted.

• Longtime AIPAC ally and current Rep. Jimmy Gomez defeated his progressive challenger, Angela Gonzalez-Torres, in the 34th district, which covers much of east-central Los Angeles, according to a call by the AP. Gomez faces another non-electoral challenge, however: the House Ethics Committee has reportedly opened an investigation into sexual misconduct involving the congressman and aide, it was reported yesterday.

• State Sen. Scott Wiener will face San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in California’s 11th district, where one of the Democrats will replace former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Chan, who had Pelosi’s endorsement, was able to defeat progressive challenger Saikat Chakrabarti in their contest for the second spot in the general; Wiener won a strong plurality of the vote and will be the presumptive favorite in November.

• Iowa state representative Josh Turek defeated state senator Zach Wahls in that state’s Democratic senate primary. Turek had received the clandestine backing of the Democratic leadership, with Chuck Schumer facilitating a dark-money campaign in support of Turek’s candidacy (involving $10 million funnelled to the campaign through a group called “Vote Vets). Turek will face Rep. Ashley Hinson, who Trump endorsed. The President’s endorsement was less decisive in Iowa’s gubernatorial primary, however. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who Trump endorsed, lost to businessman and farmer Zach Lahn. Lahn will face State Auditor Rob Sand in the general election.

• In Montana, firefighter Sam Forstag holds a 4-point lead over former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse in the Democratic primary for the state’s 1st congressional district, though the race has yet to be called. Forstag was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who held a rally for the candidate in Missoula last week.

• Trump names housing finance official Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence: President Donald Trump on Tuesday named Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte—a political ally with no intelligence background—as acting director of national intelligence. Because Pulte is assuming the title of “acting” director, he is able to bypass Senate confirmation. It is unclear whether he is Trump’s permanent choice for the role. Pulte replaces Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month, and has previously used his FHFA post to pursue criminal referrals against Democratic political figures, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff.

• Senate Republicans circulate three-year Section 702 extension without key privacy protections: Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton and Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley are privately circulating a bill that would extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through June 2029, Politico reports. The bill includes penalties for violating search standards and requires that an attorney sign off on some FBI searches, and also narrows the definition of “an electronic communications service provider.” It omits, however, two major demands made by a bipartisan privacy coalition: warrant requirements for searching Americans in foreign intelligence databases and for law enforcement purchases of Americans’ data from brokers.

• Supreme Court allows Alabama to use congressional map lower court found intentionally discriminates against Black voters: The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday ruled in favor of Alabama, allowing it to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that a lower court found contained “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination against Black voters. Alabama had appealed to the court requesting the ability to use a map that has just one majority Black district, as opposed to a map previously ordered by a court that had two. Alabama has seven congressional districts in total. The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor warning the ruling will lead to an election “held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians.”

• CBS fires Scott Pelley: CBS News terminated veteran journalist Scott Pelley on Tuesday, one day after he reportedly accused the network’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, of “murdering 60 Minutes” at a tense staff meeting with Nick Bilton, who was hired last week as executive producer of the program. Pelley released a statement following his termination, in which he claimed that “new management” had “instructed” him “to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story,” the New York Times reported. “I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified,” Pelley said.

• Schumer meets with Maine Senate candidate Platner in Washington: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met Tuesday with Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, offering no details of their talk beyond a pledge to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Schumer initially backed Gov. Janet Mills for the race before endorsing Platner after Mills suspended her campaign in April. “I met with Graham Platner today,” Schumer told reporters. “We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”

Other International News

• Cuba calls recent U.S. sanctions an illegal escalation: The Cuban government on Tuesday defended the Grupo de Administración Empresarial (GAESA), a business conglomerate linked to its military, after the Trump administration designated it a sanctions target under Executive Order 14404 on May 1, and called the move “the most intense, disproportionate and dangerous escalation in recent history.” Responding in state outlet Granma, Havana rejected U.S. characterizations of the organization as corrupt, describing it instead as a legitimate economic institution that has funded housing, schools, clinics, and infrastructure.

  • More major international companies are withdrawing from Cuba ahead of a June 5 deadline for compliance with the executive order. Spanish hotel operators Iberostar and Meliá, Canadian mining giant Sherritt International, shipping firms CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, and airlines including Air Canada have suspended or scaled back operations in the country. Foreign companies face exclusion from the U.S. financial system if they continue doing business with GAESA after the deadline.

• Ukrainian drone strikes kill seven on bus in Donetsk: A Ukrainian drone strike killed at least seven people and wounded 11 on a bus traveling through Russian-controlled Donetsk on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed additional overnight strikes on the Petersburg Oil Terminal, a weapons facility in the Tambov region, and military targets at the Kronstadt base.

• Tribal fighting in South Darfur kills at least 50 civilians: At least 50 civilians have been killed in clashes between the Salamat and Beni Halba tribes in South Darfur’s Kubum area since May 23, including approximately 21 people—among them women and children—killed in a drone strike launched from Nyala, according to a local community leader, the Sudan Tribune reported. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been accused of backing one of the tribes with combat vehicles and drones, though both tribes had previously pledged allegiance to the group.

  • Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held unannounced talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday, with official state media having not disclosed his departure from Sudan in advance. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation and regional issues, according to a brief statement from the Sovereign Council’s media office.

  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly described Sudan’s conflict as a “proxy war” on Tuesday, noting that two U.S. allies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are backing opposing sides in the war. This is the first acknowledgment by the Trump administration that the UAE is supporting a party to the conflict. The admission comes despite years of reporting and United Nations findings that the UAE has provided military and financial support to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group credibly accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.

• Trump endorses far-right Colombian presidential candidate: President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff, calling him a “smart, strong, and tough leader” and describing his opponent, leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, as a “radical left Marxist.” The country’s incumbent president, Gustavo Petro, swiftly condemned the endorsement as a threat to Colombian sovereignty, invoking the country’s founding fathers and writing that “when a country interferes in the decisions of another country, freedom dies.”

• Bolivia’s defense and education ministers resign: Bolivian Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas and Education Minister Beatriz Garcia resigned Tuesday amid a month of anti-government protests. The protesters have called upon center-right President Rodrigo Paz to roll back austerity measures and address rising living costs in the country. The resignations mark the highest-level departures yet under Paz as he considers implementing a state of emergency to bring an end to the widespread protests.

• Sexual torture, starvation, and TB reported in Ecuador’s military-run prisons: One inmate died every seven hours over the past year in Ecuador’s military-controlled prisons—surpassing death rates from the era of cartel control—with reports of sexual torture, mass starvation, physical abuse, and tuberculosis emerging from facilities that also hold political detainees. The U.S. has recently expanded its security cooperation with the Ecuadorian government, with the Pentagon transferring weapons and deploying military personnel to the country earlier this year.

• Tunisian court sentences opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to life in prison plus 30 years: A Tunis court on Tuesday sentenced Ennahdha party leader and former parliamentary speaker Rached Ghannouchi to life imprisonment plus 30 years on terrorism-related charges in the so-called “secret apparatus” case, which stems from accusations linking his Islamist party to the 2013 assassinations of leftist politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. Twenty-four alleged co-conspirators received sentences related to the case, 11 of which were life sentences.

• Trump administration proposes 25% tariff on Brazilian imports: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced a proposed 25 percent tariff on Brazilian imports under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 late on Monday, alleging unfair practices on the part of Brazil, including illegal deforestation, ethanol market access restrictions, and anticorruption enforcement failures. The tariff was announced despite recent data showing that the U.S. had a $420 million trade surplus with Brazil in March. The newest tariffs would partially replace a 50 percent levy imposed on Brazilian goods last year.

• U.S. sanctions Congolese militia leaders: The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions on M23 intelligence chief John Imani Nzenze and FDLR commander Gustave Kubwayo, high-profile leaders of armed groups on opposing sides of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Nzenze’s M23 has reportedly received Rwandan backing, and the FDLR, a Hutu militia, has been active since that country’s 1994 genocide. Fighting in the country has continued despite U.S. attempts at mediation.

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Ceasefire Negotiations

• Trump says Israel and Hezbollah agreed to de-escalate: President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to de-escalate after he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah through mediators. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said no Israeli troops would be “going to Beirut” and that Hezbollah “agreed to stop shooting at Israel.” The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported later on Monday that the Israeli military had prepared a major strike on Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district but postponed the operation after the U.S. intervention.

  • Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has confirmed the existence of an agreement.

  • The Lebanese embassy in Washington later claimed that Hezbollah had agreed to an arrangement, proposed by the United States, under which Israel would suspend strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in exchange for Hezbollah halting attacks against Israel.

  • In a post on X on Monday night, Netanyahu threatened further escalation in Lebanon, saying, “If Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens, Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut.”

  • Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any cross-border attacks since Trump’s announcement though it has claimed attacks against Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon.

  • The fourth round of negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel began in Washington on Tuesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

• Iran warns Israel about its continued attacks on Lebanon, says a ceasefire there is precondition for an agreement:

  • Iran’s central military command, Khatam Al Anbiya, warned Israeli residents about the consequences of following through on Netanyahu’s earlier threats to bomb Dahiyeh and Beirut. “Given the regime’s repeated violations of the ceasefire, if this threat is carried out, we warn residents of the northern areas and military settlements in the occupied territories (northern Israel): If they do not want to be harmed, they should leave the area.”

  • Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, published an “urgent warning” Monday urging residents of a broad swath of northern Israel—spanning Kiryat Shmona and Metula south to Haifa and the Galilee—to evacuate immediately. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also reported in a post on X on Monday that he had told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that if Israel’s attack on Lebanon continues, Iran will not only halt U.S. dialogue but “stand firmly” against Israel.

  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Monday accusing the United States of repeatedly violating the mid-April ceasefire agreement through attacks on Iranian commercial shipping, and Israel of “flagrant violations” by continuing operations in Lebanon that have killed and wounded thousands, displaced two million people, and destroyed civilian infrastructure.

  • Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon is a prerequisite for any memorandum of understanding with the United States, adding that Tehran is prepared to assist Lebanon in “whatever action that is needed” to help “resistance” (Hezbollah) repel Israeli aggression.

• Pakistan, Iran coordinate on Lebanon ceasefire: Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who asked Pakistan to continue supporting de-escalation efforts in Lebanon, according to a readout from the meeting. Dar stressed the importance of protecting the current ceasefire agreement and both sides agreed to remain in close contact.

• China renews call for full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon: Beijing renewed its demand for an immediate and complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory at a UN emergency Security Council session on Monday. China’s representative urged countries with influence to help achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. Beijing has previously opposed Israel’s expanding ground operation and warned that “Lebanon must not become another Gaza.”

• Iran urges UN Security Council to adopt binding measures against Israel: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi urged the UN Security Council Monday to move “beyond the stage of expressing concern” and adopt “punitive and binding decisions” against Israel, arguing that international law “is not upheld through low-cost and ineffective condemnations.”

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,468 people have been killed, and 10,577 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli attacks continue on Tuesday:

  • Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon killed at least eight people on Tuesday—including two Syrian workers struck at a plant nursery in Jibchit, and two others killed in drone strikes on a motorcycle and a car in Toul and Ansar, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). Israeli warplanes also struck a Lebanese civil defense center in Kfarsir.

  • The Israeli military issued a renewed forced displacement order on Tuesday for residents of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, citing Hezbollah’s “violation of the ceasefire agreement” as justification for planned strikes on the major urban center.

  • Lebanese civil defense teams recovered six bodies and rescued three wounded survivors on Tuesday from the rubble of a residential building struck by Israel in the town of Marwaniyah in the Sidon district.

• Rising casualties in hospital strike: The casualty toll from a Monday strike near Tyre’s Jabal Amel Hospital rose on Tuesday morning to at least four killed and 127 wounded, including 39 members of the hospital’s medical, nursing, and administrative staff, according to NNA. The attack destroyed a nearby building, knocking out the facility’s power, oxygen, and intensive care systems, with journalist Hadi Hoteit reporting the death of some ICU patients after life-sustaining equipment went offline. Jabal Amel was among the last hospitals in southern Lebanon still providing intensive care, surgery, and pediatric services.

• Israeli officer killed, seven wounded in drone strike near Beaufort Castle: An Israeli officer was killed, and seven others were wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack near Beaufort Castle on Monday, according to Walla News. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed at the site since Israeli forces seized it over the weekend. A Drop Site breakdown of Hezbollah’s counterattacks on the fort is available here.

• Hezbollah continues operations on Monday and Tuesday: Hezbollah launched multiple rocket barrages and drone attacks into northern Israel on Monday, triggering air raid sirens across large parts of the country. The group separately reported conducting 41 military operations on Monday, including strikes on four Merkava tanks, two armored vehicles, an Iron Dome platform, a newly established Israeli command headquarters, and multiple surveillance sites. Hezbollah also said it carried out a series of attacks on Tuesday, including targeting three “Nimr” military vehicles with explosive drones near the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya. The group also said it struck Israeli forces in Hadatha with rockets and artillery at dawn, forcing them to withdraw.

• Lebanon’s war losses could reach $25 billion, finance minister warns: Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said on Tuesday that war-related losses have already exceeded $20 billion and could climb toward $25 billion if Israeli attacks continue, and warned that the full scale of economic and social damage may not become clear until the fighting ends, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran

• IRGC strikes container ship MSC Sariska V in Gulf in retaliation for U.S. attack on Iranian vessel: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Sariska V with a cruise missile in retaliation for a U.S. Hellfire missile strike on the cargo vessel Lian Star. The vessel was hit roughly 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr, Iraq, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, causing a large explosion and subsequent fire. No injuries were reported. Confirming the strike, the IRGC cited the Swiss-operated MSC Sariska V’s ties to the “American Zionist enemy”; investigations by Al Jazeera and the Palestinian Youth Movement found the company facilitated hundreds of shipments linked to illegal Israeli settlements.

• Iran publishes first Hormuz traffic data: Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority released its first operational statistics on Monday, reporting that more than 300 non-Iranian vessels had submitted information for safe passage permits through the Strait of Hormuz since the authority began operations in early May, with oil tankers comprising 42% of requests. China and India were the top destinations among outbound vessels.

• U.S. and British soldiers killed in training accident at Erbil Air Base: A U.S. Army soldier and a British soldier died in a non-combat training accident at Erbil Air Base in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on May 31, according to U.S. Army Central, the same day Iran’s IRGC launched ballistic missile strikes against Iranian Kurdish opposition bases in Erbil Province. No connection between the training accident and the Iranian strikes has been established.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and nine were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,942 killed, with 172,967 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 933 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,868, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli attacks on Gaza continue on Monday and Tuesday:

  • An Israeli drone strike on the town of Az-Zawayda in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded two others Tuesday, WAFA reported.

  • An Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle in Deir al-Balah killed one man and wounded four others, some critically, Shehab News Agency reported on Monday.

• Israeli forces detain four female Birzeit University students: Israeli forces arrested four female Palestinian students in a pre-dawn raid on the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to WAFA. The number of Palestinian female detainees is now 89, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, including three minors, three pregnant prisoners, and 19 held without charge. Israel detained over 41 Palestinians in its overnight arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.

• Hamas official lambasts “Board of Peace” Envoy: Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan charged Nickolay Mladenov, the Trump administration’s High Representative for Gaza, with adopting the Israeli narrative wholesale, failing to condemn any of Israel’s near-daily attacks on the Strip, and making deliberate efforts to sideline Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey—the mediators who brokered the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire. “Today we almost see Netanyahu’s face in Mladenov’s image,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera Mubasher, warning that Mladenov risks being remembered as “a partner in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people.”

• Palestinian rights groups say Israel using disease and medical neglect as torture in its prisons: Thousands of Palestinian detainees have contracted scabies in Israeli custody due to overcrowding, denial of hygiene supplies, restrictions on bathing, and withheld medical care, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, citing the case of Azmi Abu Hail, 31, from Dura near Hebron, who has gone over a year without diagnosis or treatment. The group accused prison authorities of using disease, starvation, and medical neglect as tools of torture in Israeli prisons.

• UN experts: Escalating settler attacks are “daily terror in Palestinian lives”: Intensifying Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is being used to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land, UN experts warned Monday. Attacks by settlers, carried out “with the support and acquiescence of the Israeli State,” have become a “daily terror in Palestinian lives” and serve as “an instrument of coercion” facilitating “ethnic cleansing,” the experts said. At least 13 Palestinians were killed and nearly 500 injured in the first five months of 2026 in the occupied West Bank, outpacing figures from previous years.

• Israeli forces detain Gaza medical student leaving for studies in Italy: Israeli forces detained a Palestinian medical student from Gaza after he left the Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday en route to Italy to continue his studies, according to Quds News. The student, Mahmoud Al-Najjar, was reportedly stopped shortly after departure and taken to an unknown location, with no information about his fate, despite having received approval to travel and being expected at Italy’s Tor Vergata University to pursue medical specialization. He is the sole survivor of his immediate family after an Israeli strike on their home in Jabalia in October 2024 killed his wife, four children, and other relatives. Only 5,836 Palestinians were allowed to evacuate or return to Gaza through Rafah Crossing, out of a total of 18,000 individuals who were supposed to travel under the ceasefire agreement, amid Israeli restrictions on movement.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• A slew of key primary races across the U.S. today: Yesterday’s Drop Site Daily goes into detail about races in California, New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, Iowa, and South Dakota we are watching most closely.

  • Tonight, Drop Site’s Julian Andreone and Maysa Mustafa will be covering the race in New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, where Adam Hamawy and Sue Altman are competing to replace the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.

• Iowa GOP Senate frontrunner warns Iran war is becoming a “political liability”: Rep. Ashley Hinson, the likely Republican Senate nominee in Iowa, privately told voters last week that the Iran war would become “a political liability for us too” if it drags on much longer, according to an audio obtained by Politico. The candid acknowledgment comes from a Trump loyalist who has repeatedly voted against limiting the president’s military powers. Strait of Hormuz closures have sent fertilizer and diesel prices soaring, teeing up devastation in the state’s agriculture.

• Schumer-linked groups and billionaire-backed PACs quietly back moderate Iowa Senate candidate: Millions of dollars in outside spending from groups affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a billionaire-backed dark money network have quietly flowed into Iowa’s Democratic Senate primary to support state Rep. Josh Turek over progressive challenger state Sen. Zach Wahls, despite Schumer’s denials of involvement in the race, The Lever reported on Monday. The spending network includes Schumer’s Impact PAC, which contributed the maximum $10,000 directly to Turek, and VoteVets, which shares vendors with Schumer’s spending operation and has pumped $8.2 million into the race. Read the full report from our friends at the Lever here.

• New from Drop Site: Blue Dog PAC treasurer, Rep. Mike Thompson, gets $1.2 million backing from affiliated super PAC. Blue Dog Action Fund, the super PAC spending arm for a fiscally conservative caucus of House Democrats, has already spent $1,200,000 in ad buys backing Thompson’s bid for reelection this cycle while he sits as treasurer of the Blue Dog Political Action Committee. Half of that is going to ads attacking Thompson’s progressive challenger, Eric Jones. Both are likely to make it to the general in November. Read the full story.

• A third of Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign donations tied to AIPAC: Roughly $1.6 million—a third of Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign contributions—are directly tied to AIPAC, according to a review of her quarterly financial report. In February, Zeteo reported that Collins received more money from AIPAC than from small donors; Collins has repeatedly answered questions about the genocide in Gaza by responding, “I am pro-Israel.”

• Trump rule narrows “medically frail” exemption for Medicaid work requirements, threatening coverage for millions: A new Trump administration rule defines “medically frail” so narrowly that people with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and end-stage renal disease would not automatically be exempt from Medicaid work requirements unless their condition significantly impairs their ability to work. The change will cost millions of sick Americans their coverage, advocates say, when the requirements take effect next year. The Congressional Budget Office had already estimated that roughly five million people would lose Medicaid under the work requirement introduced last year, including many who work but cannot manage the paperwork burden.

• Trump administration to drop $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund: The Trump administration plans to abandon its controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund—created as part of a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns—after two federal judges moved against it last week and the proposal drew bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill, two senior administration officials told Axios. “This has become a distraction,” one official said.

• Trump administration developing rule to reject asylum claims without interviews: The Trump administration is drafting a regulation that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum applications without interviewing applicants if their cases were filed more than a year after arrival, bypassing a longstanding U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services practice, according to a review of internal documents by CBS. USCIS would put rejected applicants immediately into deportation proceedings, requiring them to plead their cases from the country they are trying to flee, according to CBS’s report.

• Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors open investigation into Kushner luxury resort project amid protests: Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, opened an investigation into controversial changes to protected land status in the Vjosa-Narta coastal wetland area that opened the door to a luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners. The planned development includes an uninhabited Adriatic island and several hundred hectares of a protected landscape home to flamingos, seals, and sea turtle nesting sites. The investigation mirrors a 2025 controversy in Serbia that led Affinity Partners to abandon a separate large-scale development there following local anti-corruption probes.

• Alleged Kata’ib Hezbollah member pleads not guilty in New York: Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi pleaded not guilty Monday in Manhattan federal court to eight counts, including conspiracy to provide material support to Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran that the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization. Al-Saadi said in response to the plea, “I am not guilty and we are in a war situation,” and “children are being killed by your rockets” before Judge Colleen McMahon ordered him seated.

Other International News

• Petro calls Colombia runoff a fight against “mafia fascism,” urges mass mobilization: Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued an expansive statement Monday, casting the upcoming presidential runoff as a historic struggle between democracy and what he called “mafia fascism,” accusing right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of ties to paramilitary networks and alleging widespread vote-buying of between 150,000 and 200,000 pesos per vote during the first round.

  • Left-wing Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda challenged right-wing rival Abelardo de la Espriella to a public debate on Monday and called for an investigation into what he described as 885,000 electoral irregularities in Sunday’s first-round vote, also alleging foreign interference in the election. The results that have been reported, Drop Site contributor Sasi Alejandre reported from Bogotá, are drawn from a preliminary pre-count; they are not yet binding.

  • Hundreds of young Colombians marched through Bogotá on Monday in a spontaneous show of support for progressive presidential candidate Iván Cepeda.

• Russia launches massive overnight strike on Ukraine, killing at least 12: Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles at Ukraine overnight Tuesday, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens across Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, and Zaporizhzhia. Four people were killed and 58 wounded in Kyiv, while eight were killed and 36 wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

• Drone strikes marketplace and hospital in Sudan’s Kubum: A long-range drone struck a crowded marketplace and rural hospital in the South Darfur town of Kubum, killing and wounding multiple civilians, according to Sudan Tribune. The attack comes amid escalating clashes between the Salamat and Beni Halba tribes in the region—both aligned with the RSF. A local doctor treating the wounded accused the RSF of launching the strike from Nyala to provide air support for one faction.

• Hotel giant quits Cuba, citing shortages and looming U.S. sanctions: Canadian hotel group Blue Diamond Resorts announced it is ending all operations in Cuba, where it managed 62 hotels, citing flight reductions, fuel and power shortages, water scarcity, supply chain disruptions, and difficulties obtaining food and medicine, and ahead of U.S. sanctions on companies that do business with the country’s GAESA, expected to go into effect on June 5.

• Armenia rejects Russian demand for immediate EU referendum: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rebuffed a Russian demand—delivered by President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Monday—to hold an immediate referendum on leaving the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union in favor of the EU, calling the request “unreasonable” and saying any such vote before Armenia formally applies for EU candidate status remains “purely theoretical.” Russia has sharply escalated pressure on Armenia ahead of its early June parliamentary elections, recalling its ambassador over the weekend and suspending fish and seafood imports from Armenia.

• Five Mozambicans killed in xenophobic attacks in South Africa: At least five Mozambican nationals were killed in xenophobic attacks in the southern coastal city of Mossel Bay over the weekend, the Mozambican government said Monday, with roughly 800 Mozambicans caught up in the violence. 300 have already returned home, and more than 500 others were sheltered in the Western Cape Province awaiting repatriation.

• Kenyan protests against U.S.-linked Ebola quarantine facility: Two people were killed during protests against an Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens at a military base in central Kenya, Reuters reports, though the circumstances of their deaths remain unclear.

  • On Tuesday, Kenya’s High Court ordered the country’s government to publicly disclose the details of its agreement with the U.S. regarding the facility, which will reportedly reserve 50 beds for U.S. citizens at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base, and extended orders halting the installation’s establishment until more information was available. Kenya’s president, William Ruto, has defended the facility as “not…different from all the other facilities that we have across Kenya.”

  • Five healthcare workers infected with Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have recovered and been discharged from the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, hospital director Calvin Ambitapio told Drop Site’s Godfrey Olukya on Monday, describing their recovery as “encouraging” and noting that he expected more recoveries soon.

• Oxford Union vows to host Piker and Uygur remotely: The Oxford Union said Monday it will proceed with its June 6 event featuring Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur after the UK Home Office revoked both of their travel authorizations on the grounds that their presence would not be “conducive to the public good,” announcing it would host the pair remotely. Union President Arwa Elrayess called the last-minute intervention “a direct threat to free expression” and said the organization would not seek “a permission slip from the state” for the events it chooses to host.

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Primary season is in full swing: Pro-Israel groups play big in key California races. Adam Hamawy, retired Army doctor who volunteered in Gaza, faces last-minute smear campaign in New Jersey. And Drop Site reporting shakes up San Francisco congressional race.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iranian state media reports Tehran may be suspending ceasefire talks: On Monday, Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported that the Iranian negotiating team may be suspending talks through mediators as a result of ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, indicating that Iran may “activate other fronts, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in order to punish the Zionists and their supporters,” Tasnim said, in addition to completely blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on X: “The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The U.S. and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.”

• U.S. and Iranian strikes resume over the weekend:

  • IRGC claims downing of U.S. drone over Iranian waters: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone it described as attempting a “hostile operation” in Iranian territorial waters, saying the aircraft was “immediately detected and targeted by the Revolutionary Guard’s modern defense missiles.” The U.S. Air Force officially retired the MQ-1 Predator in 2018, though an upgraded variant, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, remains in active service with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard. It remains unclear whether the downed aircraft was U.S.-operated or used by a Gulf ally.

  • IRGC says it struck U.S. airbase used to launch attack on Sirik Island: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday its Aerospace Force struck the airbase from which it said a recent U.S. attack on a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan Province was launched, claiming the “predicted targets were destroyed.” The IRGC warned that “if the aggression is repeated, the response will be completely different.”

  • U.S. military confirms strikes on Iranian radar and drone sites: U.S. Central Command confirmed that it bombed Iranian radar, drone, and command and control sites on Saturday and Sunday around the city of Geruk and on Qeshm Island “in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.” U.S. forces also fired a missile into the engine room of a Gambia-flagged cargo ship trying to evade the U.S. blockade.

  • CENTCOM claims missile interception in Kuwait: CENTCOM said it intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting U.S. forces in Kuwait. Air raid sirens were also activated in Kuwait on Sunday. Last week, an Iranian Fateh-110 ballistic missile reportedly struck Ali Al Salem Air Base in northern Kuwait on Thursday, causing U.S. casualties and significant asset destruction, despite official claims the missile had been intercepted, according to Bloomberg.

• Nuclear talks stall as U.S. leadership continues to temporize:

  • President Donald Trump sent revised and tougher terms to Iran, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing three officials, though the specific changes from the previous proposal remain unclear. One official suggested to the Times that the tougher terms may be intended to pressure Iran into accepting the earlier framework already sent to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for approval rather than to fundamentally alter the offer.

  • On Fox News on Saturday, President Trump told Lara Trump the U.S. is “slowly but surely” getting what it wants from “nuclear negotiations with Iran and is “close to a very good deal,” while warning that “if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end it a different way.” He claimed that Iran had agreed to terms barring it from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons and that a final agreement would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied Iran’s nuclear program was part of the talks. “No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war,” Baghaei said at a news conference on Monday.

  • In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump told his congressional critics to “sit back and relax,” writing that it is “much tougher” to negotiate “when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping.’”

  • Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Saturday that lawmakers will not approve any nuclear agreement until they are certain “the rights of the Iranian people have been secured,” adding that Iran’s negotiators “have no trust in the words and promises of the enemy” and that “our criterion is tangible achievements.”

• Qatar open to temporary Hormuz fees for mine-clearing: Doha and its Gulf partners oppose permanent transit fees through the Strait of Hormuz but would consider temporary charges tied to specific purposes such as mine-clearing operations, according to remarks by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani. “For certain times that they say they will use it for mine-clearing or some usage of the fees for a temporary time, this is something that is negotiable,” Al-Thani said.

• Aid groups warn of resource shortfall for millions displaced inside Iran: Aid organizations lack the resources to address the needs of the more than 3.2 million people displaced inside the country during the recent U.S.-Israeli war, said Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland on a visit to Iran. Egeland urged donors to increase support for the country, warning the war’s effects could last for years—a particularly acute concern given that Iran also hosts 4.4 million Afghan refugees.

• Iran restores gas production at three South Pars platforms after Israeli strikes: Iran has resumed gas production at three offshore platforms in the South Pars gasfield—the country’s largest domestic energy source—months after Israeli strikes on the facility in mid-March. Workers and engineers at the gas complex told Drop Site News that Israeli strikes on March 18 damaged vital electricity, water, and oxygen infrastructure across the facility, forcing emergency shutdowns of multiple refinery sections to prevent fires from spreading, with one engineer estimating the disruptions affected roughly 12% of gas production capacity linked to the South Pars network. Read more about the reopening in Drop Site’s latest collaboration with Egab here.

• Iran executes two on charges related to protests: Iran has executed two more men convicted on charges related to antigovernment protests in January, according to the Mizan news agency. The two men were identified as Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,433 people have been killed, and 10,395 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Six killed on Monday: A series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Monday killed at least six, including a strike on Zebdine near Choukin that killed two men, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. One person was killed in a strike on Shahabiya, while a drone strike on a car on the Zefta-Nabatieh highway, near a civil defence ambulance point, killed the driver and injured a paramedic. Two more were killed in a drone strike on their vehicle in Breqaa, while another was killed in a strike on Toul. The Israeli military issued forced displacement orders on Monday to residents of a total of 16 towns and villages across southern Lebanon.

• Attacks on Sunday: At least 21 people were killed, and 126 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Sunday. An Israeli airstrike on the town of Deir Al-Zahrani in southern Lebanon killed eight people and wounded 19 on Sunday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. A drone strike on a motorcycle in Adoussiyeh, south Lebanon, killed a couple and left their young child wounded beside their bodies, footage from the scene showed.

• Israeli forces capture crusader-era castle in Lebanon: The Israeli military captured Beaufort Castle (Al-Shaqif), a crusader-era fortress in southern Lebanon, on Sunday. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the UNESCO-protected heritage site would remain part of a “security zone in Lebanon.” Beaufort Castle overlooks the Litani River and is considered a key observation point over southern Lebanon and northern parts of Israel—though observers say its military significance is more symbolic than tactical. Hezbollah said it is engaged in clashes with Israeli forces near the castle, stating that Israeli forces are facing “great difficulty in stabilizing their positions,” and adding that the fortress “was devoid of any military presence” when the Israelis entered it.

• Netanyahu and Katz order Beirut strikes, Dahiyeh displacement: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to strike targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district on Sunday. Netanyahu offered “repeated ceasefire violations” as a pretext for Israeli escalation, despite the nearly daily strikes Israel has carried out in Lebanon since the ceasefire went into effect in mid-April. The Israeli military spokesperson ordered all residents of Dahiyeh to leave. Residents began fleeing the area en masse, jamming roads in their exodus, according to Al Jazeera.

• IDF plans deeper invasion into Lebanon: Israeli military officers told Walla News on Saturday that forces have begun what they described as “extremely important operations” in southern Lebanon. The military reportedly built five bridges over the Litani River to enable a deeper ground invasion into Lebanese territory. The operation had been planned for over a year, according to Israel’s Broadcasting Authority.

• U.S. reportedly puts forward Lebanon de-escalation roadmap: A U.S. official told Al Jazeera that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has proposed a roadmap under which Hezbollah would halt all attacks on Israel in exchange for Israel refraining from further escalation in Beirut. The official said the proposal aims to create conditions for a “gradual de-escalation” leading to a complete cessation of hostilities.

• Security Council to hold emergency session on Lebanon: The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting today over Israel’s expanded military offensive, according to AFP. The meeting was requested by France, whose President Emmanuel Macron said “nothing justifies the major escalation underway.”

• Lebanese prime minister condemns Israeli escalation, defends talks: In a televised speech on Saturday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the “dangerous and unprecedented” Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon, demanding a full ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal, and the release of all Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. Defending his government’s decision to enter direct talks with Israel, Salam acknowledged the negotiations were not guaranteed to succeed but described them as “the least costly path for our country and our people.”

• Hezbollah reports military successes:

  • Hezbollah carried out a sustained wave of rocket and drone attacks on Sunday, triggering air raid sirens at least 11 times in seven hours across northern Israel, including Safed, with strikes reaching as far as Acre. A fixed-wing drone struck Israel’s Beit Hillel base, wounding six soldiers—three critically. Five soldiers were urgently evacuated to Rambam Medical Center following a separate FPV attack, according to Israeli military monitoring channels.

  • On Saturday, Hezbollah said its operations included a guided missile strike on an Israeli Merkava tank in Bayadha, rocket barrages targeting Israeli troop concentrations in Bayadha and on the eastern outskirts of Yahmar al-Shaqif, and an ambush near Dabbin in which fighters detonated an explosive device against an advancing Israeli force before forcing a withdrawal. The Israeli military later confirmed that a soldier from the Givati Brigade was killed and four others were wounded by a Hezbollah FPV drone strike.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed and 40 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,941 killed, with 172,967 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 932 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,859, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Palestinian killed on Monday: A Palestinian man was killed and another injured on Monday after an Israeli airstrike targeted a bicycle in Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza, according to WAFA.

• Israeli attacks on Gaza continued over the weekend:

  • Israeli Apache helicopters shelled a gathering of civilians at Gaza Port Sunday, killing two and wounding at least 25 others, some critically, according to Al Jazeera.

  • Israeli forces killed Dr. Jamal Yousef Abu-Oun, the head of the anesthesia department at Al-Yafa Medical Hospital, in a drone strike on Saturday in Deir al-Balah.

  • Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a civilian gathering near the Firas market in central Gaza City on Saturday, killing one and wounding two people, one critically. Also on Saturday, artillery strikes hit northeast of Al-Bureij camp, central and southern Khan Younis, and western Rafah, with a powerful explosion reported in the Mawasi area west of Rafah.

• Israeli reservists describe shoot-to-kill orders during Gaza “ceasefire”: Three Israeli reservists gave the Associated Press firsthand accounts of permissive rules of engagement along the “yellow line” dividing Gaza, with soldiers authorized to fire on anyone crossing the invisible boundary—including civilians unaware of its location. Strikes, they said, were sometimes called in based on a “hunch” from troops too distant to identify targets. One account appeared to reference the October killing of the Abu Shaaban family in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, in which Israeli tank fire killed 11 family members in a civilian vehicle, with soldiers described as celebrating. “To call it a ceasefire is a joke,” one soldier told AP.

• Israeli forces demolish Nablus market and make arrests across West Bank: Israeli forces demolished shops in the main vegetable market of Beita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank early Monday morning, forcing shopkeepers to evacuate their goods before military bulldozers destroyed the produce stalls, according to Palestine Online and Quds News. In the nearby village of Burqa, forces backed by military vehicles and a bulldozer converted homes into military barracks, ransacked others, detained residents for field interrogations, and sealed all village entrances with earthen barriers.

• Freed Palestinian prisoner describes 33 years of abuse in Israeli jails: Nasser Abu Srour, who was held in Israeli prisons from 1993 to 2026, wrote a firsthand account of the abuse he encountered for Equator Magazine, describing guards cutting electricity to punish audible prayer, prohibitions on looking at block officers, and beatings carried out with canes, truncheons, tear gas, electric shocks, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Abu Srour recounts guards rushing into cells, chaining prisoners, and dragging them to the yard for repeat beatings—sometimes accompanied by dogs set on restrained detainees—and describes a pepper spray attack on himself after truthfully denying possession of a hidden radio. “Any appeal for explanation resulted only in an extra measure of violence,” he writes. Abu Srour’s full account is available here.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Primary season is in full swing: On Tuesday, voters in California, New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, Iowa, and South Dakota, go to the polls. The chaotic jungle primary for governor pits billionaire Tom Steyer, running a campaign centered on challenging corporate power and breaking up electric and utility monopolies, against Biden cabinet official Xavier Becerra. If Democrats can lock Republicans out of the top two slots, then GOP turnout would likely plummet in November, giving Democratic candidates for California House seats a leg up. In the L.A. mayor’s race, right-wing populist Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star, is battling to make the top two against incumbent Karen Bass and leftist Nithya Raman.

• Pro-Israel groups play big in key California races:

  • The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) endorsed Jasmeet Bains in her race against auto mechanic Randy Villegas. Bains had previously said Israel was committing a genocide in Gaza, but reversed herself as the AIPAC offshoot Democratic Majority For Isreal began spending millions to support her. The winner between the two will take on Republican incumbent David Valadao. Ryan Grim’s interview with Villegas is here.

  • DMFI appears to be making its largest push against Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democrat getting right-wing media attention because of his grandfather, Palestinian militant Muhammad Yusuf al-Najjar, who was killed by Israeli forces for his role in the 1972 Munich attack. A Rafah hospital was named for al-Najjar and his grandson Ammar spent three years in Gaza as a boy. Campa-Najjar’s Democratic opponent, Marni von Wilpert, is facing a last-minute scandal for a settlement reached with her former chief of staff who came under employment pressure amid chemotherapy treatments.

  • In Sacramento, longtime AIPAC-backed incumbent Doris Matsui is facing a serious challenge from Justice Democrats-backed Mai Vang; Matsui’s allies have spent considerable money trying to boost a Republican into the top two to block Vang from the general. Interview on Breaking Points here.

  • In the 34th District, Justice Democrats–backed Angela Gonzalez-Torres is facing incumbent Jimmy Gomez, a longtime AIPAC ally.

• Adam Hamawy, retired Army doctor who volunteered in Gaza, faces last-minute smear campaign in New Jersey: The New York Post and Jewish Insider have ratcheted up their attacks on Hamawy to startling new levels, absurdly accusing Hamawy of links to Al Qaeda, pointing to a volunteer trip he did in 1994 that was connected to a relief organization that was raided a decade later as an alleged Al Qaeda front. Streamer Hasan Piker rallied with Hamawy over the weekend. Watch his interview with Breaking Points Friday.

• Drop Site reporting shakes up San Francisco congressional race:

  • A network of super PACs backing Connie Chan received hundreds of thousands from AIPAC: San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who has publicly refused support from AIPAC in her bid for California’s 11th congressional district, has nonetheless been the beneficiary of nearly $500,000 in spending from a network of super PACs that themselves have taken money from AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel. Chan, who received the endorsement of outgoing Rep. Nancy Pelosi, faces state Sen. Scott Wiener and Justice Democrats co-founder Saikat Chakrabarti in her primary race; the latest EMC Research poll has Wiener leading at 38%, with Chan and Chakrabarti virtually tied for second place. Read Ryan Grim and Julian Andreone’s full report here.

  • Chan’s campaign responded to Drop Site’s reporting on Sunday, saying it “would urge any organization supporting Connie to respect the very clear values she has laid out not to accept donations from AIPAC.”

  • Frontrunner Wiener allegedly told major donor he was forced to characterize Israel’s behavior in Gaza as a genocide: On a May 18 donor call, Moses Libitzky—president of the board of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a major real estate developer—told pro-Israel candidate Marie Hurabiell—who had dialed him hoping for a contribution—that he was a supporter of Scott Wiener’s and was told by Wiener that his characterization of Gaza as a genocide was made only out of political necessity and that Wiener remained a strong supporter of Israel. Hurabiell, without naming the door, discussed the conversation in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday. A source on the call confirmed to Drop Site that Libitzy was the donor on the phone. Libitzky, when contacted for comment, said that “whatever was said to me by Scott or Marie is up to them to discuss with you.” Libitzky gave the maximum allowable contribution to Wiener’s campaign. A Wiener spokesperson denied Hurabiell’s claim.

• Graham Platner hit with sexting scandal: Last summer, while the Platner campaign was doing what’s known as self-oppo—determining what potential lines of attack an opponent may have—Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, disclosed to campaign aide Genevieve McDonald that early in their marriage, Platner had engaged in explicit text messages with other women. McDonald subsequently left the campaign last fall and shared Gertner’s disclosure with both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Platner’s wife responded with a video on Instagram, saying, “No marriage is perfect and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage.”

• New Jersey State Police take over Delaney Hall perimeter after week of clashes between ICE and protesters: New Jersey State Police assumed control of the perimeter outside the GEO Group-run Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark on Saturday under an executive order by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after more than a week of confrontations between ICE agents and demonstrators. Sherill, who called last week for the facility to be shut down, has faced significant backlash for her mobilization of the state police. The protests were sparked by a hunger strike involving 300 to 400 detainees.

• Far-right Israeli ministers appear in New York Israel Day parade: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich joined members of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party and several Likud lawmakers in marching Sunday in Manhattan’s annual Israel Day Parade, aimed at bolstering Israel’s public image in the United States. Last year, several countries placed Smotrich and Ben Gvir under sanctions for inciting extremist violence against Palestinians. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to attend, though his administration did provide “enhanced security” for the event. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and other state and city officials attended.

  • Hochul used the occasion to sign her “buffer zone” bill into law, making it a crime to block entry to houses of worship and permitting protest restrictions within 50 feet of such sites, in response to recent protests against real estate expos held at NYC synagogues to sell land in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

• Trump-connected firm with no infrastructure experience nears $1B Bosnia pipeline contract: AAFS Infrastructure and Energy—represented by Jesse Binnall, a lawyer who has defended Donald Trump and his son in political cases, and Joe Flynn, brother of former national security adviser Michael Flynn—is close to securing a concession to build and operate a $1.2 billion gas pipeline across the Balkans in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with no competitive process, a Guardian investigation found. Ultranationalist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik’s U.S. sanctions were quietly lifted by the Trump administration after he hired Michael Flynn as a lobbyist for $100,000.

Other International News

• Far-right candidate leads in Colombia’s first-round election results: Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won 43.7% of the vote to leftist Iván Cepeda’s 40.9% in Colombia’s first-round presidential election, with 99.4% of polling stations reporting—setting up a runoff between de la Espriella and Cepeda on June 21. Pre-election polls had consistently shown Cepeda leading. Support for center-right candidate Paloma Valencia appears to have collapsed and consolidated behind de la Espriella in the final stretch, aided by late interventions from Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno. Drop Site correspondent Sasi Alejandre reports that coalition observers are closely scrutinizing the count and monitoring for potential irregularities.

• Sudanese army drone kills ten civilians in West Kordofan: A drone strike allegedly carried out by the Sudanese army in West Kordofan on Saturday killed ten people, including eight children, and wounded others, according to Sudan Tribune. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on May 11 that drone strikes had killed 880 civilians in Sudan—more than 80% of all conflict-related civilian deaths—in the first four months of 2026.

  • Tribal clashes reignite in South Darfur: Fighting between the Salamat and Beni Halba tribes reignited around the town of Kubum in South Darfur state, Sudan Tribune reports, with armed fighters from both sides deploying Rapid Support Forces vehicles in clashes that have spread to nearby villages and to parts of Central Darfur state. Both sides deliberately burned villages, triggering mass displacement toward Ad al-Fursan, while an unconfirmed number of fighters were killed. The two tribes had reached an RSF-brokered reconciliation agreement in December 2025 following a previous round of fighting; the current clashes were triggered by the killing of a herder last week.

• WHO chief visits DRC Ebola epicenter as confirmed cases nearly double: The World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province on Saturday, as confirmed Ebola cases in the country reached 225—nearly double the 121 reported two days earlier, alongside 1,028 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths. Médecins Sans Frontières says the Ebola outbreak is one of the fastest-spreading on record, and the WHO has warned that the death rate associated with it could reach 30 to 50%. Global funding for a response to the disease has more than halved, from $498 million to $219 million, according to the Africa CDC.

• Ukraine strikes Russian energy infrastructure across multiple regions: Ukraine launched coordinated drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the weekend, setting off a major port fire in the Rostov Oblast after drones struck a tanker, fuel tank, and administrative building. Two civilians were wounded when a separate drone hit a private home.

  • Additional strikes hit an oil facility in Armavir, Krasnodar Krai—which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted lay some 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border—ignited giant fuel tanks near Yaroslavl, and forced the shutdown of Russia’s Volgograd oil refinery.

  • Ukrainian drones also reportedly struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, punching a hole in a turbine hall wall without damaging key equipment, according to state nuclear company Rosatom. Ukraine’s military denied striking the plant, calling the Russian claims propaganda.

  • Russia launched 90 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, hitting infrastructure in Ukraine’s Sumy region.

• Ammunition depot explosion kills 39 in northeast Myanmar: An explosion at an ammunition store controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army in Myanmar’s Shan state killed at least 39 people and wounded 75 others Sunday, with the cause still under investigation, Al Jazeera reports. The TNLA said the stored explosives were used in mining operations in an area known for its ruby mines, and residents described bodies and debris scattered across a massive crater where more than half the village’s houses were destroyed.

• Truck carrying Afghan refugees from Pakistan overturns, killing 18: A cargo truck overloaded with recently returned Afghan refugee families overturned at an intersection in Afghanistan’s Laghman province on Saturday morning, after the driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, killing at least 18 people—including ten children—and critically injuring more than 30 others. The families had been temporarily sheltering in the country’s Kunar province and were en route to Kabul. The crash comes amid a mass return of Afghans from Pakistan, with the UN recording more than 447,000 crossings this year.

• Indigenous Nicaraguan leader Brooklyn Rivera dies in state custody: Brooklyn Rivera, a 73-year-old Miskito Indigenous leader and anti-government activist who had been held in Nicaraguan detention without outside contact since September 2023, died Sunday. The government attributed his death to a bacterial infection following Covid-19, but Reed Brody of the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua said, “If he is dead, it cannot be said that the cause was illness”—“the cause would be that he was in government custody in conditions of enforced disappearance for over two years, denied independent medical oversight.”

• UK bans Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker ahead of SXSW London appearances: The UK Home Office banned American political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker from entering the country Sunday after calls by members of the country’s Labour Party and from a Jewish and pro-Israel group called the Community Security Trust to revoke their travel visas. Uygur and Piker planned to appear at SXSW London, with Uygur also barred from a planned Oxford University student event. The Home Office said their electronic travel authorizations were cancelled on grounds that their presence “may not be conducive to the public good.”

• Syrian president calls Trump to press for full sanctions relief: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa called Trump Sunday to ask the U.S. to lift its remaining sanctions on his country, claiming that such a move is essential to reviving the Syrian economy and attracting investment. The U.S. has dismantled most of its sanctions, but kept some measures in place to target associates of former President Bashar al-Assad, captagon traffickers, and others, and has said that a review of Syria’s state sponsor of terrorism designation is ongoing.

If you want to continue getting this newsletter, you don’t have to do anything. But if this is too much—we do try to be mindful of your inbox—you can unsubscribe from this newsletter while continuing to get the rest of our reporting. Just go into your account here at this link, scroll down, and toggle the button next to “Drop Site Daily“ to the off setting. It looks like this:

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FROM DROP SITE:

• Tyre is Now the Epicenter of Israel’s Assault on Lebanon

• Hungry Palestinians in Gaza Protest World Central Kitchen Scaling Back Amid Rising Food Costs and Israeli Blockade

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Iran and Ceasefire

• U.S. and Iran near preliminary MOU to extend ceasefire 60 days and open permanent peace talks, reports say: U.S. and Iranian negotiators have drafted a preliminary memorandum of understanding to extend their ceasefire for 60 days and begin negotiations toward permanently ending the war, U.S. officials told Al Jazeera on Thursday—though the framework still requires President Donald Trump’s final approval. The deal, also reported by Axios, entails unrestricted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and a staged U.S. lifting of its naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency denied the deal was finalized, with a source close to the negotiations saying “any narrative from Western sources about the finalisation of the matter is not valid” until Iran formally notifies its Pakistani mediator.

  • An Iranian official confirmed separately to Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill that Tehran had agreed to what mediators said was final draft language of a memorandum of understanding. However, a “deep distrust” of Trump is preventing any official announcement. According to the official, Iran is unable to rule out further U.S.-Israeli strikes. “Some voices on the Iranian side are concerned that President Trump may reconsider his position at the last moment,” the official said, adding that Iran would not consider Trump’s decision final until U.S. “financial markets close at the end of the week.” Iran also warned Trump would likely mischaracterize the privately agreed terms to promote his “victor” narrative.

  • On Friday morning, Trump said he would be convening a meeting in the Situation Room, reiterating his demands in a post on Truth Social. Iran must “agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb,” he posted, while also calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be “immediately open, no tolls” to unrestricted shipping, and for any remaining naval mines to be removed or detonated. He said ships affected by what he described as a “our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade” could now “start the process of ‘heading home’.” Trump also said enriched nuclear material buried underground after earlier U.S. strikes would be “unearthed by the United States…in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,” and added that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice.”

  • Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator in indirect talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued a warning on X on Friday as negotiations continue: “We do not obtain concessions through negotiations. We obtain them with our missiles,” adding that “we have no trust in guarantees or promises, only in actions.” Ghalibaf also said, “We will not take any step before the other side acts first,” and concluded that “the winner of any agreement is the one better prepared for war the next day.”

• Oman tells Bessent it has “no plans” to participate in Hormuz toll plan: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the Omani ambassador had assured him the country has “no plans” to participate in any effort to impose fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange comes a day after Trump warned that “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up.” Bessent said he warned the ambassador of possible sanctions. Iran has recently denied that it plans to charge tolls, describing its fee framework instead as pilotage and navigation service fees comparable to systems used by Turkey, Australia, and Canada, intended in part to offset war damages.

• Trump team quietly developing indirect financing mechanisms for future payment to Iran: With President Donald Trump unwilling to authorize any arrangement that could be framed as a direct cash payment to Iran, his team has been quietly developing alternative financing mechanisms, three anonymous U.S. officials told the New York Times. Gulf Arab states have been lobbied to underwrite Iran’s postwar reconstruction through a $300 billion investment fund, while a separate mechanism under discussion would unfreeze Iranian assets held by Qatar, which would then purchase medicines and feedstock for direct transfer to Iran—both steps requiring U.S. approval.

• U.S. oil stockpiles fall for fifth straight week: U.S. commercial crude inventories fell 3.3 million barrels to 441.7 million barrels—about 2% below the five-year seasonal average—for a fifth consecutive week, the Energy Information Administration reported Thursday. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve also dropped by 9.1 million barrels to a total of 365.1 million barrels. Separately on Thursday, Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President Neil Chapman warned that a price spike is “two weeks or three weeks” away, saying inventories are approaching “unheard of” lows and that physical Brent crude could spike to $150–$160 per barrel; Brent futures closed under $94 Thursday as markets held out hope for a U.S.-Iran deal.

• Israeli officials privately urge Trump to abandon Iran talks, assassinate lead negotiator, report says: Israeli officials are privately pressing the Trump administration to scrap nuclear negotiations with Iran, assassinate parliament speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and launch a fresh round of strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure, according to reporting from Capital & Empire’s Aída Chávez. Israeli officials reportedly believe renewed attacks could trigger economic collapse and the regime change Israel sought at the outset of the war. Read Chávez’s full piece here.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,355 people have been killed, and 10,095 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli strikes and forced displacement orders across southern Lebanon:

  • Israeli strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to the National News Agency, including four in an airstrike at the Abbasiyah junction and one in an attack on Deir Qanoun al-Nahr.

  • A municipal police officer in the town of Aaba was killed in a drone strike on his hometown.

  • Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two victims after searching through the rubble of a house struck by Israeli aircraft in Tyre Dibba.

  • The Israeli military issued forced displacement orders Friday ordering residents of Ansariya, Al-Kharayeb, Shabriha, Sarafand, Adloun, and Baisariya to immediately evacuate north of the Zahrani River, claiming it was “compelled to act forcefully” against Hezbollah in the area.

• Israeli strikes kill 31 across Lebanon on Thursday: At least 31 people were killed and 68 wounded Thursday in Israeli attacks across Lebanon, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

• Israeli forces push north of Litani River: The Israeli military crossed the Litani River from the Zawtar and Yuhmur areas on Thursday, deepening the assault on Lebanese territory, according to Press TV correspondent Hadi Hoteit, in an attempt to advance on the Arnon hill and the historic Beaufort Castle area. The move has been questioned by Israeli analysts and former generals, who say that moving into the area puts the army at risk of entering a “kill zone,” where Hezbollah has a strategic advantage—and as Hezbollah has recently achieved what Hoteit called a “micro-air superiority” with its effective use of FPV drones.

• UNICEF: 11 children killed or injured by Israel daily in Lebanon: 11 children have been killed or injured every 24 hours over the past week in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire, UNICEF said via L’Orient Today. UNICEF described the toll as “staggering,” with spokesperson Ricardo Pires stating on Friday that 15 children were killed and 62 injured in the past seven days, citing figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, adding that “the vast majority of these children were impacted by airstrikes in south Lebanon.” At least seven children were killed and 30 injured on Thursday, according to the Ministry.

• Lebanese and Israeli military officials to hold U.S.-brokered security talks: Lebanese and Israeli military officials are set to hold their first security talks on Friday in Washington, D.C., amid Israel’s ongoing military assault in southern Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said “nothing can justify” Israel’s continued “assaults” on southern Lebanon, calling for an immediate ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc criticized the talks, saying Lebanon’s authorities were “compromising both sovereignty and rights” and “actively working to obstruct” opportunities linked to regional negotiations involving its ally Iran.

• Israel escalates assault on Tyre: At least 15 Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese city of Tyre overnight Wednesday into Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 17 others in a direct strike on a residential block near the El-Buss Palestinian refugee camp—one of the hardest nights since the start of the war, according to local civil defense official Moussa Shaalan. The assault has triggered another wave of mass displacement from Tyre, a UNESCO World Heritage city of around 160,000, where tens of thousands had remained or returned after earlier waves of bombardment; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would “intensify our strikes” and instructed the military to “step on the gas even more.” Read Lylla Younes’ latest for Drop Site here.

Palestine

• Israeli attacks on Friday:

  • Three Palestinians were killed and several injured early Friday after Israeli drones targeted a police checkpoint in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to WAFA.

  • More civilians were wounded in the Al-Qarara Mawasi area after strikes led to fires igniting in tents sheltering displaced families.

  • Five people were injured when an Israeli strike hit Al-Yarmouk Street in Gaza City, causing a fire inside a residential building.

• Israeli attacks kill at least 14 Palestinians in northern Gaza on Thursday: Israeli strikes killed at least 14 Palestinians on Thursday across northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Among the attacks, an Israeli drone strike killed at least one person and wounded several others after targeting a group of civilians in Gaza City’s Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, Shehab News reported.

  • Civilians were forced to evacuate areas around Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Deir al-Balah on Thursday. Israeli strikes hit the area’s recently emptied homes and burned tents sheltering displaced families, destroying entire residential blocks, according to Eyad Amawi of the Gaza Relief Committee.

  • In Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, residents returned to devastation after Thursday evening strikes. Drop Site contributor Abdel Qader Sabbah sent footage of the scene from Al-Shati, available here. One resident told Sabbah that he received a phone call from an Israeli officer ordering the evacuation of an area of roughly 300 meters. The officer claimed a military target was present. “I told him there is no military target. Everyone here is civilian,” the resident said.

• Netanyahu orders IDF to expand control to 70% of Gaza: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has directed the Israeli military to seize 70% of the Gaza Strip, up from the roughly 60% Israel currently controls which goes beyond the agreed upon “Yellow Line” in the ceasefire agreement. “At this point, we are fully in control of 60%of the territory of the Gaza Strip… and my directive is to get to… 70%,” Netanyahu said in an interview at a conference in the occupied West Bank, while an audience member cheered in the background, urging him to take 100% of the Strip. “Wait, let’s go in order. First 70%. Let’s start with that,” he responded.

• Hamas warns ceasefire faces “risk of collapse”: In a statement Thursday condemning an Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Gaza City on Wednesday that killed 10 people, including five children and two women, Hamas warned that the recent escalation of hostilities signals Israel’s attempt “to return to the brutal war of extermination that lasted for two full years on Gaza.” Hamas called on the U.S. and ceasefire guarantor countries to condemn Israel’s violations and take “serious and urgent steps” to enforce the agreement.

• UN report documents Israeli rape, sexual abuse of Palestinians: A new United Nations report submitted by Secretary-General António Guterres—documenting the sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli detention—has added Israeli forces to a list of parties accused of conflict-related sexual violence, according to Haaretz. The report names the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Prison Service, and a border police counterterrorism unit, and documents 31 victims since 2023 from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including men, women, and children. It says the reported abuses included “rape, including with objects, gang rape,” as well as “physical violence to the genitals, instances of targeted shooting of the genitals.” The U.N. cited what it described as a “systematic lack of accountability,” adding that its findings should be viewed as “indicative rather than comprehensive” as Israel continues to deny investigators access and detainees continue to face “explicit threats” from Israeli forces aimed at preventing them from reporting abuse.

• Israeli forces shut down Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron: Israeli forces on Friday closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to worshippers in Hebron, the occupied West Bank “until further notice,” according to WAFA. The acting director of the sanctuary, Hammam Abu Morkhia, described the move as a “blatant violation” of the mosque’s sanctity. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the closure, warning it reflects attempts to alter the religious and historical status quo in Hebron.

• Israel approves major settlement expansion plan in Jordan Valley: Israeli authorities have approved a large-scale settlement expansion plan in the Jordan Valley, according to the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission. The commission said the plan targets the Misawa settlement built on Palestinian land in the Al-Far’a Valley area of Jericho and includes 517 new housing units across about 1,692 dunams, along with infrastructure, roads, and public facilities intended to expand the settlement into a fully integrated complex.

• France refers Israeli abuse of Gaza flotilla detainees to prosecutor: France has referred the treatment of its nationals detained by Israel last week as a part of the Global Sumud Flotilla to the public prosecutor, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Friday, citing a consular report documenting sexual violence, exposure to cold, beatings, and repeated humiliation of French citizens. The Global Sumud Flotilla was seized by Israeli forces in international waters during an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza; activists report widespread abuse, with at least 15 cases of sexual assaults, including rape.

• Gaza civilians protest WCK meal cuts as Iran war drives up food costs: World Central Kitchen, the largest provider of hot meals in Gaza, halved its daily distribution from roughly one million meals to 500,000 this month, citing financial pressures driven by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The move leaves thousands of Palestinian kitchen workers suddenly unemployed, sparking protests. “We truly have nothing. Where are we supposed to work? How are we supposed to feed our children? I sit waiting at the community kitchens from 8 in the morning. This is the result,” one man said at a demonstration. Read the latest from Abdel Qader Sabbah and Sharif Abdel Kouddous for Drop Site here.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• AIPAC routes millions to Rep. Haley Stevens through third-party processor: AIPAC has shifted how it funds the Senate primary campaign of Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, according to a new investigation by the Detroit News. The group is now routing donor money through a third-party processor called Democracy Engine to prevent AIPAC’s name from appearing prominently in campaign filings. A separate pro-Israel super PAC also launched a $5.3 million ad blitz backing Stevens, giving her a financial advantage over progressive challengers Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed.

• DOJ sues Massachusetts over refusal to issue undercover license plates to ICE: The Justice Department sued Massachusetts Thursday over the state’s refusal to issue confidential license plates to federal immigration agents, arguing the policy discriminates against ICE and CBP in violation of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause—one of four such lawsuits filed Wednesday and Thursday against Massachusetts, Maine, Washington, and Oregon. Governor Maura Healey rejected the suit as another “specious complaint against political enemies,” arguing that confidential plates are reserved for criminal law enforcement and that ICE’s civil enforcement work does not qualify.

• Supreme Court rules 5-4 for Black Mississippi death row inmate: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black death row inmate from Mississippi who argued racial bias tainted the jury that convicted him of capital murder, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh writing for a 5-4 majority. Pitchford’s trial featured 11 white and one Black juror, and was prosecuted by Doug Evans—a now-retired prosecutor with a documented history of dismissing Black jurors. The ruling entitles Pitchford to a new trial in state court.

• Collins responds to Platner regarding the Iraq War: Maine Senator Susan Collins answered a claim made by her senatorial opponent, Graham Platner, in a New York Times interview that she sent him to “die in Iraq” by voting for that war. “That was Platner’s decision to serve,” she told a reporter. “He was not drafted.” Platner responded later on Thursday by saying that Collins, “all these years later,” had decided “to blame those of us who, in our late teens and early 20s, signed up to serve our country.”

• Trump-appointed acting U.S. attorney dropped gun charge against Israeli linked to illegal Nevada biolab: An acting U.S. attorney, appointed by Trump, dropped a federal gun charge against Ori Solomon, an Israeli immigrant arrested during an investigation into a suspected illegal biolab in Nevada, citing the “interests of justice” with no public explanation. The property contained refrigerators filled with unidentified vials and shared similarities with a California lab, which reportedly had samples labeled with diseases including HIV, malaria, and Ebola.

• Hundreds protest Jerusalem real estate expo in Manhattan: Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the Hilton Midtown in Manhattan Thursday evening to protest the Jerusalem Comes to NYC real estate expo, which was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and marketed properties in Jerusalem, with organizers accusing sponsors of facilitating Palestinian displacement and promoting settlement expansion. Protesters also opposed a parallel aliyah fair sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a settler recruitment event encouraging immigration to Israel.

• Trump admin moves to vacate enforcement order against Winklevoss twins’ Gemini crypto exchange: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission asked a New York federal judge Wednesday to vacate a January 2025 consent order against Gemini Trust, calling the original complaint one that “should not have been filed.” The cryptocurrency exchange was founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who donated to Trump’s 2024 campaign. The order included a $5 million penalty and an injunction barring Gemini from making false statements to the agency, stemming from misrepresentations made in 2017 about a Bitcoin futures contract. Former CFTC Chair Tim Massad called the move “very unusual.”

Other International News

• RSF kills at least 30 civilians in North Kordofan attack: Rapid Support Forces attacked several villages near Bara in North Kordofan state on Thursday, killing at least 30 civilians, according to Sudan Tribune. Approximately 20 RSF combat vehicles struck the Al-Murra, Um Saadoun al-Sharif, and Al-Radha areas. Bara, the second-largest city in North Kordofan, is currently under RSF control after changing hands multiple times during the conflict; the Sudanese Armed Forces continue to hold El Obeid, the state capital.

  • Burhan denies consultations in UAE: Sudanese Sovereignty Council Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan flatly denied Thursday that any consultations had taken place in Bahrain, calling a recent Middle East Eye report alleging he had signaled readiness to open dialogue with the UAE “completely untrue.”

• Guatemala agrees to joint U.S. military strikes on its soil: Guatemala agreed to allow joint U.S. airstrikes and military operations inside its borders targeting alleged drug trafficking groups, with President Bernardo Arévalo signing off on the arrangement in a call with War Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, the New York Times reported on Thursday. The Guatemalan government later denied that report, calling it inaccurate but confirming it had sought a different arrangement. It released a May 28 letter from Defense Minister Henry Saenz to Hegseth stating his country’s “desire” to “lead, with US assistance, active military operations” against U.S.-designated drug trafficking organizations, “in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and arrangements.” Subsequent reporting from El País claimed that the plans were geared toward a media spectacle, with one source telling the Spanish paper, “What they offered us was to select one or two places to carry out bombings and televise it all.”

• At least 52 killed in clashes between rival FARC factions: At least 52 guerrilla fighters were killed in clashes between two rival FARC dissident factions vying for control of a cocaine production region in Colombia, according to a statement Thursday by one of the groups involved—the most violent such fighting in recent months. The clashes pitted a faction known as Iván Mordisco against Calarca Córdoba; though the latter group is currently in peace talks with President Gustavo Petro while Iván Mordisco remains in conflict with authorities after Petro suspended a bilateral ceasefire with the faction in 2024.

• U.S. designates Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs “terrorist organizations”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday that the Trump administration will designate Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as Foreign Terrorist Organizations effective June 5. A foreign affairs adviser to the country’s president, Lula da Silva, welcomed international cooperation on money laundering and arms trafficking but warned that any “pretext for intervention” in Brazilian sovereignty would be “unacceptable.” His opponent, the right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, said he personally petitioned for the designations during meetings with U.S. officials in Washington this week.

• Mexico’s lower house approves constitutional amendment allowing elections to be nullified over foreign interference: Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved a constitutional amendment Thursday, 307 to 128, that would add foreign interference—defined as illicit financing, disinformation campaigns, digital manipulation, and pressure from foreign governments or media—as grounds for nullifying an election. President Claudia Sheinbaum cited repeated electoral interference from Washington throughout the region. The measure still requires Senate approval and is unlikely to affect the next federal elections in June 2027.

• Kenyan court suspends U.S. Ebola quarantine facility: A Kenyan High Court judge suspended a planned U.S. Ebola quarantine facility on Friday, hours before it was set to open, after a human rights group filed a legal challenge arguing the secretive arrangement raised “grave constitutional concerns.” The facility—a 50-bed isolation unit at Laikipia Air Base, about 200 kilometers from Nairobi—intended to quarantine U.S. nationals arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and was established to avoid repatriating exposed Americans to U.S. soil, a policy which drew criticism from U.S. doctors and Kenyan health workers alike. Kenya’s doctors’ union issued a 48-hour strike alert Thursday, warning Kenya should not become a “dumping ground” for Ebola cases.

• Russian drone crashes into Romanian apartment building, injuring two: A Russian drone reportedly headed toward Ukraine crashed into a residential building in the Romanian city of Galati overnight Friday, injuring two people and triggering a fire that forced evacuations, in what Romania’s Foreign Ministry called a serious violation of international law. The country’s president, Nicusor Dan, said Romania would not accept Russia’s war “being transferred to its citizens.” NATO, of which Romania is a part, also condemned Russia’s “reckless behaviour” in response to the crash.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• U.S. strikes resume in Persian Gulf: The U.S. military struck an Iranian military site and shot down five one-way attack drones near Bandar Abbas on Wednesday evening, according to CENTCOM, after an alleged attack attempted against an American commercial vessel. A U.S. official quoted by Reuters called the strikes “purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire.” According to Iran’s Tasnim News, the strikes followed an interception by the IRGC’s Navy of an American oil tanker attempting to transit the Strait with its radar system turned off. The Iranian Navy reportedly opened fire on the vessel, forcing it to turn back and prompting the U.S. to strike Bandar Abbas. The outlet reported no casualties from either the interception or the American retaliatory strikes. This is the second wave of U.S. strikes this week that Washington has characterized as “defensive”; an earlier wave on Monday hit several Iranian small boats near Bandar Abbas.

• Iran strikes U.S. air base: The IRGC said on Thursday that it struck a U.S. air base in response to the U.S.’ earlier attacks. “Following this morning’s aggression by the invading U.S. military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50 am,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said, according to the IRIB news agency. The IRGC also said that any “aggression will not go unanswered,” adding that further military actions will face a “more decisive” response. The IRGC announcement followed the sounding of air raid sirens across Kuwait early Thursday morning, as reported by Al Arabiya, and a statement by that country’s military that it was confronting “hostile missile and drone attacks.”

• Trump discusses war at Cabinet meeting: Trump spoke with reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, where he was asked about several issues related to Iran.

  • Threatens to “blow up” Oman: When asked about whether or not he would accept a “short-term deal that allows Iran and Oman to control” the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said that, while “nobody” would control the Strait, the United States would “watch over” it, before threatening Oman. “Oman will behave just like everybody else,” he said, or “we’ll have to blow them up.”

  • Pressures Muslim states to join the “Abraham Accords”: Trump insisted again that several Muslim States—including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain—“immediately” join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel as a condition of an agreement to end the war on Iran. “They owe it to us,” he claimed, adding that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were “working on that.”

  • Rejects transfer of Iranian uranium, sanctions relief: Taking questions from the press at the same event, Trump said the United States would not be comfortable with Russia or China taking Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium. “No, I wouldn’t be, no,” he said. Trump also denied the possibility of offering sanctions relief, saying, “We’re not talking about any easing of sanctions or giving money.”

  • Dismisses effects on midterms: Trump was also asked about the potential effects of the war on the United States’ upcoming midterm elections, and told reporters these elections—and their potential to register domestic discontent with the war—would have “no effect” on negotiations. “I don’t care about the midterms,” he remarked.

• U.S. calls proposal circulated by Iranian media “fabricated”: After Iranian media reported details of a prospective deal on Wednesday, including the restoration of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the vicinity of Iran, the White House dismissed the report as “not true” and a “complete fabrication.”

• Shipping agencies say four tankers exited Strait of Hormuz this week: New shipping data from monitoring agencies LSEG and Kpler show four tankers exited the Strait of Hormuz this week. Overall, oil and LNG traffic through the strait remains severely limited compared to the pre-war average of 125 to 140 daily passages, with approximately 20,000 seafarers stranded on hundreds of ships at anchor in the Gulf.

• U.S. military faces years-long window of vulnerability after Iran war depleted key weapons stockpiles, analysis finds: The U.S. military needs at least three years to replenish stockpiles of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot interceptors, and THAAD interceptors heavily depleted in the Iran war, according to a Center for Strategic and International Studies report provided to the Associated Press. The U.S. fired more than 1,000 Tomahawks at Iran and could take until late 2030 to fully rebuild that inventory, while Patriot and THAAD replenishment is estimated to wrap up in mid- to late 2029.

Lebanon

• Israeli assault on Lebanon continues on Thursday:

  • Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon kill at least 14: At least six people, including two children, were killed in a Thursday strike on a vehicle in Adloun, near Sidon, according to the country’s National News Agency (NNA). Another strike on a building in Sidon early this morning killed five people, including two women, and wounded 21 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Two people were killed in Tyre following a strike on a motorcycle. Another strike in Nabatieh killed a Lebanese soldier, according to a post by the country’s military on X.

  • Strike hits Beirut suburb: A loud explosion was heard in the Beirut suburb of Choueifat on Thursday morning, Al Jazeera reported, which was later reported to be a “precision strike” by the Israeli military. This is consistent with a targeted assassination strike, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr noted.

  • Over 135 Israeli strikes: The Israeli military claimed to have struck more than 135 targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, including in the city of Sour (Tyre) and other areas in southern Lebanon and in the eastern Bekaa valley.

  • Israeli soldier killed, two wounded: The Israeli military also said Thursday that a soldier in northern Israel was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack and two reservists were wounded. Hezbollah claimed it launched dozens of drone and rocket attacks that it said targeted Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

• Israeli strikes devastate Lebanon on first day of Eid:

  • Israeli airstrikes pound Tyre: A wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Tyre on Wednesday after Israel issued a forced displacement order for the city, according to local reports. A strike on the Al-Bass area in Tyre Wednesday afternoon killed three people and wounded 37 others, including eight children and 13 women, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The strikes also targeted the city’s infrastructure, with a critical industrial zone being among the first targets. The city’s power generators were hit by a wave of strikes on the city after midnight local time, journalist Hala Jaber reported. Additionally, strikes hit a building near the Buss refugee camp, leaving two people injured.

  • Israeli attack on Sidon kills six: An Israeli attack on a vehicle in Sidon on Wednesday evening killed six, including a father, a mother, and their two children, according to NNA.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, 16 Palestinians were killed and 39 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,819 killed, with 172,894 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 922 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,786, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli strikes kill at least 12 on Eid Al-Adha:

  • Israeli strike in Gaza City kills at least ten: An Israeli strike hit a home in Gaza City on Wednesday evening, killing at least ten, including five children, and wounding more than 20 others, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Videos filmed by journalists at the scene show residents pulling bodies from the rubble, children covered in blood being rushed into ambulances, and crowds screaming in panic as flames and smoke fill the area.

  • Israel claims strikes in northern Gaza killed two Hamas leaders: Israel’s military announced on Wednesday that strikes in northern Gaza killed Izz-al-Din Bik and Imad Aslim, a deputy commander of Hamas’ Gaza City brigade and the commander of its Zeitoun battalion, respectively. The strikes come a day after Israeli strikes killed Mohammed Odeh in Rimal, whose death Hamas confirmed on Wednesday. Odeh’s wife and two sons were killed in the Tuesday strike, according to a statement from the group. Drop Site contributor Mohammed Ahmed submitted a video report from Odeh’s funeral, which is available here.

• UN adds Israel to blacklist of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict zones: The United Nations has added Israel to a blacklist of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict zones. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon revealed the news in a social media post on Thursday, calling it a “blood libel.” The Israeli Prison Service is among several entities added to the UN list, according to Israeli media reports, alongside other official Israeli bodies. The move follows mounting Palestinian and international reports documenting torture and sexual abuse of Palestinians during arrest, interrogation, and detention across Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Israeli prisons.

• Israel blocks sacrificial animals used in Eid Al-Adha ceremonies from entering Gaza: Israel blocked an estimated 17,000 calves and 24,000 sheep from entering Gaza ahead of Eid Al-Adha, the Government’s Information office said on Thursday, preventing residents from participating in a central ritual that accompanies the holiday.

• U.S. returns UN’s Francesca Albanese to sanctions list: The U.S. returned UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese to its list of “Specially Designated Nationals” on Wednesday, Reuters reported, subjecting her once again to sanctions applied by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. A U.S. district court judge had ruled in Albanese’s family’s favor when they had brought forward a lawsuit against the sanctions. Albanese could not access her American bank account and was prevented from traveling to see her daughter and relatives who lived in the U.S. Albanese has been a target of the Trump administration because of her criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

• “Board of Peace” to make first appearance in Gaza, Israeli media says: Representatives of Trump’s “Board of Peace” submitted a request to the IDF to enter the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Israel’s Kan News reported, in what would be the body’s first visit to the territory.

• GSF participants detained in Libya, organizers say: Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army, detained ten members of the Global Sumud Flotilla in the central Libyan state of Sirte, the group announced on Wednesday. Organizers said the group, which included nationals from Poland, the U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia, and Italy, was detained after entering Libya’s ceasefire security zone to negotiate safe passage toward Gaza. Haftar’s LNA has been in de facto control of the eastern half of the country since 2017.

  • New Zealand man describes abuse in Israeli detention: Hāhona Ormsby, a citizen of New Zealand and participant in the Global Sumud Flotilla, described his brutal treatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers to the New Zealand outlet Stuff, with the one primarily responsible for his torture telling him, “I’m a crazy MF. I’m going to hurt you every minute you’re with me.” Ormsby describes being punched repeatedly, knocked unconscious, and having his head pushed into a wall during a strip search, as well as a harrowing moment when a soldier threatened to taser his genitals. His testimony is available here.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump administration refunds more than $20 billion in tariffs: The Trump administration has refunded more than $20.6 billion in tariffs to importers so far, with roughly $85 billion in total refunds accepted for processing, following the Supreme Court’s February ruling that the administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to collect country-specific tariffs exceeded presidential authority, according to a court filing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s son, Brandon Lutnick, is in line to reap the reward, having bought up the rights to such refunds for the Lutnick firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

• Justice Department opens criminal perjury investigation into E. Jean Carroll: The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the 82-year-old writer who won a $5 million civil judgment against President Donald Trump for sexual abuse and an $83.3 million defamation judgment, CNN reported on Wednesday. The investigation will reportedly examine whether she committed perjury in those civil proceedings.

• House Democrats introduce War Powers resolution to prevent Cuba intervention: Reps. Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a concurrent resolution on Wednesday invoking the War Powers Act to prevent the Trump administration from a direct military intervention against Cuba. The resolution is co-sponsored by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas).

• Student criticizes CBS for Gaza coverage at national awards ceremony: Santiago Campos, a high school senior from Washington D.C., received the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards on Wednesday, and used his speech to criticize the outlet for “staining” the legacy of Mike Wallace, who famously critically covered the Vietnam War for CBS during the 1960s and 1970s. “If at any time you hesitate to utter the word genocide or remain silent in the face of blatant lies,” Campos said, “remember to ask yourself: who is this for?”

• Jewish Insider attempts to tie Adam Hamawy to al Qaeda for his medical volunteerism in Bosnia: The digital magazine Jewish Insider published an article Wednesday that linked New Jersey congressional candidate Adam Hamawy’s volunteer work during the 1990s for an organization called the Benevolence International Foundation in Bosnia to the group’s later prosecution for its ties to al Qaeda. At the same time Hamawy worked with the group, an envoy to President Bill Clinton visited a BIF office in Sudan and, according to a government filing, “praised BIF and its efforts to provide humanitarian relief.” At the time of his volunteer work, Hamawy was enlisted in the U.S. military, part of the individual ready reserve. The envoy’s visit and her reported praise of the organization was known to Jewish Insider but left out of the article. Hamawy served as a U.S. Army combat surgeon during the Iraq War, and has a distinguished record of providing medical services in crisis zones, including in Gaza in 2024. He famously operated on future Senator Tammy Duckworth after her helicopter was downed. The New Jersey primary, which Hamawy leads, is on Tuesday.

• Company headed by Trump-pardoned Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy wins $106 million federal prison contract: LEO Technologies, a Texas-based AI company founded and led by Elliott Broidy—a Republican fundraiser pardoned by President Donald Trump on his last day in office in 2021, days before Broidy was to be sentenced for secretly lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian interests—won a $106 million contract from the Bureau of Prisons to translate, transcribe, and monitor prison phone calls using artificial intelligence last month, the Guardian reported. The contract marks LEO’s first with the federal government. Broidy, who has twice pleaded guilty to separate criminal offenses.

• Cori Bush secures endorsement from national progressive group: Former Missouri Rep. Cori Bush received the endorsement of MoveOn, the grassroots progressive organization, in her campaign to retake the congressional seat for Missouri’s 1st district from its present occupant, Wesley Bell, Drop Site’s Ryan Grim reported on Wednesday.

• Protest planned Thursday evening against “stolen Palestinian land” at the Hilton Midtown in New York City at 6:30 pm.

• Two new polls show Graham Platner with major lead over Susan Collins: A University of New Hampshire survey had Platner up 51-42 over Sen. Susan Collins (R) while another had him up 48-41. The polls come as fringe, pro-Israel establishment figures linked to Andrew Cuomo have become increasingly critical of Platner. After Platner’s endorsement, populist gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson has surged to the top of the pack.

• Saikat Chakrabarti wins endorsement of Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Sunrise Movement: California’s primary arrives Tuesday, June 2. Chakrabarti, AOC’s former chief of staff, is fighting with Connie Chan, endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, for the second spot in the general election, with Scott Wiener the presumed frontrunner.

• Democratic machine panicking in Harlem as Darializa Avila Chevalier surges: Two super PACS, the Latino Victory Fund and Bold PAC (linked to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus), are pouring more than a million dollars into ads boosting incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat, suggesting internal polls show a narrowing race. Justice Democrats, which recruited Chevalier, has upped its spending to close to $400k, with a new ad on streaming and digital. The primary is on June 23. Chevalier appeared recently on Breaking Points.

Other International News

• U.S. strike in Eastern Pacific kills two: U.S. Southern Command announced another “lethal kinetic strike” as part of Operation Southern Spear on Wednesday, killing two people it described as “narco-terrorists,” without providing evidence for its claims. SOUTHCOM has killed more than 192 people in vessel strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean since they began eight months ago.

• Cuba’s foreign minister says Rubio “lies” about the island posing a national security threat to the U.S: Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of continuously deceiving the American public, Congress, and the international community about Cuba’s alleged threats to U.S. national security, telling Fox News on Tuesday that Rubio “lies on and on.” Rodríguez pushed back on Trump administration claims that Cuba is aiding U.S. adversaries and obtaining attack drones, asking “based on what logic” a small island nation could threaten a nuclear superpower.

• Uganda closes western border with DRC in response to Ebola outbreak: Uganda closed its western border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, directing immigration authorities to admit only authorized parties—including Ebola response teams and essential security personnel—who will be subject to strict health screening and 21 days of mandatory self-isolation, Drop Site’s Africa Correspondent Godfrey Olukya reported. The country has not recorded a new Ebola case since May 25 and has seen seven total cases and one fatality in the current outbreak.

• Airstrike in Somalia kills four: An airstrike by an unnamed foreign military killed a pregnant woman and her three daughters in northeastern Somalia last Thursday, according to the Somali Guardian. The strike hit a designated safe zone used by the country’s pastoralists, and the woman’s husband, who survived the attack, is reportedly being treated for his wounds in the northeastern port city of Bosaso.

• Brazil’s Bolsonaro meets with Vance and Rubio: Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro said he met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, having met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office the day before. According to Bolsonaro, the meetings with U.S. authorities focused on efforts to fight organized crime, rare earth mineral rights, “freedom of ​expression”, and the health of his father, former president and Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.

• Bolivia prepares to send troops to repress protests: Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz took further steps towards declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday, which would allow him to send military forces into the streets to quell the country’s weeks-long protests, Reuters reports. Paz signed off on a law passed yesterday that repealed restrictions on the executive branch’s ability to use emergency powers, and told reporters he would not rule out the use of force against the protesters.

• India orders demolitions on its Pakistan border: India’s hardline Home Minister Amit Shah announced that buildings within 15 kilometers of its border with Pakistan deemed “illegal” would be torn down, as part of the government’s crackdown on “infiltration, narcotics smuggling, encroachment, terror financing, and other trans-border crimes,” according to a statement released on Wednesday.

• China claims to repel Dutch navy vessel from nearby waters: The Chinese military announced on Wednesday that it had repelled a Dutch navy vessel that it accused of “illegally intruding” into the area around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A statement from the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said that the Dutch navy frigate De Ruyter “repeatedly launched its shipborne helicopter” in an attempt to “violate China’s airspace,” and claimed that the Chinese navy tried to send the vessel away by means of verbal warnings and “electronic jamming.”

• Thai opposition politician acquitted of royal insult charges: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the founder of a progressive political ​movement aligned with the country’s political opposition, was acquitted on Wednesday of charges of lese majesty and of violating the country’s cyber laws by a Thai criminal court. Juangroongruangkit criticized the country’s handling of the COVID pandemic during a Facebook livestream in 2021, and accused the government of unfairly favoring a biotechnology company owned by the country’s king, Maha ​Vajiralongkorn.

• Norway to join France’s nuclear umbrella: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Wednesday that his country would open talks to join France’s nuclear umbrella at a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron. Under the plan, Norway would be party to France’s “forward nuclear deterrence,” in which France involves its European partners (including Poland and Lithuania) in its strategic thinking regarding nuclear defence. The announcement marks a shift in orientation for the Nordic country, which had previously relied on nuclear protection from the U.S. and NATO.

• EU ministers summon Russian diplomats over Kyiv threats: Belgium and France summoned their Russian ambassadors on Wednesday to express anger at what they called “unacceptable” threats to strike Kyiv and the warning it issued for foreign diplomats to leave the city, following similar summons issued by Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the EU on Tuesday.

  • Separately on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested the assistance of the United States in anticipation of Russian strikes, asking to purchase additional Patriot missiles and interceptors in a letter he sent to President Donald Trump and which was reviewed by the U.S. Congress.

  • Nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers have allegedly been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to GCHQ, Britain’s premier intelligence agency. The casualty figure was cited by GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler, who also accused Moscow of targeting critical infrastructure and orchestrating espionage plots against the UK and other NATO countries.

  • Zelenskyy traveled to Sweden on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson aimed at deepening bilateral defense cooperation. Zelenskyy said the two countries are preparing a major new defense package and working on an agreement to supply Ukraine with Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.

  • Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that it had taken control of the villages of Hraniv in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region and of Vozdvyzhivka in the southeastern Zaporizhia region, both of which Ukraine’s military denied.

• Ghana welcomes immigrants fleeing violence in South Africa: A plane carrying 300 Ghanaian nationals evacuated from South Africa after violent anti-immigrant protests landed in Ghana on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Ghana has collaborated with South Africa in compiling a list of 800 of its citizens it intends to repatriate.

• Trump administration quietly instructed prosecutors to stand down on investigation into Venezuela’s acting president: The Trump administration directed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez—a longtime DEA target whose name surfaced in nearly a dozen federal investigations involving alleged drug trafficking, gold smuggling, and money laundering—in order to avoid disrupting U.S. efforts to stabilize Venezuela and attract American investment following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to an AP report on Wednesday.

• Iraqi prime minister urges armed factions to disarm and join state institutions: Iraq’s newly installed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called on all armed factions to “operate under the umbrella of the state and its official institutions” on Wednesday as Washington pressures Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country. The appeal followed influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s announcement that his armed group, Saraya al-Salam, would fully integrate into the state.

More from Drop Site

• Drop Site Dispatch from Nebraska: Dan Osborn, a veteran and former union steamfitter, is challenging Pete Ricketts, an heir to the TD Ameritrade fortune, for Nebraska’s Senate seat in the November general election. The state’s agriculture industry has been heavily affected by the war on Iran, with the price of urea, a nitrogen fertilizer and an essential input for corn and soybean farming, jumping from $455 per ton to $700 per ton as a consequence of disruptions to the global commodities market. Drop Site’s Julian Andreone traveled to Nebraska, where he spoke with farmers about the race, its candidates, and the effects of the war on their livelihoods. Read more from Julian and Ryan Grim here.

• How a DEA sting sparked a Colombian insurgency: An investigation by Drop Site and Intercept Brasil reveals how a DEA cocaine sting targeted a longtime FARC leader and peace negotiator who goes by the nom de guerre Jesús Santrich. Santrich had agreed to lay down his arms and become a Colombian congressman. But when the U.S. sought his extradition, despite Colombia’s tenuous peace agreement, Santrich abandoned civilian life and launched the Segunda Marquetalia. Read the full report by José Olivares here.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran obtains initial draft of a framework for a MOU with the U.S. to end the war: Iran’s state TV said on Wednesday Tehran obtained a preliminary document outlining a framework for a potential memorandum of understanding with the United States. The framework would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within 30 days, and includes the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iran’s vicinity and the lifting of a naval blockade. The Mizan news agency reported that “America has committed to withdrawing its military forces from Iran’s surrounding environment, whether this includes forces deployed to the region or forces stationed at bases requires negotiation.” It added, “If a final agreement is reached within a 60-day period, this agreement will be approved in the form of a binding UN Security Council resolution.”

• Iran reiterates that its enriched uranium stockpile is off the table in current negotiations: Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reiterated Tuesday that the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium “is not on the agenda of the negotiations” with the United States, speaking to Fars news agency on the sidelines of a security conference in Moscow. President Donald Trump has previously said the U.S. will not permit Iran to retain its 440-kilogram stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent and that it would have to be shipped to the U.S. as part of any agreement. But in a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump stated that it would be acceptable for the uranium to be “destroyed in place” by Iran with the oversight of international monitors. (Uranium cannot be destroyed but Iran has previously proposed diluting its stockpile with International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.)

  • On a similar note, an Iranian official told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill that Trump’s demand that several Muslim nations join the Abraham Accords as part of a potential Iran deal has “no connection whatsoever to the ceasefire negotiations” between Iran and the U.S. He characterized this as an attempt to “extract last-minute concessions from the Arab countries” in the final stages before an agreement is reached.

• South Korea says it is “highly likely” an Iranian missile was used to attack its cargo vessel: South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that an Iranian-made anti-ship missile was “highly likely” used in an attack earlier this month on the HMM Namu, a vessel operated by South Korean shipping company HMM, in the Strait of Hormuz, citing technical analysis of the warhead’s shape and gas debris color, according to the country’s Yonhap news agency. Seoul plans to summon Iran’s ambassador over the incident, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo said.

• Iran calls U.S. strikes a sign of bad faith: Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes on southern Iran the previous day as a violation of the ceasefire and as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability,” warning Washington would bear responsibility for “all consequences.” “The Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered,” the Foreign Ministry statement read.

• IRGC official warns Iran will turn its coastline into a “graveyard for aggressors”: A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval official warned Wednesday that Iran stands ready to repel any attack despite assessing the likelihood of renewed war with the United States as low, according to Tasnim. “The possibility of war is low because of the enemy’s weakness, but the armed forces are lying in wait,” said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political chief of the IRGC’s navy, threatening to turn the area from Chabahar to Mahshahr—spanning the full length of Iran’s southern coastline—into a “graveyard for aggressors,” should hostilities resume.

• IRGC Navy says 25 vessels transited Strait of Hormuz in past 24 hours: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reported Tuesday that 25 ships—including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels—had passed through the Strait of Hormuz under IRGC coordination and security clearance in the past 24 hours, according to Fars News, which is linked to the organization. This brings the total number of vessels allowed through the strait over 90, according to the group’s figures.

• Iran releases 10 Indian sailors: Iran has freed 10 Indian sailors who had been detained since July 2025 after their vessel, the MV Harbour Phoenix, was intercepted near Jask Port, India’s Directorate General of Shipping announced Wednesday, attributing the release to “sustained diplomatic engagement” between the two countries. The directorate said arrangements were being made for the crew’s return to India, but did not provide further details on the reason for the arrests or the detention of the Palau-flagged oil products tanker.

• Iran announces reopening of Tabriz International Airport: Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization announced that Tabriz International Airport, damaged during the war with the U.S. and Israel, will reopen Wednesday after being rebuilt by Iranian specialists, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The reopening brings the number of Iranian airports that have resumed operations following war-related disruptions to 20.

Lebanon

• Israeli strikes kill at least 31 across southern Lebanon on Tuesday: Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, including four children and three women, and wounded 40 others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, with 15 of the dead reported in Burj al-Shamali, near the southern city of Tyre. Other major strikes were reported in Maarakeh, where five were killed, and Haboush, where four were killed. Israel carried out more than 180 strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, according to local media, despite the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

  • Two more first responders were killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, reporter Courtney Bonneau confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of paramedics killed since March 2 to over 120.

• Israeli strikes and displacement orders continue on Eid Al-Adha:

  • An Israeli airstrike on Deir Aames killed two people on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Later, further attacks were reported with two major waves targeting Dibbin and Shebaa.

  • A Lebanese soldier’s body was recovered on Wednesday after being killed in an Israeli strike close to the Qaraoun Lake Dam in Lebanon’s western Bekaa region on Tuesday, while several paramedics were also killed as they attempted to evacuate him from the area. The Lebanese army said in a statement that a military unit managed to recover the soldier’s body under heavy Israeli drone surveillance, adding that rescue teams had initially been unable to reach him because of ongoing security threats and Israeli strikes targeting the area.

  • The Israeli army issued a forced displacement order on Wednesday for residents of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre and surrounding camps and neighborhoods. The order covered at least three Palestinian refugee camps in the Tyre area: Rashidiya camp, Burj Al-Shamali camp, and Al-Bas camp. The military further warned that “any movement south of the Zahrani River may put your lives at risk.” The Israeli military also issued a displacement order earlier today to residents of the southern Lebanese towns of Kfar Houneh, Aaramta, Mleikh, Jarjouh, and Houmine al-Fawqa.

  • Hezbollah said Wednesday that its fighters “clashed with the enemy forces at point-blank range” in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, a town at the edge of Israel’s self-declared yellow line in southern Lebanon, a day after the Israeli military announced it was expanding its ground incursions in the south. The town sits north of the Litani River, the boundary that Israeli forces are required to withdraw behind under the terms of the ceasefire.

• Israel orders forced displacement of 27 southern Lebanese towns and villages late Tuesday: The Israeli army issued forced displacement orders for 27 towns and villages across southern Lebanon just before 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, forcing families to rouse children and evacuate elderly and disabled relatives with only what they could immediately carry, journalist Courtney Bonneau reported.

• Netanyahu says Israel “deepening operation” in Lebanon: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a Security Cabinet meeting Tuesday that, “We are deepening our operation in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominant terrain. We are fortifying the security zone to protect the communities of the north.” He added that the Security Cabinet is “leading a massive national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” in reference to the successful use of FPV drones by Hezbollah to target the Israeli military in Lebanon.

• Hezbollah claims sustained ground engagement with Israeli forces across southern Lebanon: Hezbollah described its day-long ground engagement with Israeli forces advancing on Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in the Nabatieh district, with its media outlet claiming the destruction of a Merkava tank and a Humvee with FPV drones, strikes on a Namera armored personnel carrier and a communications vehicle in Bint Jbeil, and drone strikes on Israeli tanks in Odaisseh. It also said that it shot down two Israeli drones over Srifa and Deir Kifa, and that it itself conducted multiple drone and rocket strikes on Biranit barracks inside Israel, where one strike, it claimed, hit an Iron Dome launcher platform.

Palestine

• Israeli strikes kill 14 on eve of Eid Al-Adha: Israeli strikes killed at least 14 Palestinians on the eve of the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Adha. A drone strike on a roundabout west of Khan Younis killed two Palestinian men in their vehicle. A 15-year-old girl also died of wounds sustained during an Israeli attack on Monday on Mawasi, Khan Younis.

  • Israeli assassination strike on Al-Rimal neighborhood kills six: An Israeli strike on a residential tower in Gaza City killed six Palestinians and wounded at least 20 others, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that the strike killed Mohammed Odeh, whom he described as the current commander of Hamas’s military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades following the recent assassination of his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad in an Israeli strike that killed six others, including three children, and wounded 50. Hamas confirmed Odeh’s death in a statement on Wednesday, saying that he was killed alongside his wife and two of his children in a “treacherous zionist bombing,” and adding that Israel’s “escalation of its crimes in assassination, siege, and starvation…will not succeed in achieving their goals that they have failed at, nor in breaking the will of our people and their resistance.”

  • Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz also announced Odeh’s assassination on social media and added that “the voluntary emigration plan from Gaza will be implemented at the proper time and in the proper manner.”

• Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in Jenin raid: Israeli forces shot and killed a 45-year-old Palestinian man during a military raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews recovered his body from inside the camp before transferring it to Jenin Government Hospital.

• Trump’s “Board of Peace” World Bank fund has received no donor money four months after launch: The World Bank fund established for Trump’s “Board of Peace” has received zero dollars from donors four months after its creation, the Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter. Donations have instead been routed through a JPMorgan account without transparency, according to the report. Morocco’s approximately $20 million has funded the office of High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and salaries for a Palestinian technocratic committee, while $100 million pledged by the UAE to train a Gaza police force remains frozen, with the program yet to begin. Member states had pledged $7 billion for the board’s Gaza relief package. President Donald Trump promised an additional $10 billion in U.S. funding, but two people familiar with postwar planning told the FT that not one U.S. dollar has been deployed for Gaza’s reconstruction, and no contracts for that reconstruction have been awarded.

• Israeli Knesset advances bill to seize control of antiquities sites across occupied territories: The Israeli Knesset is moving toward a final vote on legislation that would establish a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority,” empowering the government to purchase or seize land across the occupied West Bank and Gaza—including Palestinian-run Areas A and B—under the guise of protecting historic sites. The Heritage Ministry, which would be given control over these lands, is presently controlled by Amichai Eliyahu, a member of extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who supports the bill, has stated that it aims to “strengthen our hold on the Land of Israel.” The bill was condemned by the Palestinian Authority which governs parts of the occupied West Bank.

• Gaza Health Ministry opens emergency center: Dr. Muneer Al-Boursh, head of Gaza’s Health Ministry, announced the opening of a new emergency and ambulance center in Halawa Camp in northern Jabalia, where more than 20,000 displaced Palestinians are living in deteriorating tents along the Israeli military boundary dividing Gaza. “Halawa Camp stands as a witness to one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies of our time,” al-Boursh said. “More than 20,000 people are living in worn-out fabric tents on land that was once covered with orange and lemon groves—an area once filled with greenery and life. Today, nothing green remains, except painful memories.” Al-Boursh also noted the nearby presence of an Israeli military position to the east, from which Palestinians have been “relentlessly” fired upon, and which resulted in casualties that ambulances were unable to reach. The center was established in tribute to paramedic Ibrahim Abu Saqr, who was killed while helping to set it up. As of February 5, and following intensive Israeli attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers in Gaza, none of the Strip’s 37 hospitals were fully operational, and only 19 were partially functioning, according to OCHA.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Ken Paxton defeats Senator John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate runoff: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s Republican Senate runoff. Paxton overcame a narrow deficit from the March primary by relying on grassroots conservative support and surviving millions of dollars in attack ads from Cornyn highlighting his record of personal and political scandals, but the single factor that most likely facilitated his win was an endorsement he received from President Trump last week. Head-to-head polling shows Democratic nominee James Talarico holding a slight lead over Paxton in the November general election.

  • Freshman Rep. Christian Menefee defeated 11-term incumbent Rep. Al Green on Tuesday in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, an incumbent-on-incumbent race created by Republican redistricting that pushed Green out of his redrawn 9th District. Menefee, 38, who was sworn in earlier this year after winning a special election following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner, benefited from more than $5 million in outside spending from Protect Progress, a super PAC aligned with cryptocurrency industry leaders. Menefee was also congratulated by AIPAC on his victory; Green condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza in a 2025 statement.

  • Democrat Johnny Garcia won Tuesday’s primary runoff in Texas’ newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, which stretches from Austin to San Antonio, defeating Maureen Galindo, who was disavowed by national Democratic leaders after her antisemitic social media posts. Galindo received over a million dollars from an opaque group linked to the GOP. Garcia will face Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz, who won the Republican primary runoff Tuesday with Trump’s endorsement, in a district Trump carried by 10.5 points in 2024.

  • Texas State Sen. Mayes Middleton defeated Rep. Chip Roy on Tuesday in the Republican primary runoff for Texas attorney general. Roy has notably broken with President Donald Trump on occasion. Middleton, a wealthy Galveston oil businessman who loaned his campaign more than $16 million, positioned himself as the rightful heir to outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton’s conservative legacy. Trump made no endorsement in the race.

• Redistricting news:

  • The Republican-led South Carolina Senate voted Tuesday against advancing a redrawn congressional map that would have eliminated the state’s sole majority-Black district, represented by Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, in a surprise defeat for President Donald Trump, who had urged lawmakers to pass it. Several Republican state senators reversed course, citing timing concerns after early voting had already begun for the June 9 primary, with state Sen. Richard Cash saying neither his “conscience nor common sense” would allow him to halt an election already underway. White House advisers said they were caught off guard by the failed vote, with one calling it a “betrayal,” and noted they received no advance warning from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

  • A Florida circuit judge on Tuesday denied a request to temporarily block a new Republican-friendly congressional map signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month. Judge Joshua Hawkes, a DeSantis appointee, ruled that challengers had not sufficiently proven partisan intent and cited the proximity of the primary—less than three months away—as grounds against introducing map changes, while leaving open the possibility of halting the map after a full ruling on the merits. The new map could affect as many as four Democratic incumbents in a delegation where Republicans already hold a 20-8 advantage.

  • A three-judge federal panel blocked Alabama Republicans’ redrawn congressional map Tuesday, ruling it intentionally discriminates against Black voters in violation of the Constitution and that the Supreme Court’s recent decision narrowing the Voting Rights Act does not alter that finding. The panel—which notably included two Trump appointees alongside a Clinton appointee—ordered the state to continue using a court-drawn map that created a second majority-Black district, paving the way for Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures’ election.

• Federal appeals court temporarily blocks deportation of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil: The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay on Tuesday, blocking the Trump administration from re-detaining and deporting former Columbia University graduate student and activist Mahmoud Khalil while he seeks a Supreme Court review of his case, ABC News reported. Khalil, a green card holder married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2025 after Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged his Pro-Palestinian views “threatened U.S. foreign policy interests,” while acknowledging that his activity was “otherwise lawful.”

• AP: ICE detainees dying by suicide at an unprecedented rate: An investigation by the Associated Press has found that at least 10 ICE detainees have died by suicide since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, a pace that far exceeds the growth in the detainee population. “Since October, seven deaths have been classified as suicides, a number that is already the most for any fiscal year in the agency’s history. ICE has usually recorded one or no such deaths annually,” AP wrote. Public health officials and jails experts told the AP that the unprecedented number of suicide deaths is an indication that authorities are failing to properly oversee the detention of tens of thousands of immigrants swept up in Trump’s immigration crackdown. “Staff in the facilities ignored signs of distress, delayed mental health treatment, and failed to monitor detainees who were already deemed at risk. They also permitted detainees to have access to materials that could be used for self-harm,” AP reported.

• Chemical tank implosion at Washington state paper facility kills at least one, injures multiple workers: A tank containing white liquor—a sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide solution used in paper pulp production—imploded Tuesday morning at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Longview, Washington, killing at least one person and sending at least nine workers and one firefighter to hospitals with chemical burns and other injuries, authorities said.

• CDC scrambles to recruit airport screeners as Ebola outbreak spreads beyond remote areas into major regional cities: The CDC issued an urgent internal request Tuesday recruiting staff to screen passengers arriving from Central Africa for Ebola symptoms, as the International Rescue Committee warned the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is spreading faster than responders can contain it and risks becoming the deadliest on record, according to an internal email obtained by ABC News. The current strain of Ebola, Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccines or treatments, carries a case fatality rate of 30 to 50 percent, and is difficult to detect with standard Ebola tests.The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that JFK International Airport would join Dulles, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental as designated entry points for travelers from affected countries, where CDC staff will conduct temperature checks and symptom observation.

• Trump administration proposes requiring federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements: The Office of Personnel Management posted a draft rule Tuesday proposing that federal employees be required to sign nondisclosure agreements, citing the need to combat unauthorized disclosures to the media and protect confidential government information, with violations potentially resulting in civil and criminal penalties. The proposal, which sets off a 30-day public comment period after official publication Wednesday, would give individual agencies discretion over whether to implement the NDAs for new hires and current employees. Whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid said the NDA would not create new legal obligations or restrict lawful whistleblowing, but argued it appeared designed to “induce fear and intimidate the workforce.” The American Federation of Government Employees said it would oppose the rule, warning that OPM would pressure agencies to make it mandatory and fire employees who refuse to sign.

• Hasan Piker and Medea Benjamin deny receiving subpoenas, contradicting Fox News report: Political streamer Hasan Piker and Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin both told Drop Site News’ Ryan Grim that they have not been subpoenaed, contradicting a Fox News report claiming federal officials had served them subpoenas in connection with their recent trips to Cuba. Fox News had reported that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued administrative subpoenas as part of a sanctions-related investigation into activists involved in humanitarian aid convoys to Cuba.

• U.S. trade representative says tariffs on Mexico and Canada will remain: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday that the Trump administration intends to maintain tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada even as formal renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement gets underway, telling a Council on Foreign Relations event that tariffs will remain in place “as long as we have a giant trade deficit.” U.S. and Mexican negotiators are meeting this week in Mexico City to launch the first formal negotiating rounds, covering revised rules of origin and economic security. Greer reserved sharper language for Canada, saying the administration’s issues with Ottawa go well beyond its “significant” trade issues and indicated it may be difficult for the two countries to resolve their differences in the near future.

• Federal firearm charge dropped against Las Vegas man accused of operating unlicensed biological storage facility: A federal firearms charge against Ori Solomon, 55, the Israeli-American property manager of a Las Vegas home found to contain what the FBI described as a biological storage facility, was dismissed earlier this month after prosecutors cited a review of evidence and information provided by the defense, according to court documents. Solomon still faces a felony state charge for improper disposal of hazardous waste and is due in court on June 4. The January raid on the home uncovered refrigerators containing vials of unknown liquids, human biological samples, compounds associated with influenza vaccines, and COVID and pregnancy test components. An LLC tied to Ori Solomon’s home address matches one involved in a case in California involving a Chinese citizen, who faces federal charges for manufacturing and selling misbranded biological devices.

• California DOJ report finds overcrowding, medical neglect, and excessive force at state ICE detention facilities: A California Department of Justice report published May 15 found that overcrowding driven by the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign has led to inadequate medical care, food, and hygiene, as well as excessive use of force at the state’s ICE detention facilities, with Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) calling conditions “cruel, inhumane and unacceptable.” Inspectors found particularly severe conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and Desert View Annex—both run by GEO Group, whose former executive David Venturella was recently appointed acting ICE director—where only 18 percent of detainees reported being able to see a doctor, and four people have died during the second Trump administration. At Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, run by CoreCivic, inspectors found the facility holding 1,433 detainees against a contractual maximum of 1,142, with overflow detainees sleeping on floor mats. A separate CoreCivic facility, California City Detention Facility, was found to have opened prematurely without sufficient staff.

Other International News

• U.S. military kills one person in strike on vessel in Eastern Pacific: U.S. Southern Command announced Tuesday that it carried out another lethal strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing one person and leaving two survivors as part of Operation Southern Spear, in which it has targeted “narco-terrorist organizations.” SOUTHCOM claimed, without evidence, that the vessel was “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” SOUTHCOM has killed more than 190 people in vessel strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean since they began eight months ago.

• Bolivia’s lower house repeals law limiting presidential emergency powers: Bolivia’s Chamber of Deputies voted Tuesday to repeal Law 1341, stripping away key restrictions on the president’s ability to declare a state of exception and deploy the military against internal unrest. The 2020 law had capped the president’s emergency powers at 60 days, required justification for suspending civil rights, and restricted military force against demonstrations. Human rights groups warned that the repeal gives President Rodrigo Paz. sweeping authority to impose a military crackdown on the country’s protest movement by decree. Protests and roadblocks, which have been ongoing for four weeks, continued across Bolivia on Tuesday, amid deaths that the government has denied.

• Sudanese army recaptures four areas in Blue Nile region: The Sudanese army’s Fourth Infantry Division announced Tuesday it had retaken four areas in the Blue Nile region—Abdaqla, Adi, Washimbu, Um Shanqar, and Kinshinkaru—within Qaysan locality, and continued pursuing Rapid Support Forces fighters to Sudan’s Ethiopian border. The advance comes two days after the army retook the Barka area and brings it closer to the town of Karamak, which fell in March to an alliance of RSF forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. Fighting in the Blue Nile area has displaced around 50,000 people from Karamak, Bau, and Qaysan in recent months.

  • Human Rights Watch report finds UAE helped deploy Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside Sudan’s RSF: A Human Rights Watch investigation released on Monday found that the UAE facilitated the deployment of hundreds of Colombian private military contractors to fight alongside Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces during the siege and fall of El Fasher. Witnesses in the city described white foreign fighters standing beside RSF troops during executions of civilians, including people with disabilities. An Abu Dhabi-linked security company, GSSG, reportedly recruited former Colombian soldiers who transited through UAE military facilities before being flown through Libya, Chad, and Somalia into Darfur. HRW said the evidence suggests UAE military stockpiles, aircraft networks, and proxy companies were used to support the RSF—which the report extensively documents committing war crimes, sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and child soldier recruitment—and called for sanctions, arms embargoes, and investigations into Emirati officials and companies involved.

• Russia accuses U.S. of violating UN treaty after denying visa to deputy foreign minister: Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of breaching its obligations under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement after Washington denied a visa to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, who had been set to represent Russia at a Security Council meeting in New York. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also framed the denial as a slight against China, which chairs the Security Council presidency in May. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also canceled his participation in the same meeting due to U.S. visa issues.

• Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro meets with Trump at White House: Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro shared a photo Tuesday showing him alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, as his presidential campaign works to recover from a scandal over allegations he sought funds from a fraud-convicted banker to finance a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The younger Bolsonaro, who has emerged as the standard-bearer of Brazil’s political right and the leading challenger to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of October’s election, traveled to Washington without a guaranteed appointment. Recent polls show the scandal has allowed Lula to retake the lead after the two had previously been in a near-tie. Lula’s office announced the president was beginning treatment for early-stage skin cancer and would undergo 15 radiotherapy sessions.

• Chinese dissident detained in South Korea after fleeing China by boat: Dong Guangping, 68, a Chinese dissident and former police officer who has been imprisoned multiple times for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, was detained by South Korean coast guard authorities late Monday after crossing the Yellow Sea on an inflatable boat. Rights group Human Rights in China said Dong lost consciousness by the time he reached South Korean waters and urged Seoul not to return him to China, where he faces “a grave risk of persecution and torture.” Dong’s escape attempts span more than a decade—he was previously intercepted attempting to swim to islands off the coast of Taiwan, deported from Vietnam, and deported from Thailand despite holding UN refugee status. His family has since resettled in Canada. His detention comes at a sensitive moment for South Korea, which is seeking improved relations with China, its largest trading partner.

• Armenia signs strategic partnership and transit corridor agreement with U.S.: Armenia signed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States on Tuesday, alongside a framework on critical minerals and a transit corridor deal during a visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Yerevan. The 43-kilometer corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, would traverse southern Armenia and connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan and onward to Turkey. The agreements deepen Armenia’s westward pivot under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is opposed by pro-Russia parties in the country’s June election.

• North Korea tests AI-guided cruise missiles and ballistic weapons: North Korea tested a combination of tactical ballistic missiles, long-range artillery rockets, and AI-guided precision cruise missiles, state news agency KCNA reported Wednesday. Leader Kim Jong Un said the tests confirmed the combat readiness of cruise missiles equipped with AI-guided control and deployed near its border, which are capable of striking targets within 100 kilometers—well within range of Seoul.

• Britain and Poland sign new defense and security treaty: The UK and Poland signed a new defense treaty Wednesday, amid Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s push to rebuild security ties with Europe in response to U.S. pressure for Europe to shoulder more of its own defense. The agreement, signed by Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, will deepen cooperation on air and missile defense, weapons production, border security, organized crime, cybersecurity, and counter-espionage. Both governments framed the pact around the threat from Russia, with Tusk saying the two countries view Moscow as a “strategic threat.” The deal follows similar UK agreements with France and Germany amid an effort to rebuild ties damaged by Brexit.

More from Drop Site

• Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill speaks with Dr. Foad Izadi, professor of American studies and international relations at University of Tehran on Iran’s negotiating position. Drop Site’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Scahill also speak with Eyad Amawi of the Gaza Relief Committee in Deir al-Balah about the escalating Israeli assault on Gaza and the growing hunger crisis. Watch the livestream here:

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FROM DROP SITE:

• Israel Has Physically Divided Gaza With Over 25 Kilometers of Earthen Barriers

• “The Occupation’s Conditions”: Trump’s Board of Peace Demands that Hamas Surrender to Netanyahu’s Gaza Agenda

• Israel Is on a Killing Spree of Paramedics and Rescue Workers in Lebanon

• Iranian Official Outlines Latest Proposal to End the U.S. War as Trump Weighs New Strikes

• VIDEO: Israel PANICS And Withdraws From Two Bases In Lebanon

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Iran and Ceasefire

• U.S. forces strike vessels near Bandar Abbas, Iran hits U.S. aircraft: U.S. CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed that American forces had struck vessels near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday in “self-defense strikes.” Hawkins said in a statement that the strikes targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to place mines, saying the strikes were conducted “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” In Iran, the news website Tabnak reported that four had been killed in American strikes, according to the AP.

  • Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it shot down a MQ-9 Reaper drone that entered Iranian airspace. The IRGC forces “also fired upon an RQ-4 drone and an intruding F-35 fighter jet,” a statement said, without specifying when the incidents took place.

• Negotiation updates:

  • Iran sends top delegation to Doha: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati traveled to Doha on Monday evening for talks on a potential deal to end the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

  • Iranian media: $24B in frozen assets must be released as part of deal: A source close to Iran’s negotiating team told the Tasnim news agency that $24 billion of frozen Iranian assets must be released in any potential deal with the United States. The source said Tehran’s position is that half of the amount—$12 billion—must be released when a memorandum of understanding is announced and the remaining released within 60 days.

  • Iranian official outlines Tehran’s terms to end the war: A senior Iranian official told Drop Site on Friday that Tehran had put forward a set of terms as a framework for a deal, including the provisional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz—contingent on an end to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and a plan to compensate Iran for damages incurred in the war. The official also stated that the Iranian framework would require an agreement to permanently end the war first, followed by immediate negotiations to reach a deal over the nuclear program. Read the full report by Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain here.

  • Rubio says Iran deal could take “a few days”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a potential deal to end the U.S.-Israel war on Iran could “take a few days.” During a visit to India, Rubio told reporters, “There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days.” He reiterated the American position that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, calling its closure “unlawful, illegal, and unsustainable for the world,” and adding that it “will be open one way or the other.”

  • Khamenei says U.S. Gulf allies cannot “shield” American bases: Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei marked Eid al-Adha with a written statement warning that regional countries “will no longer serve as shields for American bases.” He added that the conflict would perhaps push Gulf states away from their American allies. “Regional countries have now concluded that the military presence of the U.S. has not only failed to ensure their lasting security, but relying on America for security has been an unrealistic and ineffective notion,” Khamenei said in the statement carried on Iranian state television.

  • Iran says it will not charge tolls in Hormuz: Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that the state will not impose tolls on ships using the Strait of Hormuz, but that any charges will be for maritime services and “environmental protection” measures in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. In the same press conference, he confirmed earlier reporting that Iranian negotiators had told their U.S. counterparts that “ending hostile action on all fronts, including Lebanon” was a necessary condition for an agreement. He said negotiations with the U.S. had been fruitful: “Most issues on the table have been agreed upon.”

  • Trump demands countries in Iran negotiations sign Abraham Accords: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Monday demanding that all countries involved in Iran negotiations simultaneously sign the Abraham Accords as a prerequisite for any deal, naming Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain. (The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are already members, which he noted; Egypt and Jordan signed peace deals with Israel decades ago.) Trump warned that those who refuse “should not be part of this Deal, in that it shows bad intention.” He said it would be “special” if Iran signed onto the Abraham Accords. “It may be possible,” he conceded, “that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more historic event than it would, otherwise, be.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed the offer, saying that “normalization” in the form of these accords “cannot grant legitimacy to an illegitimate entity, especially one that has committed genocide and violated international law.”

  • Trump signals flexibility on Iran’s enriched uranium: President Donald Trump appeared on Monday to soften his previous demand that Iran surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, outlining two options he claimed were acceptable to the United States in a Truth Social post: Iran either hands over its nuclear material to the United States to be destroyed, or—his stated preference—it is destroyed inside Iran in coordination with the Islamic Republic under the witness of the Atomic Energy Commission or equivalent body. The post marks a shift from Trump’s earlier position that Iran could not “keep” its enriched uranium unconditionally, and tracks with what Drop Site News first reported last week—that a senior Iranian official said Iran could offer dilution of uranium enriched above 20% inside Iran with the participation of mediators—though a senior Iranian diplomat confirmed to ISNA on Monday that the current memorandum of understanding draft contains no nuclear commitments whatsoever, with Iran’s position being that nuclear issues come only after the first-phase MOU is signed and confidence-building measures are implemented.

  • Qatar denies offering $12 billion to Iran to secure deal: Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr. Majed Al Ansari rejected on Monday earlier reports that Doha offered $12 billion to Iran to secure a U.S.-Iran agreement, calling the claims “utterly baseless” and accusing unnamed parties of circulating them to “sabotage the deal and undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts,” after Amwaj Media and Iran International reported that approximately $12 billion in Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar, Iraq, and Turkey were central to the negotiations. The distinction Qatar appears to be drawing is between facilitating access to Iranian funds already frozen in Qatari banks and actively offering money to Iran.

• Iran and Oman hold talks on Hormuz: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran and Muscat held talks on joint governance and security coordination over passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to Fars News, with discussions focused on the “security and national sovereignty” of the strait’s coastal states

  • Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced that 33 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial ships, passed through the strait over the course of 24 hours on Sunday. The vessels reportedly obtained permission and received security-related coordination from the IRGC before doing so.

• Iran’s president orders internet access restored to pre-war levels: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the restoration of internet access to pre-January 2026 levels, according to a source in Iran’s Ministry of Communications cited by Fars News. This follows months of heavy restrictions imposed during the U.S. and Israeli campaign against the country.

• Iran executes man on espionage charges: Iran ​executed another man ​on charges of alleged espionage ⁠and ​intelligence cooperation ​with Israel, the ​Tasnim news agency ‌reported ⁠on Tuesday.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,213 people have been killed, and 9,737 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli attacks on Tuesday: At least 11 killed in Israeli strike; displacement order for Nabatieh: An Israeli airstrike on the town of Mashghara early Tuesday in the western Bekaa Valley killed at least 11 people, including two girls and a woman, and wounded 15 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The ministry said the toll remains preliminary as rescue teams continue clearing rubble at the strike site. The Israeli military also issued Tuesday a forced displacement order for all residents of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, demanding they move north of the Zahrani River immediately ahead of planned strikes and ground operations, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported.

• Attacks Sunday and Monday:

  • Israeli strikes kill nine across southern Lebanon on Monday: Israeli drone strikes killed four people and wounded others across southern Lebanon on Monday, according to local media reports, including the son of a former president of the Wazzani municipal council, and two brothers killed in a strike on the Nabatieh-Jarmaq road. A fourth person was killed and another wounded in a separate strike on Shehabieh. Evening strikes on Mashghara in the western Bekaa killed at least 5 and wounded 11 others, including children, according to Press TV. Additional Israeli strikes on Monday also hit the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp near Tyre, targeting a water well supplying the northern section of the camp and a solar power system, according to L’Orient Today.

  • Israel orders displacement of entire city of Tyre and at least 10 other southern villages: Israel issued forced displacement orders Monday for the entire city of Tyre and at least 10 villages across the Nabatieh and Jezzine districts, ordering residents to move at least 1,000 meters away ahead of expected strikes.

  • Israeli forces escalate strikes across central and southern Lebanon, with more than 40 attacks reported Sunday: Israeli forces dramatically escalated airstrikes across central and southern Lebanon on Sunday, with more than 40 strikes reported since morning, Press TV correspondent Hadi Hoteit reported from the ground. Hoteit reported fresh strikes on Ansar, Al-Kharayb, and Kawthariyat Arroz—villages connecting central Nabatieh to the coast that journalists had been using as access routes—as the Israeli army issued mass warnings of bombings across the entire Nabatieh area toward the coast.

  • Paramedic killed in Arabsalim: A double-tap strike targeted first responders rushing to aid the wounded in Arabsalim on Sunday, killing one, according to Cradle Media. Attacks on Arabsalim also wounded 10 others, including two paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority and four medics from the Al-Risala Scout Association, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. In total, more than 120 health care workers have been killed and over 260 wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon since March 2. Journalist Katrine Dige Houmøller reported for Drop Site on this Israeli campaign of targeting paramedics and rescue workers in Lebanon. Read the full report here.

• Hezbollah drone kills Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon: A Hezbollah explosive drone struck an Israeli military armored personnel carrier near the Christian village of Debl in southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing a sergeant in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion of the Iron Tracks Brigade and seriously wounding another soldier, according to Ynet and Israeli military reporting. A senior Hezbollah official, Wafiq Safa, later recounted the details of the operation to The Grayzone, saying that the group deliberately targeted the Israeli brigade commander after obtaining intelligence on his location, and that its low-cost FPV drones have exposed Israel’s inability to counter a simple weapon. The officer killed in Debl is the seventh Israeli soldier killed by an explosive drone in Lebanon since a ceasefire was agreed to on April 16.

• Netanyahu signals major escalation in Lebanon: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held talks Monday and are leaning toward significantly expanding military attacks on southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s Channel 14. The Israeli military has reportedly prepared a broad strike plan targeting buildings and infrastructure it claims Hezbollah uses. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir proposed striking buildings in Beirut. In a video on Telegram, Netanyahu told the Israeli public that “We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will intensify our strikes,” and relayed that he had instructed the Israeli military to “crush” the group, and not to “take its foot off the gas.” “On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more,” he said.

  • Separately on Monday, a report from Axios indicated that the Trump administration supports an escalation in the country, with a source quoted in the article claiming that Hezbollah “ignored repeated requests to stop firing.” According to that source, the administration blames Hezbollah entirely for the country’s conflict, despite continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and says that Israel “will never be required to passively absorb attacks” as a result of a ceasefire agreement.

• Hezbollah chief vows “third liberation” of Lebanon: Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem delivered a speech on Resistance and Liberation Day on Sunday, pledging the group’s continued resistance to Israel’s invasion and rejecting calls for disarmament, which he called “an Israeli project that must be reversed.” Hezbollah’s arms, Qassem said, “will remain in our hands until the Lebanese state is capable of carrying out its duties.” “The Lebanese authority tells us: help us strip you of your weapons so that Israel can later enter, kill you, and displace your people,” Qassem remarked about the Lebanese government, which he also accused of making “continuous concessions” to Israel and the United States. Qassem He also called for the release of 41 Shia scholars imprisoned by the Bahraini government over alleged ties to Iran.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, six Palestinians were killed—two in new attacks and four recovered from under the rubble following earlier attacks—and 34 were injured across Gaza. At least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks since Friday. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,803 killed, with 172,855 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 906 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,747, while 781 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Eight Palestinians killed early Tuesday: At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, according to WAFA. In central Gaza, five people were killed in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp after an Israeli-backed militia attempted to enter the camp and was confronted by residents, after which Israel struck the area, according to local reports. The incident was similar to another in April when at least 10 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded when Israel conducted airstrikes on the same camp following an attack by an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia. Read Drop Site’s coverage of that attack here. In southern Gaza, two more Palestinians were killed when an Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle near the Abu Alaa roundabout west of Khan Younis. A 15-year-old girl also died from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis on Monday.

• Two killed in Gaza on Monday: An Israeli strike on a camp in Khan Younis killed two Palestinians on Monday, including a 6-year-old girl and a woman. Seventeen more were wounded in this attack, according to Palestine Online, including a one-month-old infant, whose foot was reportedly severed. Additional strikes and artillery shelling were described in the evening in Al-Nuseirat and east of Gaza City.

• Five Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Sunday: Five Palestinians were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including a family of three in an Israeli bombardment of a residential apartment in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Jazeera. One Palestinian was also killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza, and the body of an eight-year-old boy was recovered inside a tent in the Al-Tawam area in northwestern Gaza after he went missing Saturday following Israeli shelling.

• Israel has built 25 kilometers of earthen barriers inside Gaza since “ceasefire”: Forensic Architecture, drawing on satellite imagery and other data, has found that Israel has constructed more than 25 kilometers of earthen berms physically dividing Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement—with much of the barrier running west of the “yellow line” and deeper into Palestinian territory. Israel’s military also operates 38 military bases east of the line, which it has fortified by clearing rubble, paving roads, and building higher berms in the areas, which it uses as firing positions against Palestinians in the western part of the strip. Israel, which was supposed to control 53% of Gaza under the ceasefire terms, now effectively controls over 60% of the territory. Read the latest report from Drop Site and Forensic Architecture here.

• Trump’s Board is rewriting the Gaza agreement to force a surrender of the Palestinian cause: More than seven months after Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement intended to end the war in Gaza, senior Palestinian resistance told Drop Site News that President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” is rewriting the October agreement to entrench Israeli control over Gaza and pressure Palestinians to abandon their national cause. Senior Hamas negotiator Basem Naim said the movement has fulfilled its obligations under the ceasefire, while Israel maintains its “continuous killing of Palestinians,” is blocking reconstruction materials, and expanding military operations. The resistance leaders rejected efforts to make Palestinian disarmament the central condition for reconstruction or political progress in Gaza with Naim charging that the “High Representative for Gaza” Nickolay Mladenov is attempting to manufacture public pressure on Hamas after failing to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations. Read the full report from Jeremy Scahill and Jawa Ahmad here.

• Gaza Health Ministry warns critical medicine shortages threaten thousands of patients: Gaza’s Health Ministry issued an urgent warning Sunday about a critical depletion of medicines and medical supplies which could threaten the lives of thousands of patients, including those of 250 kidney patients at risk of losing dialysis sessions due to a shortage of Bibag solution, 11,000 diabetic patients whose conditions could worsen considerably as a result of an insulin shortage, and 110 hemophilia patients already left in compounding daily pain without VACTOR treatment. The ministry issued an urgent appeal to all relevant parties to immediately replenish drug stockpiles, as Israel continues to block essential food and medical aid 228 days into the ceasefire. American nurse Ellie Burgos, who is currently volunteering at a hospital in Gaza, told Sahat News that “People are still dying,” and the only difference is that they are dying more “slowly” now. Her interview with Sahat is available here.

• French flotilla activist offers testimony of sexual assault and beatings by Israeli soldiers while detained: Meriem Hadjal, a French activist who was detained as part of Israel’s mass detention of participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla, spoke to French public broadcaster France Info about her experience in detention. Hajdal said that she and other detainees were stripped of warm clothing and taken individually into a dark shipping container, where she recalls being repeatedly groped, slapped, beaten, kneed in the ribs, and sexually assaulted by multiple Israeli soldiers. Hadjal’s account adds to other accounts of similar treatment in Israeli custody, with the Flotilla’s organizers reporting that at least 15 of the 480 detained activists recounted incidents of sexual assault at the hands of Israeli officials.

• Canada condemns treatment of flotilla participants as “appalling”: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the treatment of flotilla participants detained by Israel “appalling” and demanded an independent investigation into the mistreatment of these activists during a phone call on Monday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand separately told her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, that Ottawa would provide Israel with evidence of the mistreatment of Canadian citizens aboard the flotilla. She said denying Canadian citizens consular access during detention “violates the Vienna Convention and must never happen again.” Carney, unlike his counterparts in France, Italy, and Poland, did not announce any new forms of pressure on or sanctions against Israel’s government; the latter three recently announced punitive measures including sanctions and a ban on the entry of Israeli minister Ben Gvir to their territories in response to a video of the minister taunting and abusing flotilla detainees.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Texas runoffs Tuesday pit Trump-backed Ken Paxton against Senator John Cornyn: Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas faces a high-stakes runoff Tuesday against Attorney General Ken Paxton, who narrowly finished behind Cornyn in the March primary and received the president’s backing last week. The winner will face former State Rep. and Democratic Nominee James Talarico in November.

  • Tuesday’s ballot also features a generational clash in Houston between 11-term incumbent Democrat Al Green, 78, and Rep. Christian Menefee, 38, who has received considerable support from the crypto lobby.

  • In the 35th Congressional District, national Democrats are backing Bexar County sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia in a runoff against left-wing activist Maureen Galindo, who has received nearly $900,000 from a secretive super PAC with Republican ties after making antisemitic remarks.

• Rubio aide Mike Needham promoted to deputy national security adviser: Mike Needham, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio who most recently served as his State Department counselor, has been promoted to assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser, replacing Robert Gabriel, according to Axios. Because Rubio also serves as national security adviser (having replaced Tulsi Gabbard over the weekend), Needham’s move to the White House keeps him in close contact with Rubio, who said in a statement that Needham “will continue to implement the President’s America First agenda.”

• ICE pepper sprays Sen. Andy Kim and protesters outside Newark detention center: Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Monday while joining Gov. Mikie Sherrill and several House Democrats for an oversight visit to Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, where around 300 migrants are holding a hunger and work strike over conditions, including lack of due process, poor food, and mistreatment. Kim said ICE responded to the demonstration by deploying an armored vehicle and armed agents who tackled protesters and fired pepper balls into the crowd.

• Maine Sen. Susan Collins photographed alongside antisemitic far-right militia: Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine posted a Memorial Day message Monday featuring a photo alongside members of the “Maine Militia,” an armed, far-right paramilitary group, Drop Site’s Julian Andreone reported. The militia has previously described the MAGA movement as a “Jewish psyop” and has written that it does not “worship Blacks and Jews.”

• Progressive challenger with AI research background takes on AIPAC-backed Rep. Auchincloss in Massachusetts primary: Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts faces a primary challenge from Evan Poulos, a computational political scientist and former Scale AI contractor whose platform centers on Medicare for All, universal basic income, and corporate taxes on automation—and who has criticized Auchincloss for accepting AIPAC money, voting to send weapons to Israel, and supporting expanded surveillance authorities. Poulos has raised little money against Auchincloss’s war chest ahead of the state’s September primary.

• Pro-Israel donors using new fundraising vehicle to covertly back Democratic candidates in contested primaries: Pro-Israel donors aligned with AIPAC appear to be channeling money to Democratic primary candidates through a newly formed umbrella group called the Better Blue Fund, which has raised nearly $300,000 in under two months from longtime AIPAC donors—including a $31,500 contribution from an investor who gave $250,000 to Democratic Majority for Israel last cycle. Better Blue Fund is backing eight candidates facing progressive challengers over their support for military aid to Israel. More on “Better Blue Fund” from The Lever, here.

• Former White House official exercising control over Venezuela’s president and economy, report says: Mauricio Claver-Carone, the Cuban-American operative who helped oversee the Trump administration’s hardline Latin America policies during his first and second terms, is reportedly functioning as a de facto gatekeeper over Venezuela’s post-Maduro government despite holding no official title, according to The Grayzone and the Washington Post. A source close to Trump and Rubio confirmed the report to Drop Site. The Grayzone’s sources said that President Delcy Rodríguez “is taking instructions” from Claver-Carone and that he is “calling the shots on private sector economic positions” while raising capital for his Miami-based Lara Fund investment firm.

Other International News

• Pope Leo XIV releases 42,000-word encyclical covering humanity’s struggle with technology: The Chicago-born pope released his first papal encyclical calling out the dangers of artificial intelligence and urging the safeguarding of the human person. “We must remember that humanity flourishes not despite limitations, but often through them,” the pope writes. The “technological transformation” of our age, he says, is having a profound impact on both truth—through the ability of AI to mimic and distort reality and shape communications—and conditions of work, where the pope urged an economy that treats humans with dignity. The encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, is here.

• Bolivian president offers to halve his salary and cabinet pay amid protests: Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira announced Monday he would cut his salary and those of his cabinet ministers in half as a gesture of “commitment to the country,” amid a growing political crisis in the country now entering its fourth week, with protests and roadblocks causing severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine in La Paz and El Alto. Protesters, subject to violent repression, are pushing Paz’s centrist government to roll back austerity measures, restore a fuel subsidy that had kept prices at 2006 levels, and address rising living costs. As of Sunday evening, the protests were ongoing, with tens of thousands of indigenous Kataristas marching from El Alto to La Paz, according to Drop Site contributor Joseph Bouchard.

  • Bolivia’s Senate votes to lift limits on martial law and lethal force: Bolivia’s Senate voted Sunday to overturn legal limits on the government’s ability to declare martial law and authorize lethal force by security forces, according to local reports, fueling fears that the government in La Paz could declare a state of emergency.

  • Bolivian vice president breaks with president: Bolivian Vice President Edman Lara publicly broke with Paz on Sunday, demanding an end to what he characterized as government repression during the protests, after a protester was allegedly killed during a state operation to forcibly clear roadblocks. In a public statement, Lara accused the government of responding to “hunger, fear, and the exhaustion of the people” with “repression and arrest warrants.” Paz’s government has denied responsibility for the killing.

• Russia warns of systematic strikes on Kyiv defense facilities, urges foreign citizens to leave: Russia is planning a “series of systematic strikes” on defense industrial facilities in Kyiv where drones are “designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned, while urging foreign citizens to leave the capital. Last week, a Ukrainian drone strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk in the occupied Luhansk region killed at least 18 and wounded 42. Ukraine’s military denied targeting civilians, saying it had struck an elite drone command unit. In strikes on Kyiv on Sunday, four people were reportedly killed, and 60 wounded. Russia said it had used an Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, marking the third use of the nuclear-capable weapon in the four-year war.

• RSF drone strikes on markets in North Darfur kill at least 21 civilians over two days: Rapid Support Forces drone strikes on markets in the North Darfur towns of Al-Tina and Kornoi killed at least 21 civilians and wounded dozens, local sources told Sudan Tribune. That number includes 14 killed Sunday in Al-Tina—a key commercial and humanitarian corridor on the Chad border—and five killed Monday in Kornoi. The strikes coincide with reports of a major RSF buildup in Saraf Omra, Kebkabiya, El Geneina, and Kulbus that observers believe signal preparation for ground assaults on army positions along the border with Chad.

• Attacks on Ebola treatment facilities in eastern Congo force dozens of patients to flee: At least three attacks on health facilities treating Ebola patients have occurred in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo province of Ituri since the weekend, including two strikes on the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital that caused 25 patients to flee. The attackers are reportedly motivated by a desire for the hospitals to release the bodies of deceased Ebola patients for burial—unsafe given that the virus remains transmissible after death—or by suspicion or doubt about the virus. The outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is the third-largest on record, with the World Health Organization now reporting more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths.

• Tensions between Taiwan and China escalate in the Taiwan Strait: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday it detected 29 Chinese aircraft—including fighter jets—and seven warships operating around the island as part of the second “joint combat readiness patrol” conducted by China within the span of a week. In response to the encroachment, Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu accused Beijing of being “the sole source of instability in the Indo-Pacific.” Last week, after Trump’s visit to China, the U.S. paused a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, reportedly to conserve munitions for its war on Iran.

• Suicide car bomb kills at least 24 in Pakistan’s Balochistan: A suicide car bomb attack on a train carrying soldiers in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, killed at least 24 and wounded more than 50 on Sunday. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the strike.

• Xi hails “unbreakable” China-Pakistan friendship: Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable traditional friendship” with Pakistan as he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Chinese capital on Monday. Xi expressed appreciation for Islamabad’s “constructive role in mediating peace in the Middle East.”

  • Iran-Pakistan chamber accuses UAE of sabotaging Iran’s bid to join China-Pakistan trade corridor: The Iran-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, a private, bilateral business group, accused the United Arab Emirates of actively obstructing Iran’s integration into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a 15-year, $62 billion Chinese-Pakistani infrastructure project connecting Pakistan’s provinces to Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea, in a bid to prevent Gwadar from rivaling Dubai, according to Fars News. Iran is seeking rail connectivity between Chabahar, Zahedan, and Mirjaveh to position itself as a strategic hub for trade between China, Central Asia, and the Caucasus—but that project is now stalled. Read Drop Site’s report on Pakistan’s realignment toward Washington in full here.

• China ships first 15,000 tons of rice to Cuba: Cuba received the first installment of an expected 60,000-ton rice donation from China on Saturday, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirming the shipment’s arrival in Havana and expressing “deep gratitude” to Beijing. The island has been contending with near-total blackouts and a collapse in public services since the Trump administration escalated the U.S. blockade on the island in January. Díaz-Canel addressed Trump’s “maximum pressure strategy” on Sunday, saying that it is “intended to justify the false narrative of an impending collapse, and thereby pave the way for military intervention.”

  • Cuba publishes names of thousands given amnesty in April: On Monday, the Cuban government published the names of thousands of prisoners covered by a sweeping amnesty decree signed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel on April 3, describing the releases as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture,” in the country’s largest such amnesty in years.

• Turkish police ordered to remove opposition party leadership from headquarters: Turkish authorities ordered riot police to remove the leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) from its Ankara headquarters, enforcing a court ruling that annulled Özgür Özel’s 2023 election to party chairman. Özel, who has condemned the ruling as a “judicial coup” and vowed to remain “day and night” at headquarters while pursuing legal appeals, was separately elected leader of the party’s parliamentary group by CHP lawmakers on Saturday.

• Bangladesh intensifies border patrols amid concerns India is illegally forcing people across the frontier: Bangladesh’s Border Guard has intensified patrols along the border with India, Reuters reports, warning residents via loudspeaker to remain alert to illegal crossings. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has made reducing immigration from Bangladesh a political priority, and reportedly pushing people back across the border in violation of formal, bilateral repatriation procedures.

• Suspected bandits abduct at least 25 in two raids in Nigeria’s Kwara State: Suspected bandits launched an early-morning attack on a police station in Nigeria’s Kwara state on Sunday, abducting 10 and setting sections of the Emir of Yashikira’s palace ablaze after officers repelled the assault on the divisional headquarters, according to Reuters. In a separate attack late Friday, gunmen opened fire on a night prayer vigil, killing three worshippers and abducting 15 others, as security forces deployed military units, vigilantes, and a drone unit to search nearby forests and suspected hideouts for the victims.

• At least 400 Iraqi prisoners died in 2025, according to human rights group: The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights warned of a “dangerous escalation” in human rights violations, recording at least 400 prisoner deaths across Iraqi detention facilities in 2025—with 140 cases closed without any cause of death disclosed to families. The death toll is attributed to severe overcrowding, medical neglect, and torture, including electric shocks, prolonged suspension, and sleep deprivation used to extract forced confessions. Iraq’s prisons currently hold around 67,000 detainees, with some facilities exceeding capacity by 300%.

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FROM DROP SITE:

• Cuba Girds for Invasion as Trump Launches Raúl Castro Indictment Amid Punishing Blockade

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran reviewing revised U.S. ceasefire proposal: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing the latest U.S. revised ceasefire proposal that was submitted on Wednesday. “Based on the original text of Iran’s 14 points, the exchange of messages has been carried out on several occasions,” Baghaei said, according to the Nour News Agency. “We have received the views of the American side and are reviewing them.” The U.S. submitted its proposal after Iran put forward its own 14-point framework three days earlier. Separately on Wednesday, President Trump said the U.S. was dealing with “far more reasonable” people on the Iranian side, and called the negotiators people “with talent, with good brain power,” who were “impressing” the U.S. team.

  • Trump continued to leverage the threat of further military escalation, saying that he was still on “the borderline” with regard to attacks, adding, “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go.” Iranian officials also indicated their readiness to assume a military posture, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning on Wednesday that a return to war “will feature many more surprises,” and the IRGC saying any new attack would extend fighting beyond the region.

• Khamenei tells officials Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must not leave the country, Reuters reports: Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters on Thursday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a directive against sending Iran’s highly enriched uranium abroad, with officials reportedly believing surrender of the stockpile would leave Iran defenseless against future U.S. and Israeli strikes. Sources told the outlet that other “feasible formulas” were under consideration for the stockpiles, including diluting it under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. The sources also said there is “deep suspicion” among Iran’s top officials that the current pause in hostilities is “a tactical deception by Washington to create a sense of security before it renews airstrikes.”

• Iran formalizes maritime zone of control in Hormuz: Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has formally delineated a maritime zone under its control in the Strait of Hormuz. The PGSA said on X that the boundaries under Iran’s management are: “The line connecting Kuh Mobarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern entrance of the strait, to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm al-Quwain in the UAE at the western entrance.” It said, “Transit through this area for the purpose of passing through the Hormuz strait requires coordination with, and authorization from, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.”

• Iran says it accompanied more vessels through the Strait: The IRGC said Wednesday it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours. Separately on Wednesday, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned the ongoing blockade of the Strait could trigger a severe global food price crisis within six to 12 months, describing the disruption as “the beginning of a systemic agrifood shock” moving through energy, fertilizer, and commodity markets in stages.

• U.S forces board Iran-flagged tanker: The U.S. military said Wednesday its naval forces intercepted and searched an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman before releasing it and ordering it to “change course.” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media: “U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded M/T Celestial Sea, an Iranian-flagged commercial oil tanker suspected of attempting to violate the U.S. blockade by transiting toward an Iranian port. American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship’s crew to alter course.” CENTCOM noted that U.S. forces have so far “redirected 91 commercial ships” as part of the U.S. blockade.

• Iranian president and parliament speaker discuss economic strain of war on the country: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called at a nationwide governors’ meeting on Wednesday for public cooperation on energy conservation, warning that without precise planning for water, electricity, and fuel consumption, the country “will face problems ahead.” In a separate message, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf acknowledged soaring prices for essential goods while warning that “the enemy’s overt and covert movements show it is seeking a new round of war.” “Some criticisms of the government are made as if no war has happened,” he said. Ghalibaf also added in the Telegram group that Iran’s military had used the ceasefire period to rebuild its capabilities.

• Iran executes two on terror charges: Iran has executed two more people on charges of creating a group to disrupt the country’s security and belonging to a “terrorist” organization, according to the Tasnim news agency. The charges accused the men of “armed uprising through the formation of criminal groups, shooting and attempted assassination in line with the goals of the terrorist group.”

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,089 people have been killed, and 9,397 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Over 16 people were killed and 35 injured in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Ministry.

  • The death toll from what the ministry described as the “Deir Qanoun en-Nahr massacre”—when Israeli warplanes conducted an air raid on the town of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr in southern Lebanon on Tuesday—has risen to 14 killed and three wounded. Among those killed was a family of 11, including three children, their parents and grandparents.

• Hezbollah says it conducted 24 operations on Wednesday: Hezbollah announced 24 separate operations in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, claiming strikes on at least five Merkava tanks, 11 Israeli troop and vehicle gatherings, and four artillery and engineering targets across villages along Lebanon’s southern frontier. Its attacks also included multiple rocket and suicide drone strikes near Hadatha, Kfarkela, and Naqoura. The group also said it shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 surveillance drone over the coastal area of Al-Bayyada, near Tyre.

• Hezbollah drone seriously wounds Israeli commander of brigade accused of killing Hind Rajab: Israeli Colonel Meir Biderman, commander of the Israeli military’s 401st Armored Brigade, reportedly suffered serious head injuries Tuesday after a Hezbollah explosive drone penetrated a fortified building where he was operating in south Lebanon. Biderman is the highest-ranking IDF officer injured by Hezbollah since Israel began its war in Lebanon in October 2023. The 401st Armored Brigade which he commands is the same unit whose “Vampire Empire” company is named in a 120-page International Criminal Court complaint accusing it of deliberately killing six-year-old Hind Rajab, six family members, and two paramedics in Gaza City in January 2024.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed and 27 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,775 killed, with 172,750 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 883 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,648, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Five Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Thursday: Five Palestinians were killed and several others injured in Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to WAFA. Two aid truck drivers were reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces in areas under Israeli control west of Rafah, while another Palestinian was killed in the town of Al-Qarara northeast of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. One Palestinian was also killed and five others injured in an Israeli strike on a tent sheltering displaced civilians west of Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, a drone strike by an Israeli quadcopter in the Beit Lahia project area killed one person.

• Israeli forces subjected Gaza flotilla detainees to widespread abuse, rights group says: Lawyers from the human rights organization Adalah who met with hundreds of detained Global Sumud Flotilla participants at Ashdod Port report that the detainees were subject to numerous forms of abuse, including beatings, the use of Tasers and rubber bullets, forced stress positions, sexual humiliation, and the forcible removal of hijabs from Muslim women detainees. At least three participants required hospitalization, the group said. All of the activists have been released from the Ktziot detention facility and are currently en route to deportation, according to Adalah. The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country.

• U.S. threatens Palestinian candidate for UN post: The Trump administration instructed U.S. diplomats in a May 19 State Department cable to pressure Palestinian officials to withdraw Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour’s candidacy for vice president of the United Nations General Assembly ahead of the body’s June 2 elections, according to NPR. Washington threatened to revoke visas for the Palestinian delegation if he refused to stand down. Mansour had already withdrawn his bid for president of the UN General Assembly in February after the U.S. lobbied him to drop the bid, according to the cable.

• Inspector general probes U.S.-backed Gaza “aid” group over spending: The State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) is investigating the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation over how it spent a $30 million grant, according to the Financial Times. The OIG investigation will probe, among other things, the prices of food and logistics contracts, according to the Financial Times; sources told the paper that the price at which the group purchased food was particularly suspect. The GHF was created to replace the existing UN-led aid system in Gaza and relied heavily on private contractors; Gaza health authorities said roughly 1,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces firing on civilians attempting to reach GHF’s distribution sites.

• Trump’s Gaza reconstruction body stalls as donor pledges go unfulfilled: Only the UAE and Morocco have transferred funds to Trump’s Board of Peace, seven months after the announcement of a ceasefire, according to a report from The Guardian on Wednesday—originally, nine countries had pledged $7 billion for the board, but at present it has only $123 million in funding (leaving it with less than 2 percent of what it had anticipated). The Guardian’s report also notes the generous salaries of the officials appointed to the board: the 12 Palestinian technocrats are reportedly being paid $16,000 to $17,000 a month, and High Representative Nickolay Mladenov is expected to earn about $400,000 in his role with the organization. Regarding the present funding of the group, sources told the outlet that the U.S. war on Iran has given donor countries cover to delay payments. The Guardian’s full report is available here.

• Bennett unveils influence-war overhaul plan amid flotilla detention fallout: Naftali Bennett, a former Israeli prime minister and Netanyahu’s current political rival, published a detailed proposal on X Wednesday to improve Israel’s image in response to international condemnation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s abuse of Global Sumud Flotilla detainees. Bennett called in the post for a “powerful national hasbara authority” and “consciousness war room,” and blamed Israel’s “hasbara disaster” on Ben Gvir. Bennett concluded the post by saying “Soon good days will come;” over the course of his career in public life, he has repeatedly called for murder of Palestinians—in 2018, he said he had “already killed a lot of Arabs in his life, and there is no problem with that.”

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin released the group’s autopsy of the 2024 presidential election. The report came out Thursday morning just before publication and Drop Site’s team is just beginning to review it. But if you search for “Gaza,” “Palestine,” or “Israel,” there are no results. You can read the full document here:

  

  May 20 2026

  10.1MB ∙ PDF file

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• House Democrats poised to pass Iran war powers resolution: An Iran war powers resolution appears to be on the verge of passage in the House after Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), the lone Democrat who has consistently voted against similar previous measures, told Axios Wednesday he intends to vote yes, citing the War Powers Act’s 60-day threshold for congressional authorization. Republican leadership delayed the vote from Wednesday, when Democrats believed the measure would have passed.

• Tobacco industry scores FDA win days after $5 million donation to Trump super PAC: The tobacco company Reynolds American donated $5 million to MAGA Inc. on April 30, and two days later Reynolds executives and lobbyists lunched with President Donald Trump at his Florida golf club. During the lunch, Trump called Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to complain about e-cigarette regulation, according to reporting on Wednesday from the New York Times. Less than a week later, the FDA issued new guidance bypassing its standard rule-making process to potentially allow major tobacco companies to sell flavored vapes and higher-nicotine pouches, opening a path into the $6 billion e-cigarette market. Makary resigned four days after the guidance was issued, telling associates he could not in good conscience remain at an agency that backed such a policy.

• Federal judge orders White House to comply with Presidential Records Act: U.S. District Judge John Bates issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday ordering the Trump administration to continue complying with the Presidential Records Act after the Justice Department argued in an opinion last month that the 1978 law was “unconstitutional.” The judge’s ruling called the Department memo’s reliance on Supreme Court precedent a “stark misreading.” The ruling, which takes effect May 26, came in response to a lawsuit by watchdog groups American Oversight and the American Historical Association, who alleged that the administration believed it was “legally free to destroy records of…official government conduct, or even spirit away the records for [Trump’s] own future personal use.”

• Capitol police officers sue to block Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund: Two police officers who battled with rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 filed suit Wednesday to block payments from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” which the suit describes as an illegal slush fund.

• Colorado Democrats censure Governor Jared Polis: The Colorado State Democratic Party voted Wednesday to censure Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, a censure that garnered 89.8 percent of the central committee’s support, after more than 700 Democrats signed a grassroots rebuke of his decision to commute the nine-year sentence of Tina Peters, a former county clerk convicted of tampering with voting machines in a failed effort to prove the 2020 election was rigged. The censure is largely symbolic, though it does bar Polis from speaking at upcoming party events.

• U.S removes sanctions against Albanese: The U.S. has removed sanctions against UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, according to the ‌Treasury Department website. The move came a week after a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the sanctions in response to a lawsuit filed by Albanese’s husband and daughter in February. The judge found that the Trump administration likely violated Albanese’s free-speech rights by imposing the measures after she criticized Israel genocide in Gaza.

Other International News

• U.S. prosecutors charge former Cuban President Raúl Castro: The Justice Department announced charges Wednesday against 94-year-old former Cuban President Raúl Castro over a 1996 incident in which two planes were downed, and four people were killed; four additional indictments were announced later in the day against Lorenzo Pérez-Pérez, Emilio Palacio Blanco, José Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis González-Pardo Rodríguez. The planes were operated by “Brothers to the Rescue,” a group of Cuban exiles living in Miami, and contemporary FAA records demonstrate that the White House was aware that further intrusions into Cuban airspace would prompt the country to respond, with an official warning the night before the incident that further flights “may finally tip the Cubans toward an attempt to shoot down or force down the plane.” That official urged the FAA to block the flights, but the agency refused. Cuba’s current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, condemned Castro’s indictment on Wednesday as a “political action with no basis” and accused the U.S. of “lying [about] and manipulating” the 1996 events.

• Bolivia’s Paz offers cabinet reshuffle, ejects Colombian ambassador: Facing weeks of demonstrations by farmers, miners, teachers, and laborers opposed to his free-market reforms and fuel subsidy cuts, President Rodrigo Paz said Wednesday he would reorganize his cabinet “to listen” while his foreign minister accused protesters of trying to destabilize the country and “disrupt the democratic order.” Bolivia’s foreign ministry also announced Wednesday it would ask Colombia’s ambassador to leave the country after Colombian President Gustavo Petro described the protests as a “popular insurrection.”

  • Rubio voices support for Paz: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X Wednesday that the United States unequivocally stands with Paz’s government. “Let there be no mistake,” Rubio said, “The United States stands squarely in support of Bolivia’s legitimate constitutional government.” Rubio additionally accused the protest leaders of being “criminals and drug traffickers,” language the Trump administration has previously deployed against the region’s left-wing leaders.

• Colombia’s two main armed groups announce separate ceasefires ahead of presidential election: Colombia’s National Liberation Army declared a ceasefire from midnight May 30 to midnight June 2, while the Central General Staff—the largest dissident FARC faction—announced a nationwide suspension of military operations from May 20 to June 10, though the government did not immediately respond to either announcement. Polling shows left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda leading at 44 percent, ahead of conservative rivals Paloma Valencia and independent Abelardo De la Espriella, with a runoff on June 21 if no candidate clears 50 percent.

• Chihuahua governor discusses American operations in Mexico: In an interview with journalist Joaquín López-Dóriga, Governor María Eugenia Campos Galván initially confirmed that U.S. agents would participate in security operations in the state before abruptly backtracking as aides off-camera appeared to signal her to stop, at one point interrupting the exchange to say people were making “a lot of signs” at her. The exchange confirms Drop Site’s earlier reporting that Chihuahua is pressing ahead with close collaboration with U.S. agencies despite a recent scandal over unauthorized CIA participation in operations on Mexican territory. Read the full report from Drop Site contributor José Olivares here.

• Trump says he will call Taiwan’s president, breaking four decades of diplomatic protocol: President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday he intends to speak directly with Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te—a conversation that would mark the first direct contact between U.S. and Taiwanese presidents since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979—as the White House weighs a $14 billion arms sales package to the island. China’s foreign ministry demanded Washington “handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence” and stop “sending wrong signals,” while Lai said Thursday he would be “happy” to discuss matters with Trump and that Taiwan remained committed to maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait. As president-elect, Trump previously received a phone call following his 2016 election victory from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen.

• Russia intercepts British surveillance plane over Black Sea: The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence reported on Wednesday that two Russian jets repeatedly intercepted an unarmed Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft in international airspace in April, with a Su-27 conducting six passes as close as six meters from the British plane’s nose and a Su-35 flying close enough to trigger emergency systems on board. Defence Minister John Healey called the behavior “dangerous and unacceptable,” saying it creates “a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation,” and confirmed that defence and foreign ministry officials have formally complained to the Russian embassy.

• Doctors Without Borders warns of rapidly escalating atrocities in South Sudan: In report released Wednesday, Médecins Sans Frontières said it had treated 6,095 victims of violence in South Sudan in 2025 alone, and blamed all actors in the country’s conflict (the government, the rebel group SPLA-IO, and other militias) for the region’s increased precarity. The group also reported 12 attacks on its staff and medical sites this year, including bombings, shootings, looting, and abductions, and warned of catastrophic hunger among displaced families, pointing to one screening of 2,500 children in Chuil found 58 percent suffering from moderate to severe acute malnutrition.

More from Drop Site

• U.S. pressure on Cuba escalates: The Trump administration has continued to make increasingly aggressive moves on Cuba, including a Wednesday indictment of former President Raúl Castro, fresh sanctions on its government and on top officials, and an unusual number of surveillance flights over the island, leading many to speculate that a more direct confrontation is imminent. The U.S. has also made a widely publicized $100 million humanitarian aid offer, reportedly contingent on the acceptance of Starlink satellites, which parallels the destabilization strategy used ahead of the U.S. attack on Iran. Cuba says it remains open to receiving assistance through the Catholic Church, and many of its citizens remain adamant that it would not cede to further action without a fight. Read the latest reporting on Cuba for Drop Site, by José Luis Granados Ceja, Ryan Grim, and Murtaza Hussain, here.

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FROM DROP SITE:

• After Insurgents Battle Military Junta, Mali Pushed Toward War and Economic Collapse

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Iran and Ceasefire

• IRGC warns war could “extend beyond the region”: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Wednesday that war would extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on Tehran. “If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency. “The American-Zionist enemy...must know that despite the offensive carried out against us using the full capabilities of the world’s two most expensive armies, we have not deployed the full power of the Islamic revolution.”

• Trump, Vance talk delayed strikes: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. could attack Iran again if no deal to end the war is reached in the coming days. “I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time,” Trump said. In separate remarks, J.D. Vance said Trump told him the U.S. was “locked and loaded,” although it doesn’t “want to go down that pathway” at the present moment.

• Strait of Hormuz transit traffic more than doubled last week: Strait of Hormuz transit traffic rose to 54 vessels in the week of May 11–17, more than double the previous week’s 23 vessels. Ten of these ships were owned by Chinese companies, a development which corresponds with Tehran’s announcement last week that it would permit Chinese vessels to transit. Two Chinese tankers, Yuan Gui Yang and Ocean Lily, departed Wednesday, according to Reuters. Another vessel, owned by the UAE’s state petroleum company, crossed with its tracking transponder switched off, according to data from Lloyd’s List. The partial rebound remains a fraction of pre-war levels—before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, roughly 3,000 vessels transited monthly, carrying an estimated 15 million barrels of oil daily.

• South Korean tanker passing through Hormuz: A South Korean oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the first time a Korea-managed ship transits the strait since the Iran war began. “Consultations with Iranian authorities were completed, and the vessel began sailing yesterday. It is passing through the strait very cautiously,” South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.

• Iran war strike triggers oil spill at protected Persian Gulf wildlife sanctuary: An attack on a refinery on Lavan Island on April 9 has caused an oil spill that has reached Shidvar Island, AP reports. Shivdar is a protected wildlife breeding ground in the Persian Gulf; satellite imagery and videos show oil washing ashore on the island and dead birds, crabs, and fish covered in crude. The Lavan oil refinery came under attack last month hours after the ceasefire deal was announced. Iranian media outlets alleged the UAE carried out the attack, though Abu Dhabi did not acknowledge the strike.

• U.S. Treasury sanctions 50-plus Iranian-linked entities: The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping new sanctions targeting more than 50 companies, individuals, and oil tankers allegedly linked to Iran’s shadow banking and petroleum export networks as part of the Trump administration’s “Economic Fury” pressure campaign against Tehran. The designations include Amin Exchange—an Iranian foreign currency firm Treasury accused of helping sanctioned Iranian banks and petrochemical companies move hundreds of millions of dollars through front companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Hong Kong—as well as 19 vessels Washington claims transported Iranian oil, LPG, methanol, and petrochemicals in violation of U.S. sanctions.

• Iran amasses floating oil stockpile as U.S. naval blockade traps crude exports: Satellite imagery shows a sharp buildup of aging tankers around Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, as the U.S. naval blockade—in effect since April 13—traps crude exports in the Gulf, the Financial Times reported. About 39 tankers carrying Iranian oil and petrochemicals are now stranded in the Gulf, up from 29 before the blockade began, with another 13 suspected tankers identified near Chabahar port, according to United Against Nuclear Iran; CENTCOM says it has forced 88 ships to turn back to Iranian ports and disabled four tankers, while data firm Kpler says Iranian crude stored on tankers in the region has surged 65% since the war began, reaching 42 million barrels.

• UAE says drone that struck Barakh was launched from Iraq, condemns attacks at the UN: The UAE’s defense ministry said Tuesday that six drones had been launched against it from Iraqi territory in the past 48 hours, including the drone that struck an electric generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.

• Iraq condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia: The Iraqi government issued a statement Tuesday condemning a recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia—which Riyadh said originated from Iraqi airspace—and offering to cooperate with Saudi authorities in investigating the incident, while noting that Iraqi air defense systems and surveillance equipment had detected no evidence of drones being launched from its territory.

• Foreign governments dump U.S. Treasuries in March: Foreign governments cut their U.S. Treasury holdings to $9.25 trillion in March from $9.49 trillion in February as the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran conflict and the rising cost of crude oil sent Asian currencies tumbling and forced central banks to liquidate dollar reserves to fund currency intervention. China reduced its holdings roughly 6% to $652.3 billion, the lowest level since September 2008. Japan, the largest single foreign holder of American treasuries, shed approximately $47 billion of its stock, bringing its total holdings to $1.191 trillion. Foreign investors reportedly logged a $142.1 billion valuation loss on long-term Treasury holdings in March, according to CNBC.

• NYT: U.S. and Israel secretly planned to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader: The United States and Israel secretly planned to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as leader of a post-war Iranian government, but the plan collapsed after an Israeli airstrike intended to free him from house arrest by killing his Revolutionary Guard minders instead injured him on the war’s first day, the New York Times reported. The attack reportedly left Ahmadinejad disillusioned with the plan, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Lebanon

• Casualty count: At least 3,073 people have been killed, and 9,362 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

• Israeli strikes continue on Tuesday despite “ceasefire”:

  • Israeli strike kills at least 11 civilians in Deir Kanoun: An Israeli strike on the town of Deir Qanoun in the Tyre District of southern Lebanon killed at least 11 civilians and wounded 3 others Tuesday, with videos from the scene showing extensive destruction as rescue crews and residents searched through collapsed buildings, journalist Courtney Bonneau reported.

  • Six killed in attacks across Lebanon: Four people were killed when a warplane leveled a home in Kfar Sir. Two people were also killed in separate drone strikes on a vehicle in Harouf, and a motorcycle near Bint Jbeil.

  • Historic district in Lebanon’s Nabatieh hit by Israeli warplanes: Israeli warplanes struck the historic Saray district of Nabatieh on Tuesday, damaging heritage homes, traditional markets, civilian shops, and a historic mosque, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

  • Israel bombs southern Lebanon village of Kfour for first time: Israeli warplanes dropped eight heavy bombs along the eastern side of Kfour, a partly Christian village in southern Lebanon that had not been evacuated, in the village’s first-ever bombing, journalist Hadi Hoteit reported on Tuesday.

  • Illegal use of phosphorus: Israeli forces deployed incendiary phosphorus bombs against farmers harvesting watermelons at the al-Mansouri junction in the Tyre district, Al Jazeera reported.

• Hezbollah drones seriously impeding Israeli military operations: Hezbollah’s explosive drones have severely restricted Israeli freedom of movement in southern Lebanon—forcing roughly 80% of military assaults to be conducted outside of daylight hours—according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN. Israel has approved a roughly $700 million emergency counter-drone program to develop mobile defense systems, expanded radar coverage, and anti-drone munitions. Retired Lebanese Brigadier General Bassam Yassin told The New Arab, however, that the fiber-optic-guided drones employed by the group—which carry near-zero radar signatures and are immune to electronic jamming—will remain extremely difficult to intercept.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and 16 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,773 killed, with 172,723 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 881 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,621, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli strike on civilian car near Gaza City hospital kills one, wounds four: An Israeli strike hit a civilian car on Al-Shuhada Street near the Friends of the Patient Hospital west of Gaza City on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding four others, Drop Site contributor Mohammed Ahmed reported. Eyewitness Khaled Sabeeh described the aftermath as civilians rushed to pull the wounded from the vehicle. “It’s clear that the war is not over—it’s all a lie,” Sabeeh told Drop Site, adding, “The attacks are increasing every day.”

• Israeli strike severs water line serving displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis: An Israeli strike severed a water line serving displaced Palestinians in eastern Khan Younis, Gaza on Tuesday, Reuters reported. “It was empty land. We don’t know why they bombed,” one displaced Palestinian told the wire service.

• FT: Israel seizes 1,000 sq km across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria: Israel has occupied around 1,000 square kilometers of territory in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since October 2023, according to the Financial Times. The land—roughly five per cent of Israel’s 1949 borders—includes large areas of southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have established a “security zone,” almost two-thirds of Gaza now under Israeli occupation as it pushes past the agreed-upon “Yellow Line,” and positions inside Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime. The moves have driven large-scale displacement, widespread destruction, and worsening humanitarian conditions—as Israeli strikes, artillery fire, raids and detentions continue across all three. The IDF declined to comment on the calculations, but said troops’ deployment “is carried out in line with the directives of the political echelon and ongoing operational situational assessments.”

• Israel intercepts all vessels in Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters: Israeli forces intercepted all vessels in the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters Tuesday, ending the convoy’s attempt to break Israel’s siege of Gaza, organizers reported. The 54 civilian boats carrying 428 participants had departed Marmaris, Turkey four days ago before being surrounded roughly 250 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast. All five Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessels were also intercepted.

  • Israeli minister posts video showing abuse of detained flotilla members: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted Wednesday on X a video showing mistreatment of detained flotilla activists in Ashdod Port alongside the caption “Welcome to Israel.” In the footage, Ben-Gvir is seen waving an Israeli flag while declaring, “Welcome to Israel! We are the owners of the house.” The footage also shows an activist who was shouting “Free, free Palestine,” being shoved to the ground and told to “Shut up.” Other clips show detainees forced to kneel on the floor with their faces lowered to the ground, and detainees roughly escorted with their heads bent and hands zip-tied. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani issued a statement demanding an apology, calling the handling of the detainees a “total disrespect” for Italy’s requests and the personal dignity of its citizens who are part of the flotilla. Adalah—a Palestinian-run legal center in Israel—said in a statement, “Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people. These events come after Adalah documented similar patterns of ill-treatment against activists in previous flotilla missions, for which Israel faced zero accountability.”

  • U.S. sanctions four flotilla organizers: The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four activists Tuesday—two representatives of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad and two from the Palestinian prisoners solidarity network Samidoun, based in Jordan, Spain, and Belgium—alleging without evidence that the Gaza-bound flotilla organizers were acting in support of Hamas, as Israeli forces simultaneously intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the flotilla a “pro-terror” effort, while organizer Huwaida Arraf rejected the characterization as “ridiculous,” and Samidoun called the sanctions “the latest manifestation of the ongoing U.S. genocidal war on the Palestinian people.”

• Musk announces Tesla autonomous driving rollout in Israel: Elon Musk announced plans to roll out Tesla’s autonomous driving technology in Israel “soon” while addressing the country’s International Smart Mobility Summit via video link from Texas on Sunday, praising Israel’s technology sector and describing artificial intelligence as the future of transport, according to The New Arab. Musk, who visited Israel in November 2023, reversed an earlier proposal last week to provide Starlink access to aid groups working in Gaza, after Israeli government officials threatened retaliation.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Tuesday’s election results:

  • AIPAC-backed challenger defeats Rep. Thomas Massie in most expensive House primary in history: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Kentucky primary Tuesday to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein after AIPAC and allied pro-Israel groups poured more than $15.8 million into the race, making it the most expensive House primary in U.S. history at roughly $32 million in total spending—surpassing AIPAC’s 2024 spending to oust Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Massie, one of the few Republicans to vote against U.S. military support for Israel and a consistent critic of the Iran war, framed the race as a referendum on foreign influence in Congress, telling supporters in his concession speech that his opponents had tried to “buy the seat.”

  • DSA member Chris Rabb wins Democratic primary in Philly: Penn. state Rep. Chris Rabb, a Democratic Socialists of America member endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, won the Democratic primary Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District—spanning parts of west and north Philadelphia—defeating state Sen. Shariff Street and pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Dwight Evans, Decision Desk HQ projected. With no Republican running in a district Vice President Kamala Harris carried by 77 percentage points in 2024, Rabb is the heavy favorite to win in November. American Priorities, a pro-Palestinian super PAC launched to counter AIPAC, also backed Rabb.

  • Republican primary for Georgia governor heads to runoff: Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, endorsed by Trump, and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson—who has spent $80 million of his own money on ads casting himself in Trump’s mold—will advance to a June 16 Republican runoff for governor after no candidate cleared 50% in Tuesday’s crowded primary, NBC News projected. The runoff winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.

  • Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr wins Kentucky Republican Senate primary for McConnell’s seat: Seven-term Rep. Andy Barr won the Kentucky Republican Senate primary Tuesday with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, defeating former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and other candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, NBC News projected. Barr is a heavy favorite in the general election against Democratic nominee Charles Booker in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1992.

• Senate advances bill forcing Trump to seek congressional approval for Iran war: The Senate advanced legislation Tuesday aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to end the war with Iran or seek congressional authorization, passing 50-47 after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana flipped his vote days after losing his primary race, which Trump had declined to support. The measure exposed growing Republican fractures over the war, with Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (Ala.) joining Cassidy in support, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) voted with most Republicans against the measure.

• DOJ permanently bars examination of Trump family returns: A one-page addendum posted to the Justice Department website Tuesday revealed that the IRS is now “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing tax examinations of President Donald Trump, his family members, affiliated individuals, and related businesses for all returns filed before Monday’s settlement—an expansion of the nearly $1.8 billion deal announced the previous day that made no mention of resolving Trump’s longstanding tax disputes. Two former IRS commissioners condemned the move, with John Koskinen calling it a “terrible precedent” that amounts to a government windfall for Trump.

• Acting AG Blanche says DOJ will not recommend pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday that he will not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. Trump has not ruled out a Maxwell pardon, saying last year he is “allowed” to do it.

• Hawley calls for universal stock trading ban: Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called Tuesday for a universal ban on individual stock trading covering all federal officials—including the president, vice president, and Supreme Court justices—after a financial disclosure showed President Donald Trump or his investment managers made more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of the year involving major corporations with business before his administration. Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying Trump does not personally execute trades but has independent wealth advisers managing his money, and said the administration supports banning congressional stock trading.

• Trump endorses Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Republican runoff: President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in next week’s Texas Senate primary runoff, saying on Truth Social that Cornyn was not supportive of him “when times were tough.” Paxton, who has survived adultery allegations, felony securities fraud indictment charges, and an impeachment by members of his own party, holds a narrow lead in independent polls but trails Democratic candidate James Talarico in several general election matchups.

• Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm grows to $3.5 billion on “America First” pitch: Donald Trump Jr.’s Palm Beach-based venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, has grown from roughly $200 million to $3.5 billion in assets by pitching an “America First” investment strategy centered on what it calls patriotic capitalism, the Financial Times reported. The firm, which has invested in artificial intelligence, defense, and technology companies, including Databricks, Groq, Elon Musk’s xAI, SpaceX, and Anduril, aims to reach $10 billion in assets, with one partner telling the FT the firm hopes to become a Carlyle Group-style powerhouse leveraging deep political connections in Washington to build influence and attract capital.

• Progressive Caucus backs Campa-Najjar in California’s 48th District: The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorsed Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar in California’s 48th District on Tuesday, backing the Palestinian American candidate over San Diego city council member Marni von Wilpert, who has the backing of the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, Semafor reported. A recent SurveyUSA poll showing two Republicans leading the field has raised alarm about a Democratic lockout in a district Kamala Harris narrowly carried.

• Judge bars immigration arrests at Manhattan courthouses: A federal judge ruled Monday that immigration agents can no longer make arrests in and around three Manhattan buildings where immigration proceedings are held except in exceptional circumstances, finding that individuals have a serious interest in attending removal proceedings and pursuing asylum claims “without fear of arrest.” The judge had declined to ban the practice last year, but that Tuesday’s ruling was necessary to “correct a clear error and prevent a manifest injustice.”

Other International News

• China hosts Putin for high-level summit after U.S. visit: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, days after hosting President Donald Trump for a U.S.-China summit. During the meeting, Xi described China-Russia ties as a force of “calm amid chaos” and criticized “unilateral hegemonic currents” running through international affairs. Xi also called for enhanced “comprehensive strategic coordination” between China and Russia. Putin and Xi signed a joint statement reaffirming their close ties and support for a “multipolar world.”

• NATO fighter jet shoots down Ukrainian drone over Estonia: A Romanian F-16 deployed with NATO shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday after authorities determined its trajectory was aimed at Russian targets. The apparently accidental intrusion by the drone came as Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that Ukraine had been advised to keep attack trajectories as far from NATO territory as possible. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed, without providing evidence, that Ukraine is preparing to launch drone attacks against Russia from Baltic territory and warned Latvia of “just retribution” for any such attack.

• Strikes in Ukraine continue: At least six people in Ukraine were killed Tuesday in Russian strikes on Pryluky, Hlukhiv, and Buryn, including a 15-year-old boy. Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow remain stalled following the collapse of a Trump-brokered three-day ceasefire earlier this month.

  • 15,580 have died in Ukraine, UN says: 15,850 people have been confirmed killed in Ukraine since February 2022, including 791 children, the Europe and Central Asia director at the UN’s Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council on Tuesday. The “actual figures are likely significantly higher,” he said.

• Car bomb kills one soldier, wounds 21 near Syrian Defence Ministry in Damascus: A car bomb exploded near a Syrian Defence Ministry building in the Bab Sharqi district of Damascus on Tuesday, killing at least one soldier and wounding at least 21 people, Syrian state media reported. Army personnel had discovered an improvised explosive device planted near the site and were attempting to defuse it when the car bomb detonated. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

  • Syria preserves ban on Israeli goods in new customs law: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a new customs decree Monday updating much of the country’s trade regulations and maintaining the country’s longstanding ban on Israeli products. The decree also established financial penalties for importing from Israel or any country that “has been subject to an economic boycott,” with fines set at six to eight times the value of seized goods. Israeli forces have carried out near-daily incursions into southern Syria.

• Somaliland to open embassy in Jerusalem: Somaliland’s ambassador said on Tuesday that the breakaway region will open an embassy in Jerusalem and that Israel will open an embassy in Hargeisa “soon,” which the Israeli foreign minister confirmed in a post on X. Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland’s independence in December. Somaliland’s embassy would become the eighth located in Jerusalem—a city whose status as the capital of the country remains contested; 96 other embassies operate in Tel Aviv.

• Drone strike kills 28 at crowded Sudan market: A drone strike on a crowded market in the town of Ghubaysh in Sudan’s West Kordofan province killed 28 people and wounded dozens Tuesday morning, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group. The attack was blamed on the Sudanese army, and claimed the attack struck two Rapid Support Forces combat vehicles near the market and killed only combatants. Drone attacks in the country killed at least 880 civilians between January and April, according to the UN.

  • Smuggled mining explosives kill five: At least five people were killed Monday when a truck and box vehicle carrying smuggled explosives used in artisanal gold mining detonated in the Abu Talha area west of Kassala city in eastern Sudan, according to the Sudan Tribune. Smuggling is common in Sudan’s artisanal mining industry, the outlet claims, as a means of avoiding official inspections.

• UAE and France renew defense cooperation agreement: The United Arab Emirates and France renewed their bilateral defense cooperation agreement Tuesday in Toulouse, where French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin met with UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei. The renewal follows the UAE’s withdrawal from a proposal to jointly fund development of the next-generation Rafale F5 fighter jet—leaving France to shoulder the full projected cost of roughly $5.7 billion after Abu Dhabi had been expected to cover as much as $4 billion. France, which has an estimated 750 to 900 military personnel stationed at UAE bases and has been assisting the country in intercepting Iranian drones. Last Friday, France announced its Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group would soon arrive in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Nigeria military claims joint strikes with U.S. killed 175 Islamic State militants: The Nigerian military announced on Tuesday that it had killed 175 militants in recent days in its joint campaign with the United States against the Islamic State West African Province. The announcement came after the U.S. military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it had carried out attacks on Sunday in coordination with the Nigerian government.

• Kenya suspends transport strike over fuel hikes: A Kenyan public transport strike over fuel price hikes triggered by the Iran war was suspended for one week on Tuesday after the government reached an interim agreement with the bus and minibus owner association. The government offered a 10-shilling-per-liter diesel reduction—far short of the 46-shilling cut operators demanded. More talks are expected in the interim.

• South African electrical utility threatens to cut power to Johannesburg: South Africa’s state electricity company Eskom warned Tuesday it may reduce or terminate power supply to Johannesburg—the country’s largest city—as a result of the city’s 5.26 billion rand ($315 million) debt. The city and its utility have a further 1.58 billion rand due June 5. Eskom claims that it has worked with the municipality for more than two years to resolve its unpaid debts, and that the city repeatedly defaulted. The announcement follows a recent comment from South Africa’s National Treasury expressing “serious concern” about the state of Johannesburg’s finances.

• U.S. expresses “concern” about protests in Bolivia: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Tuesday he is “very concerned” about escalating unrest in Bolivia after speaking with President Rodrigo Paz, calling nationwide protests against the eight-month-old government’s austerity measures a “coup financed by an unholy alliance between politics and organized crime.” Protests that began with strikes in early May have grown into a nationwide movement of labor unions, miners, transport workers, and rural groups pressing Paz—whose government ended nearly two decades of leftist rule in November—to roll back austerity measures and address the rising costs of living in the country.

• Venezuelan government to release 300 prisoners this week: Venezuela’s National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez announced Tuesday that 300 prisoners would be released between Monday and Friday, including three police officers tied to events surrounding the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez who have been held since 2003, people with medical conditions, and those over the age of 70, Reuters reported.

• China secretly trained Russian personnel who fought in Ukraine, Reuters finds: The Chinese military covertly trained approximately 200 Russian military personnel at facilities in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shijiazhuang in late 2025 under an agreement signed by senior officers from both countries in July of that year, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The training included education in drone warfare, electronic warfare, armored infantry operations, and counter-drone measures—and some of those trained subsequently returned to fight in Ukraine, according to three European intelligence agencies cited by the report and corroborated by documents seen by Reuters.

• Rwanda signs nuclear cooperation agreements with U.S.: Rwanda signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with the United States and the U.S. company Holtec International on Tuesday, as part of a broader push by the U.S. to position American companies as global exporters of nuclear technology to “responsible partners.” The East African nation is expected to acquire and deploy the company’s Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors, which are smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, by the early 2030s. South Africa currently has Africa’s only operational nuclear power plant.

More from Drop Site

• Jihadist-separatist offensive pushes Mali’s military junta toward collapse: A coordinated April 25 offensive by al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Tuareg separatists from the Azwad Liberation Front killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara, briefly seized the military garrison town of Kati for 12 hours, forced Russia’s Africa Corps to retreat from Kidal, and triggered a blockade on the capital Bamako that has caused fuel and food shortages. “We can no longer go out to our fields, and hunger is beginning to set in. We are at our breaking point,” one Malian told Drop Site. Read more about Mali’s insurgency, the Russian mercenaries in the country, and the government response in Mamadou Diallo’s full report for Drop Site here.

• Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain discusses our latest reporting on Pakistan—and particularly, the leaked cyphers we published in full—in a video here. The full report by Murtaza, Ryan Grim, and Waqas Ahmed is available here.

• In this week’s Drop Site’s livestream, Jeremy Scahill discusses the state of the war and ceasefire in Iran with Negar Mortazavi, fellow at the Center for International Policy and host of the “Iran Podcast.” Then Ryan Grim and Maysa Mustafa talk with photographer Misan Harriman and Yale researcher Nathaniel Raymond about the latest from Sudan. The stream concludes with Maysa, Ryan, and Drop Site Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone outlining Tuesday’s primary elections. The full stream is available here:

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President Donald Trump postpones Tuesday strike on Iran after Gulf leaders intervene. Reuters reports Pakistan deployed 8,000 troops, fighter jets, and air defense system to Saudi Arabia. Treasury extends Russian oil waiver a third time. Death toll in Lebanon exceeds 3,000. Israeli military issues overnight displacement order. Hezbollah claims 14 operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says ICC is seeking arrest warrant for him. Hamas denounces Trump Board document accusing it of blocking Gaza plan. Settlers torch West Bank farmland overnight. UN rights chief urges Israel to prevent “acts of genocide” in Gaza, warns of ethnic cleansing. Three killed in attack on San Diego mosque, including the security guard, a father of eight. Kentucky and Georgia hold primary elections today; War Secretary Pete Hegseth campaigns against Trump critic Rep. Thomas Massie. Philadelphia Democrats send unlabeled attack texts targeting progressive candidate. Pelosi endorses San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan to succeed her in Congress. MTA reaches tentative deal to end Long Island Rail Road strike. Minnesota charges ICE agent with assault. More than 100,000 U.S. citizen children may have had a parent detained under Trump, Brookings finds. Russia strikes Chinese-owned cargo ship in Black Sea before Putin-Xi summit. Sudanese army chief quietly pursuing backchannel deal with UAE through Bahrain. Cuba warns of “bloodbath” if attacked. Mali army drones kill at least 10 civilians at wedding procession. U.S.-Nigeria airstrikes reportedly kill 20-plus ISWAP militants. UNHCR warns that lack of funding will force further job cuts. Congolese health ministry reports 131 deaths from Ebola and an additional 513 suspected cases; U.S. imposes temporary entry ban from the region.

FROM DROP SITE:

• In the Wake of Iran War, African Nations Struggle to Cope with Rising Fuel Costs

• Hondurasgate: Key leaked audio files, revealing U.S. intervention in Honduras, found authentic “with moderate confidence”

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Trump postpones Tuesday strike on Iran after Gulf leaders intervene: President Donald Trump announced Monday that a planned military strike on Iran scheduled for Tuesday had been postponed at the personal request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

  • Trump said he directed War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Daniel Caine, and the U.S. military to stand down from the planned attack while remaining prepared to “go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

  • The Wall Street Journal reported that “several Gulf officials from some of the countries Trump mentioned said they were not aware of the imminent plan to attack Iran he described.”

  • In his post, Trump added emphatically that Gulf leaders believe that a deal is likely to include “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN.” Iran has officially and publicly stated that it will not pursue nuclear weapons for a period of over 22 years.

• Iranian officials respond to Trump’s announcement:

  • “Dialogue does not mean surrender,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran enters into dialogue with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights, and under no circumstances will it retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country.”

  • ​​Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia warned that Iran would “open new fronts” against the U.S. if it resumed attacks. “If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods,” Akraminia said, according to the ISNA news agency.

  • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a call with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the ongoing diplomatic process and regional developments.

• The terms of Iran’s latest proposal: Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that Iran’s proposal which it sent to the U.S. via Pakistani mediators on Monday included, “the country’s insistence on its right to uranium enrichment and peaceful nuclear activities, an end to conflicts across all fronts including Lebanon, the lifting of the US naval blockade, the release of Iranian assets, compensation by the United States for damage caused during the latest war to support reconstruction efforts, the removal of all unilateral sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions, and the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding the Islamic Republic,” according to the IRNA news agency. The terms appeared largely unchanged from Iran’s previous offer.

• Pakistan deployed 8,000 troops, fighter jets, and air defense system to Saudi Arabia: Pakistan deployed approximately 8,000 troops, a squadron of roughly 16 JF-17 fighter jets, two drone squadrons, and a Chinese HQ-9 air defense system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact signed last year, Reuters reported Monday, citing three security officials and two government sources who described the force as “combat-capable” and intended to support Riyadh if the kingdom comes under further attack. Drop Site reported many of the terms of the confidential mutual defense agreement here.

• Treasury extends Russian oil waiver a third time: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced a new 30-day general license permitting “vulnerable nations” to access Russian oil stranded at sea—the third such waiver since mid-March, when the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran triggered what officials have described as the largest oil supply disruption in history. Bessent had previously said the administration would not renew the waiver.

• UAE restores power to Barakah nuclear plant after Sunday drone attack: The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by the United Arab Emirates that off-site power to Unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear power plant had been restored, ending the reactor’s reliance on emergency diesel generators following a drone strike Sunday. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi called the restoration “an important step for nuclear safety” and reiterated that nuclear sites must never be targeted by military activity.

• Iran seizes assets of 129 people over alleged U.S. and Israeli ties: Iran’s judiciary confiscated the assets of 129 people Monday over alleged cooperation with the United States and Israel, with West Azerbaijan chief justice Nasser Atabati describing the targets as members of “counter-revolutionary and separatist groups”—though no evidence or identifying details were made public.

  • Wartime crackdown: More than 6,500 people have been arrested on treason and espionage charges since the war began, according to police chief Ahmadreza Radan; Amnesty International separately reported Monday that Iran was the primary driver of a global surge in executions, with at least 2,159 documented in 2025, and at least 202 executions recorded so far in 2026—including aerospace engineer Erfan Shakourzadeh, executed last Monday on charges of cooperating with U.S. and Israeli intelligence.

• Al-Monitor: Iran-backed Iraqi militias behind most Gulf drone attacks: A senior Iraqi official told Al-Monitor that roughly 50% of all drone attacks on Gulf states since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 have originated from Iraqi territory, launched by Iran-backed Shiite militias, in what a former U.S. diplomat called a showing by Iran that its “proxy threat still has currency.” The attacks have reportedly strained a Saudi-Iraqi rapprochement that had been building since 2020, and have furthered the rift among the Gulf States. Al Monitor’s full report is available here.

Lebanon

• Death toll in Lebanon exceeds 3,000: At least 3,042 people have been killed, and 9,301 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Over 22 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

• Israeli forces carry out broad wave of strikes across Lebanon: At least 31 Israeli airstrikes, five drone strikes, artillery shelling across more than 25 towns, and multiple controlled demolitions in southern border areas on Monday were documented by Field monitoring channels, with reported targets spanning Jezzine, Tyre, Nabatieh, Marjayoun, and Baalbek districts. The shelling reportedly included phosphorus strikes on Arnoun in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army claimed, in a post on X, to have struck 25 Hezbollah “weapons storage facilities and launchers” on Monday in southern Lebanon.

• Israeli military issues overnight displacement order: The Israeli military issued a forced displacement order at 1 a.m. local time Monday for parts of Maachouq near Tyre in southern Lebanon, ordering residents within 300 meters of a targeted building to leave immediately and citing alleged proximity to Hezbollah-affiliated facilities. The notice identified the Imam Khomeini Mosque, Al Fajr Pharmacy, and Pharmacy Al Hassan as falling within the designated strike zone. The Israeli military also issued a warning on Tuesday targeting 12 towns and villages across southern and western Lebanon, including areas in the Tyre, Nabatieh, and Western Beqaa districts.

• Hezbollah claims 14 operations against Israeli forces on Monday: Hezbollah’s military media reported 14 operations against Israeli forces Monday in retaliation for what it described as ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations and strikes on civilians in southern Lebanon. The operations included drone and rocket attacks on Israeli troop concentrations in Rashaf, Naqoura, and Bayyada; strikes on newly established military sites, a communications vehicle, a D9 bulldozer, and an Iron Dome platform in the Galilee; a surface-to-air missile fired at an Israeli warplane in Lebanese airspace; and a coordinated fire raid on multiple Israeli positions near Khiam, Taybeh, Deir Mimas, and Rashaf.

Palestine

• Casualty count in Gaza: Over the last 24 hours, three Palestinians were killed—two in new attacks and one due to wounds sustained from earlier attacks—and three were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,772 killed, with 172,707 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 880 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,605, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israel detains sister of Irish president in Sumud Flotilla: Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded Monday the Global Sumud Flotilla approximately 70 nautical miles off the coast of Cyprus—in international waters—and detained around 175 international activists. One prominent detainee was Dr. Margaret Connolly, a general practitioner from Sligo and the sister of newly elected Irish President Catherine Connolly. Dr. Connolly had recorded a message in advance saying she felt “utterly compelled—as a mother, a doctor, and as a human being—to help.”

  • Palestinians rally at Gaza Port in solidarity with intercepted flotilla: Dozens of Palestinians gathered Monday at Gaza’s port—targeted and destroyed by Israel during its attacks on Gaza—to express solidarity with the roughly 175 activists detained from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which carried 100 doctors and medical supplies for Gaza’s collapsed health system. Ten of the flotilla’s boats are still headed towards Gaza, and are just 121 nautical miles away from its shores, according to organizers.

• Israeli forces raid and detain Palestinians in Al-Far’a refugee camp as settlers torch West Bank farmland: Israeli forces carried out an overnight raid on the Al-Far’a refugee camp south of Tubas in the northern occupied West Bank, detaining several Palestinians during the operation, local media reported Monday. Palestinian media and activists also reported multiple settler arson attacks across the occupied West Bank late Monday, with fires burning near the village of Al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah and in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron. WAFA reported that Israeli forces prevented Palestinian residents from reaching burning agricultural land near Al-Mughayyir, with soldiers firing live ammunition toward those attempting to extinguish the flames, while settlers reportedly blocked ambulances and fire trucks from accessing the area.

  • Israeli settler filmed attacking cats in West Bank village: Palestinian media circulated footage Monday showing an Israeli settler throwing a concrete block at two cats in the central occupied West Bank village of Atara, three days after another settler was filmed repeatedly striking a guard dog with a club-like object in a nearby Palestinian village. Israeli police reportedly opened an investigation into the earlier attack, though no arrests have been announced.

• Smotrich says ICC seeks arrest warrant for him: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court in The Hague is seeking an arrest warrant against him. Smotrich said he had been told that the court “submitted a secret request for an international arrest warrant against me” and described the move as “a declaration of war.” He did not say what charges the arrest warrant was based on. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the ICC prosecutor was seeking an arrest warrant against Smotrich for his role in expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Immediately after the press conference, Smotrich ordered the demolition of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar east of Jerusalem. In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

• Hamas denounces Trump Board document accusing it of blocking Gaza plan: A document submitted by Gaza’s “Board of Peace” to the UN Security Council acknowledged major setbacks in implementing Trump’s plan for Gaza, according to sources cited by Al Araby TV on Tuesday. The document identified several obstacles, focusing mainly on Hamas’s weapons, the national committee planned to govern Gaza, and the lack of aid and funding. In response, Hamas said the Board’s document contains “misleading claims” that absolve Israel of responsibility for its daily violations of the agreement and obstruction of its implementation. The group said allegations that Hamas is blocking Gaza’s reconstruction are “false,” arguing that Israeli restrictions on the entry of shelter and infrastructure materials are preventing recovery efforts. Hamas also denied refusing to relinquish control of Gaza, stating that it has “repeatedly affirmed its readiness” to hand over administration to a national committee, while Israel has prevented its entry into Gaza. The movement further criticized the report’s emphasis on disarmament, despite Israel’s continued derailment of phase one, calling it a “suspicious attempt” to “adopt the occupation’s conditions.”

• UN rights chief urges Israel to prevent “acts of genocide” in Gaza, warns of ethnic cleansing: A new report from the UN Human Rights Office concludes that Israel has committed serious violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes and atrocities in Gaza, with High Commissioner Volker Türk calling on Israel to prevent acts of genocide, allow displaced Palestinians to return, and end its unlawful presence in Palestinian territory. The report warned of ethnic cleansing across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Three killed in attack on San Diego mosque: Three people were killed Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the city’s Clairemont neighborhood when two suspects, believed to be 17 and 19 years old, opened fire at the complex, which houses both a mosque and a school; both suspects were later found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said authorities are treating the attack as a hate crime, noted that a security guard who was among those killed played a “pivotal role” in preventing greater casualties. He also said the mother of one suspect had contacted police two hours before the shooting to report her son was suicidal and had gone missing with weapons and her car. The security guard who was killed was reportedly a father of eight.

• Kentucky and Georgia hold primary elections today; Pete Hegseth campaigns against Trump critic Rep. Thomas Massie: War Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to campaign against seven-term Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Hegseth appeared at a rally for Massie’s primary challenger Ed Gallrein, attacking Massie as an obstructionist who undermines fellow Republicans. His appearance has been described as an unprecedented breach of Pentagon tradition, though Hegseth has said he was campaigning for Gallrein in a “personal capacity.” Massie has voted against Trump’s tax legislation, opposed his war on Iran, and helped lead efforts to release the Epstein files. The primary is the most expensive primary race ever, thanks to billionaires John Paulson, Paul Singer, and Miriam Adelson.

• Philadelphia Democrats send unlabeled attack texts targeting progressive congressional candidate: Ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee sent anonymous attack texts to voters in the 3rd Congressional District race without the federally required disclosure of who paid for them, according to a new report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. The ads were sent in coordination with state Sen. Sharif Street’s campaign after Street won the party’s official endorsement, a Street campaign spokesperson confirmed Monday. The texts targeted state Rep. Chris Rabb, a progressive front-runner, over a since-deleted social media post claiming the Bondi Beach antisemitic attack was a “false flag” orchestrated by “Zionists” and over his association with commentator Hasan Piker. Rabb faces a competitive three-way race against Street and physician Ala Stanford.

• Nancy Pelosi endorses San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan in race to fill her seat in Congress: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Connie Chan in the race to succeed her in California’s 11th Congressional District, where voters will head to the polls in two weeks to select the top two candidates for the November general election. Chan, 47, faces a competitive field that includes state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, a Justice Democrats co-founder and the former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

• MTA reaches tentative deal to end Long Island Rail Road strike: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a tentative agreement Monday with five unions representing roughly 3,500 workers to end a strike on the nation’s largest commuter rail line. The deal resolves the central dispute over 2026 wages—unions had sought a 5% increase against the MTA’s offer of 3%—though final terms have not been released. Phased service is set to resume at noon on Tuesday.

• Minnesota charges ICE agent with felony assault: Hennepin County prosecutors on Monday charged ICE agent Christian J. Castro, 52, with four counts of second-degree felony assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of Julio C. Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant shot in the leg during Operation Metro Surge. Castro is the second ICE agent charged by Hennepin County this year, and County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is investigating more than 30 additional incidents of possible criminal misconduct by federal agents, including the killings of two U.S. citizens—Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

• More than 100,000 U.S. citizen children may have had a parent detained under Trump, Brookings finds: More than 100,000 American citizen children have had a parent detained since President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign began, a Brookings Institution report estimates. The actual figure is nearly impossible to verify because the administration does not track family separations. A separate ProPublica analysis using government data obtained through litigation found at least 11,000 American children had a parent detained in just the first seven months of Trump’s second term, and that the administration is deporting mothers of American children at roughly four times the daily rate of the Biden administration.

• Trump admin proposes raising refugee ceiling for white South Africans: The Trump administration is proposing to raise the refugee admissions ceiling specifically for white South Africans to 17,500 for fiscal year 2026, CNN reports—a dramatic expansion of Afrikaner resettlement that comes after the administration cut overall annual refugee admissions from 125,000 to 7,500. Trump has repeatedly claimed white South Africans face a genocide, a characterization that is unsupported by evidence.

• Greenland tells U.S. envoy the island is “not for sale”: Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told U.S. special envoy Jeff Landry that “the Greenlandic people are not for sale” and that self-determination “is not something that can be negotiated,” following talks Monday in Nuuk. Trump has threatened to take control of Greenland, potentially by military force, citing its importance to U.S. security and particularly to his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

• Trump admin pays Palantir millions to track office attendance of federal employees: The Trump administration has contracted Palantir to build employee surveillance systems across multiple federal agencies, starting with a no-bid contract worth up to $13.3 million at the Department of Agriculture to track workers’ return-to-office compliance, according to a new report from The American Prospect. The Department of Veterans Affairs and Social Security Administration are also reportedly pursuing similar programs. Whitney Curry Marsh’s full report for TAP is available here.

• Pentagon inspector general opens investigation into Southern Command’s lethal strikes in Caribbean: The War Department’s inspector general launched an investigation into U.S. Southern Command’s targeting of small boats in Operation Southern Spear, the Pentagon’s campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific that has destroyed 59 vessels and killed 193 people since last fall, according to a May 11 letter reported by NBC. The probe will examine the basis for each strike, with particular attention to their legality.

Other International News

• Russia strikes Chinese-owned cargo ship in Black Sea: Russian drones struck two civilian vessels in the Black Sea approaching Ukrainian ports Monday, including the KSL Deyang, a Chinese-owned cargo ship with an all-Chinese crew sailing under a Marshall Islands flag toward Odesa. President Vladimir Putin is set to meet President Xi Jinping this week.

  • Putin praises Russia-Chinese partnership before departing for summit: Putin’s two-day visit is scheduled to begin Tuesday evening. Ahead of the visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the bilateral relationship between Russia and China as having reached an “unprecedented level” and described their partnership as a stabilizing force in global affairs. Trade between the countries more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, reaching $245 billion.

  • Belarus and Russia begin joint nuclear weapons drills: Belarusian military units began joint training exercises with Russia on nuclear weapons combat on Monday. The Belarusian Ministry of Defence described the drills as a “planned event” not directed at any specific third party in a statement on Monday. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the exercises as turning Belarus into a “nuclear staging ground near NATO borders.”

  • Russia strikes Ukraine’s Danube grain hub: Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Izmail—Ukraine’s largest Danube River port and a key grain-export hub—in an attack overnight. A separate Russian drone attack on Kharkiv left at least two people rescued from rubble and one potentially still trapped. Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, killed one and wounded two others on Monday evening, according to the region’s Military Telegram channel.

• Sudanese army chief quietly pursuing backchannel deal with UAE through Bahrain: Sudanese Armed Forces commander Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made an unannounced visit to Bahrain’s Sakhir Air Base on May 13 as part of a quiet effort to use Manama as a proxy channel to Abu Dhabi, according to reporting from the Ayin Network. Khartoum has severed civil aviation ties and downgraded diplomatic relations with the UAE over its weapons transfers to the Rapid Support Forces. To entice the UAE—the RSF’s chief external backer—Sudanese officials have signaled openness to reviving a proposed 40% Emirati stake in the Al-Fashqa agricultural zone and a multibillion-dollar port deal on the Red Sea.

  • RSF commander who executed civilians released and returned to battlefield: A Reuters investigation, citing 13 sources including RSF commanders, intelligence officials, and figures close to RSF leadership, found that Rapid Support Forces commander al-Fateh Abdullah Idris—known as Abu Lulu—has returned to active duty months after he was imprisoned for allegedly shooting at least 15 unarmed captives during the siege on al-Fashir in October. The RSF denies he was released.

  • Sudanese army breaks siege of Dilling for third time: The Sudanese Armed Forces broke the siege of Dilling—South Kordofan’s second-largest city—for the third time Monday, opening a route from North Kordofan that allowed military reinforcements and civilian food convoys to enter the city. The Sudanese army also said Monday it had retaken Kern Kern and Doukan in the southeastern Blue Nile region following heavy fighting, according to the Sudan Tribune.

• Mali army drones kill at least 10 civilians at wedding procession: Mali’s military drones killed at least 10 civilians Sunday in the central part of the country. The victims were reportedly preparing for a traditional collective wedding; a security source told Agence France-Presse that the army likely targeted the group because it was suspicious of a procession of motorbikes. The killings mark another escalation in the country’s deepening security crisis, which escalated after the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front launched a coordinated nationwide offensive late last month that killed Mali’s defence minister, captured towns in the country’s north, and led to a blockade of and clashes in the country’s capital, Bamako.

• Gunmen abduct 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers in Nigeria; one teacher killed: Gunmen abducted at least 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers from multiple schools in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state on Friday, according to reporting from Reuters on Monday. One abducted teacher was killed, according to the state’s governor, who also said that six suspects had already been arrested. A rescue attempt by Nigerian security forces and local “vigilantes” was disrupted by an improvised explosive device, which wounded several of the rescuers.

  • U.S. and Nigeria claim airstrikes killed 20-plus ISWAP militants: After reportedly killing the Islamic State’s second leading official in operations in the Lake Chad region over the weekend, the U.S. Africa Command and Nigerian military carried out additional airstrikes Sunday against Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in Nigeria’s Borno state, killing more than 20 militants, according to an estimate by the Nigerian military.

• Cuba warns of “bloodbath” if attacked: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that a U.S. military attack would “trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences” and asserted Cuba’s right to self-defense. His remarks follow an Axios report over the weekend, citing American intelligence, that Havana had obtained more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and was considering strikes on the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay, American naval vessels, and possibly Florida.

  • On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Cuba’s main intelligence agency and nine Cuban nationals, including the country’s communications, energy, and justice ministers, as well as senior Communist Party officials and at least three generals. Cuba’s UN ambassador told the AFP: “In the 60s, they (the US) tried to invade Cuba, and they were defeated. Of course, everybody can say this is a different situation. Yes, it is. But the will of the people of Cuba has not changed.”

• Croatia’s president refuses to approve Israeli ambassador over Gaza: Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Monday rejected Israel’s proposed new ambassador to Zagreb, Nissan Amdur, citing “the policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities.” Israel said it would send Amdur as a chargé d’affaires instead, a posting that does not require presidential consent. Milanović has been a vocal critic of Israel, barring Croatian armed forces from cooperating with the Israeli military in February, on account of Israel’s “unacceptable actions and unprecedented trampling” of international humanitarian law.

• Africa suffers from fuel and food crises brought upon it by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran: The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that began February 28 has triggered a continent-wide fuel, fertilizer, and inflation crisis across Africa, where disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil prices surging and supply chains into freefall. Madagascar has declared a national energy emergency, Somalia’s fishing fleets are docked for lack of diesel, and schools in Soweto are closed because buses cannot afford fuel. Even countries like Nigeria and South Sudan, which are themselves oil producers, have suffered from lack of refining capacity. Read the latest dispatch from Africa from Drop Site contributor Godfrey Olukya here.

  • Four killed, 348 arrested in Kenya fuel protests: At least four people were killed, and more than 30 were injured in nationwide fuel protests on Monday in Kenya. An additional 348 Kenyans were arrested during the protests, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. The demonstrations are focused on fuel prices in the country, which have risen more than 23.5% in the past week alone, following a 24.2% increase the previous month.

• UNHCR warns that lack of funding will force further job cuts: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih warned member states that the agency has just over $3 billion for the year 2026, Reuters reports. That is roughly 15% below the 2025 total, which was itself a 30% drop from 2024. These cuts, Salih warned, leave the agency with “no choice” but to lay off more of its staff, even though the number of people displaced by war and persecution continues to rise globally.

• Mexico freezes bank accounts of officials charged by U.S. with Sinaloa Cartel ties: Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit has frozen the bank accounts of Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha and nine other current and former officials indicted by U.S. prosecutors on April 29 for allegedly aiding the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for political support and bribes. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum characterized the action as an “automatic” and “preventive” measure triggered by the U.S. arrest warrants rather than a signal of a domestic investigation into the case. Senior U.S. cabinet officials, including drug czar Sara Carter and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, plan to visit Mexico in the coming days.

• Kurds turn over Kobani administration to Syrian government: Syria’s national government assumed control of the administration of Kobani in the country’s north on Sunday, with a new district director allowed for the first time to carry out administrative duties in the city. The takeover follows talks between the Syrian Democratic Forces commander and the new director in Hasakah. A January 29 ceasefire agreement between Damascus and the SDF promised the gradual integration of military forces and administrative bodies into state institutions, as well as the deployment of Syrian security forces into Hasakah, Qamishli, and Kobani.

• Congolese health ministry reports 131 deaths from and 513 suspected cases of Ebola: The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national health minister reported Tuesday that at least 131 people have died from the recent outbreak of Ebola, and that there are 513 suspected cases. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday he is “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic” as the agency convened its emergency committee to issue recommendations. The U.S. imposed an entry ban on foreigners who have traveled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past three weeks. The order is in effect for 30 days.

• Gunmen kill two police officers guarding polio teams in Pakistan: Gunmen killed two police officers assigned to protect polio vaccination teams in two separate attacks Monday in northwest Pakistan. The country has launched a nationwide campaign to vaccinate 19 million children against the disease. More than 200 polio workers and their police escorts have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s by militants who claim vaccination drives are a Western sterilization conspiracy. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio has not been eradicated. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

• Talks begin over Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine in EU bid: Expert level talks between Ukraine and Hungary over the rights of minorities in Ukraine have begun in a bid to restart Ukraine’s membership accession to the European Union. The issue of Hungarian rights in Ukraine has been a longstanding obstacle to Kyiv’s EU membership bid, highlighted under former Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán’s leadership. Ukraine is pursuing an accession agreement by 2027, though other states have proposed an “associate membership” status to defuse Russian hostility and prevent further escalation of the conflict, which Kyiv rejects.

More from Drop Site

• Drop Site’s Julian Andreone asks Congress about Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund”: Trump dropped a $10 billion IRS lawsuit in exchange for the Justice Department establishing a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Drop Site’s Julian Andreone spoke to members of Congress on Monday about the arrangement, which has been criticized as a taxpayer-backed slush fund benefiting Trump’s political allies and January 6 defendants. Watch Julian question lawmakers here.

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Iran delivers latest proposal to end the war. New official body to manage Hormuz announced by Iran. Trump warns “clock is ticking.” Drone strikes electrical generator in UAE. Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones from Iraq. Three sanctioned tankers breach U.S. Navy blockade. Israel kills at least 37 in Lebanon after “ceasefire” extension. Israeli strike kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and his teenage daughter in Lebanon. At least 105 Israeli soldiers wounded in Lebanon in one week as Netanyahu acknowledges unresolved Hezbollah drone threat. Over 19 Palestinians killed, 76 wounded in Israeli weekend strikes on Gaza. Israel kills Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad and his family in Gaza City strike. Israeli forces intercept Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. Israel approves conversion of former UNRWA East Jerusalem headquarters into military compound. Trump investment portfolio increases its frequency of trades, FT finds. Long Island Rail Road strike shuts down commuter rail in NYC metro. AIPAC and pro-Israel groups pour $16 million into primary to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky. Venezuela deports Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States. Ten new suspected Epstein victims come forward in French trafficking investigation. WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern.”

FROM DROP SITE:

• From mutual suspicion to political embrace: How the U.S. learned to stop worrying and love Pakistan.

• U.S. Agencies Will Operate From Surveillance Tower in Chihuahua, Despite Recent Unauthorized CIA Presence in the Mexican State

• UAE paid $6 million to suppress Ryan Grim’s reporting on ambassador, New York Times reports.

• Murtaza Hussain and Sarmad Jawad discuss Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drone warfare strategy.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran delivers latest proposal to end the war: The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed in a news conference that Tehran had responded to the U.S.’s latest proposal. Baghaei added that indirect talks are ongoing with the U.S. through Pakistan as the mediator and that Iranian and Omani technical teams met in Oman to negotiate a mechanism for ensuring safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Tasnim news agency, the Iranian response comprises 14 points focused on the talks and confidence-building measures on the part of Washington.

  • Pakistani interior minister arrives in Tehran to revive stalled U.S.-Iran peace talks: Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and senior officials in an effort to restart stalled peace negotiations. In the meeting on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly told Naqvi that “recent events have shown” U.S. presence in the region ‘not only fails to provide security — it actively creates the conditions for insecurity.”

• Iran announces new official body to manage Hormuz: Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PSGA). A new PSGA social media account said it would provide “real‑time updates on the Hormuz Strait operations and latest developments.” In a subsequent post, PSGA said, “Navigation within the introduced boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz, which were previously determined by the Armed Forces and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is contingent upon full coordination with these entities, and passage without permission will be considered illegal.”

• Trump warns “clock is ticking”: President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post on Sunday that, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

  • Trump admin to discuss military options: He is expected to convene his national security team in the Situation Room Tuesday to discuss military options following a Saturday strategy session with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to Axios.

  • Trump speaks with Netanyahu: Trump also spoke Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for more than 30 minutes about the possibility of renewed fighting with Iran, according to the Israeli broadcaster Kan.

  • Iran’s response: Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, responded on state television, saying “Our armed forces’ fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing.”

• Drone strikes electrical generator in UAE: A drone strike sparked a fire at an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense. Three drones entered the country from the western border, but two were intercepted by UAE defenses. The source of the attack is under investigation, the Ministry said.

• Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones from Iraq: Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry announced Sunday that three drones entering the kingdom’s airspace from Iraq were intercepted and destroyed, with spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki warning that Riyadh “reserves the right to respond.”

• Three sanctioned tankers breach U.S. Navy blockade: Three empty tankers capable of carrying a combined 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil slipped through the U.S. Navy blockade in recent days, according to Tanker Trackers. One briefly disabled its AIS tracking, one flew a Russian flag, and a third hugged the Omani coastline to evade detection, the maritime intelligence group claimed on Sunday.

• FT: Trump’s $40 billion Hormuz shipping insurance program has paid out nothing two months after launch: The U.S. government’s $40 billion maritime insurance program for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz—announced by President Donald Trump in March and run through the Development Finance Corporation with insurers Chubb and AIG—has not provided a single dollar of coverage in its two months of existence, according to a report by the Financial Times. The program is conditioned on a U.S. naval escort that has never been established, with only two ships escorted through the strait during the short-lived Project Freedom effort in early May.

• Iran announces 6,500 arrests for alleged espionage since start of war: Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan announced Sunday that more than 6,500 people accused of being “traitors and spies” have been arrested since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Lebanon

• Israel kills at least 37 in Lebanon after “ceasefire” extension: Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 37 and wounded 222 on Saturday and Sunday, following the 45-day extension of the ceasefire agreed upon on Friday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. At least 2,988 people have been killed, and 9,210 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Ministry.

• Israeli strike kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and his teenage daughter in Lebanon: An Israeli guided missile struck an apartment south of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon shortly after midnight on Monday, killing Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Wael Abdul Hali and his 17-year-old daughter Rima, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The strike hit deep in the eastern Beqaa Valley, well beyond the southern border zone where Israeli attacks have been concentrated in recent months.

• Israeli strikes kill at least eight on Sunday: Israeli airstrikes struck multiple towns across southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least three people in Jouaiya near Tyre and bringing the day’s reported death toll to at least eight, with Lebanon’s National News Agency also reporting attacks on Kfarsir, Qusaybah, Tibnin, and Froun in the Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil districts, according to Lebanese state media.

• Israeli strikes kill four paramedics in southern Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon’s Sour district Saturday killed three Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee paramedics—Ali Al-Faour, Hadi Kamal, and Moussa Miqdad—in a strike on a site in Dbaal reportedly targeting the home of the organization’s local sector deputy chief, according to L’Orient Today, which also reported that Hilal Mazeh, a rescuer with the Amal Movement-linked Al-Rissala Scouts Association, and his mother Samira Mazeh were killed in a separate strike in Tayr Filsey. Additional strikes were reported in Tayr Debba and other areas of southern Lebanon.

• Israel and Lebanon agree on “peace” framework: The U.S. State Department announced Friday that two days of Washington talks between Israel and the Lebanese government produced a negotiating framework aimed at “lasting peace,” mutual recognition of sovereignty, and shared border security arrangements, with a political track set to reconvene June 2–3 and a Pentagon-hosted military security session scheduled for May 29. The parties agreed to extend the April 16 cessation of hostilities by 45 days, though Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 694 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since that truce began—with the Israeli air force acknowledging it has struck more than 1,100 sites in Lebanon over that period—none of which was addressed in the State Department’s statement.

• Hezbollah drone kills Israeli officer and contractor in southern Lebanon: A Golani Brigade platoon commander and a civilian contractor were killed Friday by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon—the seventh IDF soldier and second contractor killed there since the ceasefire began, and the 20th soldier killed since hostilities escalated amid the Iran war.

• 105 Israeli soldiers wounded in Lebanon in one week as Netanyahu acknowledges unresolved Hezbollah drone threat: The Israeli military reported 105 soldiers wounded in Lebanon over the past week, according to AJ Arabic, with a roadside bomb wounding four more overnight Sunday—one seriously and another moderately—in southern Lebanon. At a Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the drone threat remains unresolved despite claiming he warned of it six years ago, saying he had convened three meetings in two weeks with “the best minds in the country” and set “no budget limit” on a solution, as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett renewed his criticism that the government’s failures had turned troops into “sitting ducks.”

  • Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain discusses the low-cost, fiber-optic drone strategy with Sarmad Jawad here:

• Hezbollah claims 339 operations against Israeli forces during ceasefire period, averaging 11 per day, with 250 Israeli casualties: Hezbollah’s military media released a monthly summary Sunday claiming its fighters carried out 339 operations against Israeli forces between April 17 and May 16—averaging 11 per day and peaking at 30 in a single day—with 318 conducted inside Lebanese territory to repel Israeli incursions and 21 targeting sites inside northern Israel, the deepest reaching 15 kilometers. The group claims the operations, which deployed FPV loitering gliders 140 times alongside rockets, drones, artillery, and guided missiles, resulted in more than 250 Israeli soldiers killed or wounded and the destruction or damage of 48 tanks, 30 bulldozers, 18 armored personnel carriers, and one Iron Dome platform.

Palestine

• Israel kills 19 Palestinians, wounds 76 in Gaza in weekend strikes: At least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza during the weekend, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Six Palestinians were killed on Sunday—two in new attacks and four recovered from under the rubble after earlier attacks—and over 19 Palestinians were wounded in attacks throughout Gaza. On Saturday, the Ministry reported that 13 Palestinians were killed and 57 wounded in the past 48 hours due to ongoing Israeli attacks.

• Casualty count in Gaza: Over the last 24 hours, six Palestinians were killed and 40 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,769 killed, with 172,704 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 877 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,602, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli strikes on Sunday: Israeli drone strikes Sunday killed Ahmed Abu Asad, Abdul Rahman Muheisen, and Ibrahim Rayyan near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. An Israeli drone killed Abdullah Abu Mustafa in a separate strike near the Rafah garage in Khan Younis, with additional shelling reported across eastern Khan Younis, Al-Bureij camp, and northeast Gaza City, according to Palestine Online. A subsequent evening strike near the Palestinian Broadcasting and Television Authority building in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood wounded nine more, according to WAFA.

• Israeli strikes and gunfire kill three Palestinians on Saturday: Israeli aircraft struck a civilian vehicle in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood Saturday evening, killing Baha Baroud and Abdul Karim Nassar, while a separate airstrike near the Abu Hussein school in Jabalia camp killed Mahmoud Abu Sisi, according to Palestinian Online.

• Israel kills Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad and his family in Gaza City strike: Israel killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades and the group’s most senior figure in Gaza, in a Friday evening strike on a residential building and vehicle in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. The strike also killed his wife and daughter and at least four others—including three children—and wounded more than 50 people, 20 of them children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Al-Haddad, known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” for his operational secrecy, assumed the top Gaza military command after Israel killed his predecessor Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025; he had survived at least six previous assassination attempts.

• Gaza man digs through rubble by hand to recover 21 family members killed in 2023 Israeli strike after six months of ceasefire bring no excavation equipment: Mahmoud Khilla, who lost 39 relatives—including 24 children—when Israeli missiles demolished his family’s five-story home in Jabaliya on December 21, 2023, has begun digging through the rubble himself with hammers and shovels after six months of ceasefire failed to bring excavators or equipment into Gaza to retrieve the dead. Eighteen bodies were recovered immediately after the strike, but 21—including Khilla’s wife, children, father, brother, sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews—remain buried, among an estimated 8,500 to 10,000 bodies still entombed beneath the ruins of Gaza, according to a Drop Site News report by Mohammed Ahmed. [Video]

• Israeli forces intercept Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters: Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla off the coast of Cyprus. Organizers with the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement on Monday that 52 civilian boats carrying 461 volunteers from 45 countries have been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. Israeli media reported that Israel’s navy will transfer the arrested activists to the Israeli port of Ashdod. More than 50 ships set sail from the Turkish port city of Marmaris on Thursday as part of the flotilla in a third attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Turkey condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, calling the action a “new act of piracy.”

• MoH: MRIs no longer available in Gaza: Gaza’s health system is facing a severe collapse in medical imaging services, with 76% of diagnostic equipment destroyed in Israeli attacks and most of the remaining machines operating under extreme strain, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Health authorities say MRI services are no longer available following the destruction of all nine scanners in the Strip, while only five of 18 CT scanners remain functional, far below daily demand. Standard X-ray capacity has also been heavily reduced, with just 33 of 88 machines still in use, many of them frequently breaking down. Israel severely restricts the entry of medicine and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip.

• Israel strikes soup kitchen in “serious escalation,” halting aid distribution across central Gaza: Gaza aid coordinator Eyad Amawi warned Sunday of a “serious escalation” after Israeli airstrikes throughout the day killed at least seven Palestinians across Gaza—including a strike on a charitable soup kitchen in Deir al-Balah—while aid organizations have halted meal distribution east of Salah al-Din Road, forcing thousands of displaced families sheltering near Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi camps further west into already overcrowded conditions. “The situation has reached a point where it can’t honestly be described as a ceasefire at all,” Amawi told Drop Site News, calling it “the continuation of the war through different methods, alongside the ongoing siege and pressure on civilians.”

• Israel approves conversion of former UNRWA East Jerusalem headquarters into military compound: Israel’s cabinet approved plans Sunday to convert the former UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem into a military compound housing an army museum, Israeli Defense Forces recruitment offices, and Defense Ministry facilities.The approval drew condemnation from Hamas, which called the seizure of the site a violation of international law and UN protections and urged the international community to impose “deterrent sanctions” on Netanyahu’s government.

• Palestinian governorate warns of Israeli plan to seize up to 20 historic properties near Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem: Israeli authorities are preparing to approve a plan to confiscate 15 to 20 Palestinian-owned properties in the Bab el-Silsileh neighborhood—one of the main gateways to Al-Aqsa Mosque—including buildings and Islamic endowments dating to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras, according to Jerusalem’s Palestinian governorate. The move would forcibly displace residents and businesses in what the governorate described as “a dangerous colonial escalation targeting the heart of the Old City.”

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump investment portfolio increases its frequency of trades, FT finds: A Financial Times analysis of federal disclosures found that President Donald Trump’s investment portfolio executed more than 3,700 transactions in the first quarter of 2026—averaging a new trade roughly every 9 minutes and 45 seconds during trading hours since January 2025—with the cumulative value of transactions ranging between $220 million and $750 million. Trump’s filings missed the standard 45-day federal disclosure deadline, incurring late-reporting fees, while the Trump Organization and White House deny any conflict of interest, saying the assets are held in a trust managed by Trump’s children and traded through automated discretionary accounts overseen by independent third-party financial firms.

• Long Island Rail Road strike shuts down commuter rail in NYC metro: Five unions representing more than 3,500 Long Island Rail Road workers walked off the job shortly after midnight Saturday after years of wage negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority collapsed, shutting down the rail line’s entire service. The LIRR carries an average of 270,000 passengers daily between Long Island and New York City, making it the busiest passenger rail service in the United States; the state comptroller estimates that the strike is costing the region $61 million a day. Bargaining is set to resume Monday after talks ran past 1 a.m. on Sunday without resolution.

• China confirms preliminary tariff reduction agreement with U.S.: Beijing and Washington reached a preliminary agreement to establish trade and investment councils and reduce tariffs on specific products “on an equivalent scale,” China’s commerce ministry said. The countries confirmed arrangements for China to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft and General Electric engines, and agreed to work toward resolving non-tariff barriers on agricultural products. These claims contradict President Trump’s claim aboard Air Force One on Friday that “we didn’t discuss tariffs” during his state visit to Beijing. Xi Jinping is expected to make a return state visit to the White House in September, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the two leaders may meet as many as four times this year.

• Kataib Hezbollah commander charged in Manhattan: Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old commander of the Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah, was charged Friday in federal court in Manhattan with planning at least 18 attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests in Europe and Canada since late February and plotting to bomb a prominent Manhattan synagogue. The criminal complaint alleges that al-Saadi, who was detained in Turkey and turned over to U.S. authorities, paid $3,000 in cryptocurrency to an undercover FBI officer posing as a Mexican cartel member to carry out the attack on the synagogue in April before the plan was aborted.

• AIPAC and pro-Israel groups pour $16 million into primary to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky: AIPAC’s super PAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund have combined to spend more than $16 million to defeat Rep. Thomas Massie in Tuesday’s Kentucky Republican primary—part of more than $32 million in total ad spending that makes it the most expensive House primary on record. Massie, a libertarian-leaning spending hawk who has opposed military aid to Israel and declined to support symbolic pro-Israel resolutions, has responded by introducing a bill to require AIPAC to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

  • Massie’s opponent is former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who also received President Donald Trump’s endorsement and the support of a Trump-connected super PAC that has spent nearly $7 million on the race.

  • Polls show a competitive race with Gallrein leading by 8 points in one survey and Massie ahead by 1 point in another poll released on Friday.

• Republicans oust Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana primary: Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed Saturday to advance past the primary, finishing behind Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming, who will face each other in a June 27 runoff. Cassidy’s loss follows years of Republican backlash over his vote to convict President Donald Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial, with Trump calling Cassidy “a disloyal disaster” on the day of the vote and celebrating his defeat online.

• California congressional race tests new FEC loophole allowing open campaign-super PAC coordination: State Sen. Scott Wiener, the leading fundraiser in the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District, has raised more than $3.5 million in individual donations. A supporting super PAC, Families for an Affordable SF, has poured more than $260,000 into his campaign. The two entities sharing at least four paid staffers who coordinate on canvassing strategy, an arrangement that was illegal before a 2024 Federal Election Commission rule change determined that canvassing does not constitute a “public communication” subject to coordination restrictions. The Campaign Legal Center filed a lawsuit last week challenging the FEC advisory opinion as a “legally indefensible loophole.” The San Francisco Gazeteer has more on this race and this rule change, here.

• ICE proposes 387% fee hike for deportation stay applications: ICE published a proposed rule on May 7 to raise the filing fee for Form I-246—the application used to request a discretionary stay of deportation—from $155 to $755, the first adjustment to that fee since 1989, according to reporting from Migrant Insider. The agency acknowledged it cannot model how many people under final removal orders—including the seriously ill, parents of U.S. citizen children, and those with no safe country to return to—will simply stop filing because they cannot afford the fee. The public comment window for the increase closes July 6.

• Toddler beaten to death in Florida after ICE deported his mother: Orlin Hernandez Reyes, a 3-year-old U.S. citizen, was beaten to death in Pensacola, Florida by his uncle Samuel Maldonado Erazo—who had been left to care for him after ICE arrested his mother Wendy Hernandez at a traffic stop in Alabama and deported her to Honduras on January 26 without the child. An autopsy of Hernandez Reyes found multiple broken bones, signs of sexual battery, and burns; the coroner ruled the cause of death to be multiple blunt force traumas. A Washington Post investigation of this case is available in full here.

Other International News

• How the U.S. learned to stop worrying and love Pakistan: A Drop Site News investigation documents how Field Marshal Asim Munir cultivated his standing as President Donald Trump’s self-described “favorite field marshal” by delivering to Washington what former Prime Minister Imran Khan had refused: drone basing rights, weapons to Ukraine, and a slowdown of Chinese infrastructure investment under CPEC. The investigation features the previously unpublished “cypher,” a diplomatic cable at the center of Imran Khan’s claim that the United States orchestrated his removal from power.” The full examination, from Drop Site’s Waqas Ahmed, Ryan Grim, and Murtaza Hussain is available here.

• Venezuela deports Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States: Venezuela’s immigration authority deported former industry minister Alex Saab—a close ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro—to the United States on Saturday, classifying him as a Colombian national to circumvent Venezuela’s constitutional prohibition on extraditing its own citizens. Saab was captured in Cape Verde in a controversial U.S.-led operation over money laundering allegations but was released from custody in a December 2023 prisoner exchange that followed an international solidarity campaign. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez fired and stripped him of all posts following Maduro’s ouster and capture by U.S. forces in January.

• Israeli forces conduct new incursion into southern Syria’s Daraa countryside: An Israeli force of three tanks and two military vehicles advanced into the Wadi al-Raqad border area of western Daraa countryside on Sunday, conducting sweeping operations near the villages of Maariyah, Abidin, and Jamlah—where a journalist came under fire from Israeli vehicles—before withdrawing through the occupied territories, according to Syrian state media. Additional Israeli tanks reportedly entered the neighboring Quneitra governorate on Saturday. The UN’s deputy Syria envoy, addressing the Security Council on Friday, called Israeli operations a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

• Houthis shoot down U.S. Reaper drone: The Houthis in Yemen took responsibility for the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country’s Marib province on Sunday, local media reported. Separately, a Yemeni civilian was killed when an explosive remnant detonated in the Al-Durayhimi district of Hodeidah Governorate, according to Saba News Agency, an explosion it attributed to remnants of what it described as the “U.S.-Saudi aggression.”

• Cuba accuses U.S. of fabricating “fraudulent case” for intervention: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused Washington on Sunday of manufacturing a pretext for military intervention after Axios reported, citing classified intelligence, that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and discussed plans to use them against the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and Key West, Florida. Rodríguez added that Cuba “prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense.”

• Sudanese army recaptures Khor Hassan: Sudan’s army announced Friday it had seized the town of Khor Hassan in Blue Nile state from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North fighters, inflicting heavy personnel and equipment losses. The seizure is part of the army’s broader campaign to retake Kurmuk—a garrison town near the Ethiopian border that serves as a vital RSF resupply corridor and provides access to the Al-Roseires Dam.

• Joint U.S.-Nigerian mission kills IS leader, officials say: A joint force of roughly two dozen American and Nigerian Special Operations commandos—including members of Navy SEAL Team—killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s second-highest-ranking leader globally, President Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on Friday evening. Al-Minuki was reportedly killed after the special forces contingent attacked his island base in Lake Chad, though a U.S. airstrike killed him after he refused to surrender, according to three sources speaking to the New York Times.

  • Militants kill 17 police officers at Nigerian army training school: Separately on Friday, suspected Islamist militants launched a coordinated multi-directional attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School at Buni Yadi in Yobe state, killing 17 police officers undergoing specialized training and an unspecified number of soldiers, according to national police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid.

  • Schoolchildren abducted in country’s northeast: At least 42 Nigerian schoolchildren were abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state on Friday. This is the first school kidnapping in Borno since Boko Haram abducted more than 270 girls from Chibok in 2014. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

• Ten new suspected Epstein victims come forward in French trafficking investigation: Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau revealed Sunday that roughly 10 previously unknown suspected victims have come forward in France’s human trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network, bringing the total number of suspected French victims who have identified themselves to approximately 20 since Beccuau publicly urged potential victims to speak up in February.

• Two campaign staffers killed in Colombia weeks before presidential election, candidate reports: Gunmen on motorbikes shot and killed two men working for the campaign of right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, according to de la Espriella’s office and the country’s citizens’ rights ombudsman. The former reported another attack on its campaign office without providing further details. A presidential election is scheduled for May 31. Abelado de la Espriella, a lawyer, is the highest-profile right-wing candidate in the election and has compared himself to Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele. The race’s frontrunner, Senator Ivan Cepeda, has campaigned on continuing the work done by the country’s left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.

• Gunmen kill 10 in attack on central Mexican town: Gunmen killed 10 people—six men, three women, and a child—in an early morning attack in the town of Tehuitzingo in Mexico’s Puebla state on Sunday, federal officials reported, with no suspects immediately identified. The attack in Puebla follows another recent incident where families from rural communities in Guerrero were forced to abandon their homes after attacks linked to the Los Ardillos group.

• Two former Sinaloa state officials in U.S. custody: Former Sinaloa public security secretary Gerardo Merida Sanchez, arrested in Arizona on Monday, appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday on charges that he accepted bribes from sons of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in exchange for advance warning of raids on drug labs. Former state finance minister Enrique Diaz separately surrendered to U.S. authorities the same day. Both were charged in an April 29 indictment that also names sitting Governor Ruben Rocha, who stepped aside temporarily on May 2 but has not been detained.

• Philippine Senate to consider Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment: The Philippine Senate convened Monday as an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces charges of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth, and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker. Duterte, whose father now awaits trial at the ICC for crimes against humanity during his “war on drugs,” is thought to be a leading contender for the presidency of the country. The proceedings follow the re-emergence of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, also wanted by the ICC, who returned after six months in hiding to cast a decisive vote installing Duterte loyalist Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and presiding officer of the trial. Delarosa escaped arrest amid gunfire in the Senate on Friday.

• Massive Ukrainian drone barrage kills at least five in Russia: Ukraine launched what Russian officials described as one of the largest drone attacks of the war overnight, killing at least five people in the Moscow region and near the Ukrainian border. One Indian national was killed in Moscow, and three others were wounded. Drone debris also fell on the grounds of Sheremetyevo airport without causing damage; the strikes also reportedly hit an oil refinery and two oil-pumping stations in the Moscow region, according to Ukraine’s Security Service. The attacks on heavily defended urban areas in Moscow and critical infrastructure deep in the country are unprecedented and come after months of Ukrainian drone strikes aimed at degrading Russian air defenses across the country.

• Taiwan president calls U.S. arms sales “most important deterrent”: Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Sunday that U.S. arms sales are “the most important deterrent” of regional conflict and instability, pushing back after President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview that a pending $14 billion arms package to Taiwan “depends on China” and described the prospect of ending weapon sales’ to the island’s government as “a very good negotiating chip for us frankly” following Trump’s visit to Beijing.

• WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”: The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in eastern Africa a “public health emergency of international concern” on Sunday. 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the disease have been reported primarily in the DRC, though some laboratory-reported cases have reached neighboring Uganda. This outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment and a fatality rate of up to 50%.

• U.S. and eight Latin American nations back Bolivia’s President as protesters demand his ouster: Protests in Bolivia demanding President Rodrigo Paz’s resignation over the impact of the country’s economic crisis on workers continued over the weekend with road blockades that have sparked shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. The U.S. government responded Sunday by voicing full support for Paz, condemning “all actions aimed at destabilizing” his government and warning that the unrest has created a “humanitarian crisis.” Eight Latin American countries—Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru—also issued a joint statement Friday expressing “concern” over the humanitarian situation.

More from Drop Site

• USC sold donated bodies to U.S. Navy for use in Israeli military surgical training, investigation finds: An AJ+ investigation, conducted in collaboration with USC student journalists, found that the University of Southern California has been selling donated bodies to the U.S. Navy, where Israeli military surgeons use them for training at a Los Angeles facility, with the bodies sourced largely from UC San Diego donors who had no knowledge their remains could be used for that purpose. Drop Site’s Maysa Mustafa discusses this report with AJ+’s Dena Takuri here.

• UAE paid $6 million to suppress Ryan Grim’s reporting on ambassador, New York Times reports: The United Arab Emirates paid reputation management firm Terakeet more than $6 million between 2020 and 2022 to suppress reporting by Drop Site co-founder Ryan Grim, then at The Intercept, about Emirati Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba’s alleged ties to escorts and individuals linked to sex trafficking, according to the New York Times. The Times report says Terakeet responded by creating favorable profiles, editing Wikipedia through anonymous accounts, and flooding the internet with SEO-optimized content that pushed Grim’s 2017 investigation as far back as page five of Google search results by 2023. The Times’s full report, which discusses the use of reputation management firms by Epstein associates, is available here; Grim’s original report on al-Otaiba is available here.

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President Donald Trump says U.S. may need to do “cleanup work” in Iran, credits Pakistan for ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discusses U.S., China, Russia. Saudi Arabia floats non-aggression pact with Iran. U.S. has not investigated strikes on Iranian schools and hospitals, CENTCOM chief says. UAE accelerates new oil pipeline to bypass Hormuz. Israel kills six in Lebanon, orders five more Lebanese villages to evacuate. Hezbollah kills Israeli soldier. Lebanon and Israel open direct talks in Washington as analysts warn of impasse. Palestinians mark 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Far-right mobs rampage through Jerusalem’s Old City. Israeli forces kill 15-year-old Palestinian in West Bank. Four Gaza doctors held without charge in Israeli prison. Mahmoud Abbas re-elected Fatah leader at 90. Iran war powers resolution fails in the House, with absent lawmakers producing a tie vote. Trump to drop IRS lawsuit in exchange for $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded fund for political allies. U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Banks resigns after getting “the ship back on course.” Gov. Gavin Newsom appoints ousted CFPB chief Rohit Chopra to lead new California consumer protection agency. Corporations pay millions to shape state legislators’ education, the American Prospect reports. Federal judge orders Trump administration to return Colombian woman deported to Congo. Sudanese army escalates drone campaign against RSF-held city of Nyala. 40% of Sudan faces “acute hunger” with families “forced to eat leaves.” Trump DOJ to drop fraud charges against Indian billionaire after investment promise. Russia launches largest two-day aerial assault of the war, killing at least 27 across Ukraine. Health secretary quits UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet, says Starmer will not be the party’s future leader. Miners and rural workers clash with police in La Paz during general strike. Yemen’s factions to swap over 1,600 prisoners. Iraq’s Ali al-Zaidi sworn in as prime minister. Venezuela to restructure its $150 billion debt and bring the country “out of the shadows” of international finance. Syria pursues security agreement with Israel.

NEW from Drop Site

• Cuba conditionally open to U.S. offer of aid: Two sources with knowledge of the American offer, however, told Drop Site’s Ryan Grim that it rests on Cuba accepting shipments of millions of dollars worth of Starlink devices.

• “We will find them”: With no equipment allowed into Gaza, Palestinians are digging with their hands to retrieve the dead.

• U.S. tech and the Israeli military: Leaked documents show Cisco Systems’ deep relationship with Israeli security state.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Trump says U.S. may need to do “cleanup work” in Iran, credits Pakistan for ceasefire: Speaking to reporters on Air Force One following his trip to China, President Donald Trump said the U.S. may have to do “a little cleanup work” in Iran. “We’ve wiped out their armed forces essentially. We may have to do a little cleanup work because we had a little monthlong ceasefire, I guess you call it,” Trump said.

• Araghchi discusses U.S., China, Russia: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday the main problem Iran has in negotiations with the U.S. is “distrust.” Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, where he was attending the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, Aragchi said of the U.S., “We are in doubt about their seriousness, but the moment we feel that they are serious and they are ready for a fair and balanced deal, we will certainly proceed in the course of negotiations.” Araghchi also made an overture to China, saying his ministry appreciates “any country that can help” it in its present diplomatic negotiations, particularly China.” He confirmed that he had spoken with Russian officials about Moscow’s offer to store Iran’s enriched uranium, thanking the Russians for their “intention to help.” Tehran intends to discuss its nuclear status with the U.S. during the later stages of negotiations but would consider Russia’s offer “when we come to that stage,” he said.

• Saudi Arabia floats non-aggression pact with Iran: Saudi Arabia is proposing a Middle Eastern non-aggression framework once the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States ends, the Financial Times reports. The agreement would be modeled on the 1970s Helsinki Process—the Cold War accords that eased hostilities between the West and the Soviet bloc. Several European countries and institutions within the European Union have reportedly backed the proposal as the best way of preventing future conflict in the region.

• Iranian negotiator reveals details of April talks: Mohammad Nabavian, a member of Iran’s negotiating team, recounted April’s negotiations in Pakistan to state news service ISNA on Thursday. According to Nabavian, Vice President JD Vance pushed to prioritize the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium during April 10 talks in Islamabad with Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while Iran insisted any agreement must include sanctions relief and recognition of its right to enrichment. Nabavian said Vance announced Trump would reject a proposal after both sides had moved toward agreement—allegedly telling Ghalibaf the plan had originated with Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir rather than Washington. Nabavian concluded, therefore, that the U.S. “never entered negotiations with the intention of reaching an agreement.”

• U.S. has not investigated strikes on Iranian schools and hospitals, CENTCOM chief says: Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, repeatedly claimed the U.S. military had “no indication” of strikes on Iranian civilian facilities and could not explain why the Pentagon had not investigated extensive reporting documenting strikes on educational and medical facilities. Cooper, who described civilian casualty reduction as a “particular passion” of his, acknowledged under questioning that CENTCOM’s civilian harm mitigation office had been reduced from ten staff members to one.

• UAE accelerates new oil pipeline to bypass Hormuz: The United Arab Emirates will accelerate the construction of a new oil pipeline bypassing the strait of Hormuz by next year. Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan chaired a meeting of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s executive committee and directed the company to fast-track the previously undisclosed project. The pipeline is scheduled to operate in 2027 and will double the UAE’s export capacity through Fujairah.

• Trump admits uranium removal demand is about “public relations,” not security: Trump acknowledged in a Fox News interview Thursday that his demand to remove enriched uranium from Iranian territory is not a security necessity, saying “I don’t think it’s necessary except from a public relations standpoint” and adding that he wanted it “for the fake news.”

Lebanon

• Israel kills six in continued attacks on Lebanon:

  • Israel carried out a double-tap strike Friday on a car in Nabatieh, killing two aid workers identified as Muhammad Ahmad Abu Zeid and Jamal Nour el-Din, who were in the area to deliver food aid, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. The attack also damaged three Nabatieh Ambulance Service vehicles, destroying one.

  • A separate Israeli airstrike on a house overnight on Thursday killed at least four people in the town of Harouf, NNA reports. Airstrikes were also reported in the towns of Shehour and Majdal Selem, as well as the Hamadieh area of the Tyre district.

• Israeli military orders residents of five more Lebanese villages to evacuate: The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued forced displacement orders Friday morning on X for the villages of Ain Baal, al-Khrayeb, al-Zarariyeh, Arab Salim, and Arab al-Jal, warning residents to leave immediately or face death. Nearly 100 villages in Lebanon fall under Israeli forced displacement orders.

• Hezbollah continues resistance attacks, Israeli soldier killed: Hezbollah said it carried out “retaliation attacks” on Friday, targeting Israeli bulldozers and a Merkava tank. The Israeli military announced on Friday the latest Israeli soldier to be killed in southern Lebanon.

• Lebanon and Israel open direct talks in Washington as analysts warn of impasse: Lebanon and Israel began a third round of U.S. brokered direct talks in Washington on Thursday. Beirut says it is pushing for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon before any other issues are addressed, while Israel has claimed that it will not cease its operations in the south until Hezbollah is disarmed; Hezbollah is not participating in the talks and has protested them, with one MP accusing the two factions of forming an “alliance” against the group.

Palestine

• Palestinians mark 78th anniversary of the Nakba: Palestinians across historic Palestine and around the world on Friday marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Arabic for “catastrophe,” Nakba refers to the mass expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948 by Zionist militias. Over 500 Palestinian villages in what became Israel were destroyed.

  • New figures released this week by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics to mark the Nakba show that the global Palestinian population has reached 15.5 million. Some 7.4 million live in historical Palestine, while 8.1 million live in the diaspora, including 6.8 million in Arab countries.

  • Palestinians have long described the Nakba not as a single event but as an ongoing and continuous process of dispossession, apartheid, and violence. In the Gaza Strip, the death toll from the Israeli genocide has topped 72,700 with thousands more missing under the rubble. Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced since October 2023, many of them multiple times, and are living crammed into less than half of the enclave with Israel controlling over 60% of the territory. In the occupied West Bank, over that same time period, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced and over 1,000 killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

  • In Washington, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, on Thursday re-introduced a resolution Recognizing the Ongoing Nakba and Palestinian Refugees’ Rights. “The Nakba never ended,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Today, the Israeli apartheid regime is committing genocide in Gaza, violently erasing entire communities across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, and bombing Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. It is a campaign to erase Palestinians from existence.”

• Israeli attacks continue: An Israeli drone attack near a house in Jabaliya killed two people and wounded several others on Friday morning, WAFA reports.

  • Far-right mobs rampage through Jerusalem’s Old City: Thousands of Israeli nationalists descended on the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday for “Jerusalem Day”— the annual commemoration of Israel’s 1967 capture of East Jerusalem. Far-right mobs chanted “death to Arabs,” assaulting Palestinians, vandalizing shops and attacking journalists while Israeli police largely stood by, according to Haaretz. Palestinian shopkeepers shuttered their stores in anticipation of violence, but mobs still roamed the alleys, throwing bottles, smashing storefronts, and spitting at residents.

  • 60% of Gaza: At a celebration on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed that the Israeli military controlled most of Gaza and suggested they could seize more. “Today it is 60%, tomorrow we will see, tomorrow we will see,” he said before a cheering crowd.

• Leaked documents reveal Cisco’s expanding role as networking backbone of Israeli military: Internal documents obtained by Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain show Cisco Systems generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Cisco provides the Israeli military and intelligence establishment with networking infrastructure, cybersecurity tools, and AI computing support throughout its regional wars and the genocide in Gaza. Following internal dissent over the contracts, Cisco banned discussion of its Middle East operations in company-wide meetings in 2025 and terminated employees who raised concerns. Read the latest from Drop Site here.

• Israeli forces kill 15-year-old Palestinian in West Bank: Israeli troops shot and killed 15-year-old Fahd Zidan Owais early Friday near the village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya south of Nablus, with the Israeli military saying he was part of a masked group throwing stones at vehicles on Highway 60. Owais’ death brings the number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces this year to 12.

• Four Gaza doctors held without charge in Israeli prison: A lawyer visiting four Gazan physicians at Israel’s Ketziot Prison found all held without charge and facing severe food deprivation, confiscated mattresses, and untreated medical conditions, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel. One of these doctors, Dr. Murad Alkuka—the head of orthopedic surgery at Al-Shifa Hospital—has reportedly lost 35 kilograms during his 780 days of imprisonment. Two of the physicians described court hearings lasting only minutes, held without legal representation, where their detention was extended indefinitely. PHRI has petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice demanding their release.

• Mahmoud Abbas re-elected Fatah leader at 90: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 90, was unanimously re-elected Thursday to lead Fatah at the movement’s Eighth General Conference in Ramallah, its first in 10 years. Abbas pledged reform of the party and to hold the long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections, for which he did not provide a timeline.

  • Abbas is currently under scrutiny for elevating his son, Yasser Abbas, 64, a wealthy tobacco, construction, and real estate tycoon. The younger Abbas is expected to be elected to the Fatah party’s central committee. Abbas was elected PA president in 2005 and no elections for president or Palestinian parliament were held in the two decades since. The PA, which receives funding for its security forces from the United States, has been derided as a subcontractor for the Israeli occupation.

• Israel contracts Elbit subsidiary to develop external fuel tanks for F-35: Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a $34 million contract with Elbit Systems subsidiary Cyclone to develop external fuel tanks for its F-35 “Adir” fighter jets—reportedly the first time the stealth aircraft, flown by more than a dozen nations, will be equipped with external fuel tanks—with testing planned to assess whether the addition affects the aircraft’s stealth capabilities. The Israeli military plans to double its F-35 fleet from 50 to 100 aircraft and increase military spending by roughly $120 million over the next decade.

• New York Times defends Kristof report on Israeli sexual violence: The New York Times said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to file a libel lawsuit over Nicholas Kristof’s opinion column documenting sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prison is “part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting.” Spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said any legal claim against the Times for the article “would be without merit.”

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Absent lawmakers tip Iran war powers vote to a tie as House margins grow razor-thin: An Iran war powers resolution failed to advance on Thursday, after a tie vote in the House. Half a dozen members absent—including Reps. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-N.J.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), both of whom have been missing from the chamber for weeks. Wilson, 83, announced that she is recovering from major eye surgery and plans to return on Wednesday. Kean also reportedly “has a medical issue.” (Kean’s chief of staff ominously told the press: “There’s no cameras where Tom is.”) Neither has announced any intention to drop their current re-election bids. Notably, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat to vote against it.

• Supreme Court temporarily preserves mail and pharmacy access to mifepristone: The Supreme Court blocked a Fifth Circuit ruling that would have required in-person doctor visits and halted mail delivery of mifepristone, preserving the status quo for access to the drug—used in nearly two-thirds of U.S. abortions—at least through next year. Louisiana has argued that the FDA’s approval of the drug prevents enforcement of the state’s near-total abortion ban.

• Trump to drop IRS lawsuit in exchange for $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded fund for political allies: President Donald Trump is expected to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded compensation fund for allies who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration—including January 6 defendants—sources told ABC News. The commission would face no obligation to disclose its procedures or the identities of recipients. The settlement reportedly prohibits the fund from paying Trump directly, but does not prohibit entities associated with Trump from filing claims.

• U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Banks resigns: U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced his resignation Thursday after more than 20 years with the agency, telling Fox News he felt he had gotten “the ship back on course.” His exit is the latest in a series of senior Department of Homeland Security departures, following acting ICE Director Todd Lyons’s resignation last month and Trump’s firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March.

• U.S. to give UN $1.8 billion more for humanitarian aid, far below previous levels: The Trump administration announced $1.8 billion in additional humanitarian funding to the United Nations—bringing its total commitment to $3.8 billion. By contrast, the U.S. contributed $17 billion in fiscal year 2022. UN Ambassador Mike Waltz criticized the UN for its “ideological creep” and “bureaucratic inefficiencies,” saying that the United States pressure on the organization would “help it reach its potential.” The U.S. has nearly $4 billion in unpaid member dues as well. Secretary General António Guterres has rejected U.S. demands in exchange for payment, saying that member contributions are “non-negotiable.”

• Pentagon abruptly cancels deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth canceled the deployment of 4,000 members of an Armored Brigade Combat Team to Poland without an explanation, and after some of its troops and equipment had already arrived. Hegseth also recently announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany; an official told the New York Times that the Department’s thinking on the matter is “in flux.”

• Gavin Newsom appoints ousted CFPB chief Rohit Chopra to lead new California consumer protection agency: California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint Rohit Chopra—fired by Trump from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—as the first secretary of California’s new Business and Consumer Services Agency, which launches July 1. The agency is California’s effort to fill the void in consumer protection left by the Trump administration’s dismantling of the CFPB, Newsom said.

• Ro Khanna backs Rashida Tlaib’s resolution to force a vote on U.S. role in Lebanon war: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced Thursday his support for the Lebanon War Powers Resolution put forward by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). The resolution calls for the removal of all U.S. forces from Lebanon, and insists against further U.S. military involvement without congressional authorization, including support for Israel’s air or ground campaign. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Tlaib can compel a floor vote without House leadership approval.

• Corporations pay millions to shape state legislators’ education: Executives from Amazon, Walmart, Google, and dozens of other major corporations are paying the National Conference of State Legislatures Foundation a minimum of $10,000 annually to set conference agendas and place preferred speakers on policy panels attended by state legislators, according to researchers and former attendees who spoke to the American Prospect. Critics say the arrangement effectively turns a mainstream bipartisan body—where many legislators go to learn basic policymaking—into a pay-to-play influence operation. Whitney Curry Marsh has more at the American Prospect.

• Federal judge orders Trump administration to return Colombian woman deported to Congo: A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration likely violated the law by deporting 55-year-old Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata to the Democratic Republic of Congo in April, even after Congolese authorities refused because it could not provide her with adequate medical care. Zapata had been granted legal protection against being deported to her home country because her former partner, whom she accuses of raping and beating her, was tied to Colombia’s national police. The judge ordered she be returned to the United States by Friday.

Other International News

• Cuba conditionally open to U.S. offer of aid, encourages the U.S. to lift embargo instead: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Thursday that Havana would accept the Trump administration’s $100 million humanitarian aid offer if delivered in accordance with “universally recognized humanitarian practices,” but called it paradoxical given what he described as Trump’s simultaneous “systematic and ruthless” punishment of the Cuban people. The crisis could be resolved “in a much easier and more expeditious manner” by lifting the embargo, he said.

  • Starlink connection: Two sources with knowledge of the American offer, however, told Drop Site’s Ryan Grim that it rests on Cuba accepting shipments of millions of dollars worth of Starlink devices. Díaz-Canel said in a post on X that the country, which has faced rolling blackouts and severe shortages of supplies, has three “more than evident” priorities: “fuel, food, and medicines.”

  • CIA meeting in Havana: Separately, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met in Havana with senior Cuban officials, reportedly including the country’s Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas Raúl Guillermo “Raulito” Rodríguez Castro. Ratcliffe emphasized to his peers that the U.S. is prepared to engage on economic and security issues “only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,” a CIA official told Axios. Cuba’s state newspaper Granma confirmed the meeting took place at U.S. request.

  • Castro indictment?: CBS reported the U.S. government is taking steps to indict 94-year-old former Cuban President Raúl Castro (father of the Castro above) over Cuba’s 1996 shootdown of two aircraft operated by a U.S.-based humanitarian group. That group, Brothers to the Rescue, was run by Cuban-American exiles and searched for people attempting to flee the island by raft. It was also accused of dropping leaflets over Cuba, urging an uprising against the country’s government.

• Sudanese army escalates drone campaign against RSF-held Nyala: The Sudanese army continued its aerial assault on the city of Nyala, striking the RSF’s de facto capital in South Darfur for a third straight day. Army drones targeted Nyala International Airport, as well as RSF fuel depots, ammunition stores, the city’s air defense systems, and the residences of several RSF commanders in the city. The RSF responded by restricting Starlink access and arresting civilians and traders in the city’s main markets.

  • Acute hunger: The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported Thursday that nearly 19.5 million Sudanese people, over 40% of the country’s population, face acute hunger. According to its report, the hunger is “catastrophic” in North and South Darfur, and 825,000 children in the country are expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition from food insecurity.

  • “Forced to eat leaves”: One Norwegian volunteer in Port Sudan described the extreme means that people have gone to to secure food, saying that she has seen reports of “families who’ve been forced to eat leaves, who’ve been forced to eat animal feed, even reports of families breaking into slaughterhouses that have been closed down just to get the skin of the animals to be able to eat and to survive.”

  • A joint video investigation by Sudan War Monitor, Lighthouse Reports, and Al Jazeera Fault Lines spoke to refugees from El Fasher currently in Uganda. The refugees gave accounts of systematic massacres, mass rape, the use of schools as detention sites, and, in one particularly harrowing incident, the deliberate use of a trench encircling the city to trap and kill fleeing civilians. Their full investigation is available here.

• Trump DOJ to drop fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani: The Trump Justice Department is preparing to drop criminal fraud charges against Gautam Adani, India’s richest man. Adani was indicted in November 2024 over an alleged $265 million bribery scheme to secure solar energy contracts in India, allegedly defrauding Americans who he sought as investors. The reversal came after Adani hired a legal team led by Robert Giuffra, Jr., one of Trump’s personal lawyers, who presented to prosecutors at the DOJ last month roughly 100 slides arguing that the case lacked evidence and jurisdiction. Also included was a slide that indicated Adani would invest $10 billion in the U.S. and create 15,000 jobs if charges were dropped.

• Russia launches largest two-day aerial assault of the war, killing at least 27 across Ukraine: Russia has launched 1,567 drones and dozens of missiles against Ukraine since Wednesday, Reuters reports, in its largest assault since the start of the war in 2023. The attacks have killed at least 27 civilians, including 21 in Kyiv, three of whom were children. One attack destroyed an entire section of a nine-story residential building.

• Russia moves to formalize partnership with Taliban: Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said Thursday that Moscow is building a “full-fledged partnership” with Afghanistan’s Taliban government and encouraged other countries in the region to do the same. The countries would open a “pragmatic dialogue,” he said, on security, trade, culture, and humanitarian support. Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government last year.

  • Separately, the United Nations and Afghan civil rights organizations reported on Thursday that Taliban authorities in Afghanistan had detained at least three journalists in recent days: TOLONews political editor Imran Danish, anchor Mansoor Niazi, and Paigard news agency owner Jawid Niazi. The Taliban raided the headquarters of TOLONews and of its parent company, the Moby Group, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

• Health secretary quits Starmer’s cabinet, says Starmer will not be the party’s future leader: The United Kingdom’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced his resignation on Thursday, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of governing without “vision” and adding that it is “now clear” that Starmer will not lead Labour during the next general election. Streeting’s announcement did not, however, trigger a leadership contest, which requires signatures from 81 Labour MPs; allies of Starmer claimed Streeting lacked the numbers for that. Starmer’s Labour Party experienced historic defeats in local elections last week, with the far-right Reform Party and left-wing Green Party gaining at its expense.

• Miners and rural workers clash with police in La Paz during general strike: Mining groups and rural unions clashed with law enforcement Thursday in La Paz, Bolivia—with miners setting off dynamite sticks and protesters attempting to breach the presidential palace. Unions representing miners and campesino workers have declared an indefinite strike targeting the country’s center-right President Rodrigo Paz, elected in October. Bolivia’s collapse as a natural gas exporter has triggered soaring inflation, fuel lines, and shortages of oxygen and medication at the country’s hospitals. The administration has blamed former President Evo Morales for stoking the unrest, which Morales denies. “The outraged are driven by their social conscience and their fury against a government that, from day one, betrayed its constituents and the nation,” Morales posted on X.

• Yemen’s warring factions to swap over 1,600 prisoners: Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Ansarallah signed a deal on Thursday in Amman to release more than 1,600 detainees after 14 weeks of negotiations observed by UN officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Roughly 1,100 are affiliated with Ansarallah, while the Yemeni government will receive 580 prisoners, including seven Saudis and 20 Sudanese nationals.

• Iraq’s Ali al-Zaidi sworn in as prime minister: Ali al-Zaidi, Iraq’s youngest-ever prime minister at 40, was sworn in Thursday. Al-Zaidi—a businessman and academic with no prior government experience—was backed by Trump over former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is supportive of Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian congratulated Al-Zaidi, saying Iran would “remain by Iraq’s side on the path of development and the consolidation of security.”

• Venezuela to restructure its $150 billion debt after restoring relations with World Bank and IMF: Venezuela announced it would begin restructuring its external debt—in default since 2017 and estimated to exceed $150 billion in unpaid bonds, arbitration awards, and interest—with interim Central Bank President Luis Perez telling Reuters the move brings the country “out of the shadows” of international finance. The country restored relations with the World Bank and the IMF following President Nicolas Maduro’s kidnapping by the U.S. government; Venezuela credited the United States for its “crucial” role in lifting restrictions on the state.

• Syria pursues security agreement with Israel: Damascus has entered U.S.-mediated negotiations toward a “quiet and comprehensive” security agreement with Israel—one based on mutual sovereignty and requiring an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territories which it has occupied since 2024. That’s according to remarks in Brussels by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who drew a firm distinction in his remarks between “peace” with Israel, which his government seeks, and normalization imposed “through military force or provocation,” which Syria rejects.

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Iran said to be allowing Chinese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Vessel seized near Fujairah. Indian vessel reportedly sunk off the coast of Oman. UAE comes under scrutiny for ties with Israel, conduct during the war. Saudi warplanes struck Iran-allied militia targets in Iraq, report says. Classified CIA analysis finds Gulf allies split on support for the Iran war. Israel continues to bombard Lebanon on Thursday. Israeli attacks kill at least 15 across Lebanon on Wednesday. UNICEF: At least 59 child casualties in Lebanon in the past week. Lebanon files formal UN complaint against Iran. Israeli attacks in Jabalia. Gaza Envoy Nickolay Mladenov outlines reconstruction framework, blames Hamas for deadlock. Israel escalates Gaza attacks by 35% in April. Israeli firms developed technology to track and identify Starlink users worldwide, Haaretz finds. Israel threatens to sue New York Times over Kristof article documenting sexual violence against Palestinians. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping open Beijing summit with friendly overtures. Trump claims joint agreement on Iran nuclear weapons and Hormuz. Senate blocks Iran war powers resolution 49–50 in closest vote yet. U.S. Army scrambles to cut training amid $4-6 billion budget shortfall. Trump administration withholds $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California. Three southern states set to change their congressional maps. Federal judge suspends sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. ICE contractors donated $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress, with Palantir executives giving more to Democrats than Republicans. Cuba is completely out of diesel and fuel oil. At least 61 killed in South Kordofan, according to Sudan Doctors Network. Russia strikes Kyiv with drones and missiles. Gunshots at Philippine Senate as police move to arrest senator. French authorities investigate Israeli firm BlackCore over alleged disinformation campaign targeting left-wing candidates. Maldives jails two journalists for reporting on president’s affair. SDF commander reveals planned trip to Ankara and possible meeting with Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan. Brazilian markets tumble as report links presidential contender Flávio Bolsonaro to jailed banker.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Iran said to be allowing Chinese vessels through the Strait of Hormuz: Iran has reportedly begun allowing Chinese vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz based on the two countries’ “deep relations” and “strategic partnership,” an unnamed informed source told the semi-official Fars News Agency. The report follows shipping data showing several China-linked cargo ships and tankers, including the Yuan Hua Hu crude carrier, transiting the strait on Wednesday. About 30 vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian authorization since Wednesday evening, according to the state broadcaster IRIB. At a BRICS meeting in India, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “In our view, the strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial ships, but they must cooperate with our naval forces.”

• Vessel seized near Fujairah, Indian vessel reportedly sunk off the coast of Oman: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Wednesday it received a report of a vessel being seized by unauthorized personnel while anchored roughly 38 nautical miles from the UAE’s Fujairah. The vessel is now heading toward Iranian territorial waters, according to UKMTO. Separately, an Indian flagged vessel, the MSV Haj Ali, was reportedly sunk off the coast of Oman, according to the maritime security company Vanguard. The vessel, which was transporting livestock from Somalia to the UAE, was subject to an explosion “believed to have been caused by a drone or missile strike.” Its 14 crew members were forced by the explosion to abandon ship.

• UAE comes under scrutiny for ties with Israel, conduct during the war: The Israeli prime minister’s office announced Wednesday that Benjamin Netanyahu had secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Iran war and met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in what it called a “historic breakthrough in relations.” The UAE Foreign Ministry rejected the claim minutes later, saying it “denies what is being circulated regarding a visit by the Israeli Prime Minister or the reception of an Israeli military delegation.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that “Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership” and warned that “those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account.” At a BRICS meeting Thursday morning in New Delhi, Aragchi went further, accusing the UAE of being “directly involved in the act of aggression against my country” and of allowing “their territory to be used to fire artillery and equipment against us.” Directly addressing the country, Araghi said that its “alliance with the Israelis did not protect it” and urged it to “reconsider” its policy towards Iran.

• Saudi warplanes struck Iran-allied militia targets in Iraq, report says: Saudi Air Force fighter jets bombed Iran-linked militia sites near the kingdom’s northern border with Iraq during the Iran War, targeting launch points used to fire drones and missiles at Gulf states, according to a Reuters report published Wednesday. Separately, rockets fired from Kuwaiti territory struck militia positions in southern Iraq in April, killing several fighters and destroying a Kataib Hezbollah communications and drone facility—though Reuters could not confirm whether the strikes were carried out by Kuwait’s armed forces or the U.S. military, which maintains a large presence in the country.

• Iran calls Kuwait’s detention of four Iranians “illegal”: Iran accused Kuwait of trying to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians. On Tuesday, Kuwait said four men were detained, accusing them of being Revolutionary Guard operatives, and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1. “In clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post. “This illegal act took place near island used by the U.S. to attack Iran. We demand immediate release of our nationals and reserve right to respond.”

• Classified CIA analysis finds Gulf allies split on support for the Iran war: A classified CIA analysis circulating this week found that Washington’s Gulf allies are divided over how much military support to provide for the Trump administration’s war against Iran, sources familiar with the assessment told Capital & Empire. The UAE and Bahrain favor continued U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait support negotiations, and Oman opposes the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and may be open to joint administration of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran. Saudi Arabia has also moved to constrain U.S. military options by denying access, basing, and overflight rights for “Project Freedom”—the planned U.S. naval operation to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—despite a personal appeal from President Donald Trump to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. More on this report from Aida Chavez at Capital & Empire, here.

Lebanon

• Israel continues to bombard Lebanon on Thursday: An Israeli airstrike on a residential building at dawn on Thursday killed two people in Ezzedine, the National News Agency reported, and destroyed the building entirely. A drone attack reportedly wounded one near Zrariyeh, and Israeli strikes also targeted Lebbaya Yohmor, and Sohmor in the western part of the Bekaa, and Hadatha in Bint Jbeil, with another strike wounding at least three in Kfar Melki.

• Hezbollah drone strike wounds three Israelis near border: A drone launched by Hezbollah struck the parking lot of the Rosh Hanikra grottoes near the Lebanese-Israeli border on Thursday, injuring three Israelis, according to the Israeli military via Ynet. One person was reported to be in critical condition and another seriously wounded.

• Israeli attacks kill at least 15 across Lebanon on Wednesday: Israeli attacks killed at least 15 people, including two children, across Lebanon on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Strikes were also reported in Al-Halousiyeh, Siddiqin, Arabsalim, Kafra in Bint Jbeil, Tibnin, and Rihane, with some reported near schools and hospitals. The Israeli military additionally issued forced displacement orders for six southern villages and warned that anyone remaining “endangers their life.”

• UNICEF: At least 59 child casualties in Lebanon in the past week: UNICEF issued a statement on Thursday on the impact of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon on children, with at least 59 children killed or injured in the country in the last week alone, and 23 children killed and 93 injured since a ceasefire was agreed to. UNICEF also warned that more than 770,000 children in Lebanon are at risk of developing chronic mental health issues due to “heightened distress from repeated exposure to violence, loss and displacement.” The group’s regional director said, “Children are being killed and injured when they should be returning to classrooms, playing with friends, and recovering from months of fear and upheaval.”

• Lebanon files formal UN complaint against Iran: The Lebanese government submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations against Iran late last month accusing Tehran of making inaccurate statements regarding the killing of four Iranians in an Israeli strike on the Ramada Hotel in Beirut on March 8, and alleging that some of those killed were not officially registered as diplomats but were in fact Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders operating under diplomatic cover in violation of Lebanese sovereignty. In a letter outlining the complaint made public on Wednesday, Lebanese ambassador to the UN Ahmad Arafa accused Tehran of “dragging” the country into a war it did not choose. It also accused the Iranians of ignoring an order by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry to expel its ambassador, Mohammed Reza Sheibani.

Palestine

• Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed—one due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks and another whose body was recovered from under the rubble—and 24 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,744 killed, with 172,588 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 857 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,486, while 771 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

• Israeli attacks in Gaza City and Jabalia: An Israeli quadcopter drone dropped a bomb on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia on Thursday morning, killing one Palestinian, according to WAFA. Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli army sniper fire near an UNRWA clinic in Jabalia Camp. Israeli forces also shot and wounded several others near the Bani Suheila roundabout east of Khan Younis.

• Israeli settlers burn farmland in al-Mughayyir: Israeli settlers set fire Wednesday night to agricultural land in the plain of al-Mughayyir village, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli forces who stormed the village fired illumination bombs and tear gas at Palestinian homes as residents tried to confront the attackers and extinguish the blaze, according to WAFA.

• Mladenov outlines reconstruction framework, blames Hamas for deadlock: Nickolay Mladenov, the “Board of Peace” envoy overseeing the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire framework, addressed journalists in Jerusalem Wednesday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mladenov said that the ceasefire is “far from perfect,” with daily violations continuing to kill civilians, but said truck deliveries into Gaza have risen from 1,300 to over 4,000 per week—figures all aid agencies on the ground dispute, saying less than 40% of the aid promised under the ceasefire is entering. Mladenov also blamed Hamas for the present deadlock, particularly its refusal to disarm. He said a 15-point implementation roadmap has been presented to Hamas twice in Cairo, and accused the group of “consolidating its grip” on Gaza’s population and of blocking approved contractors from building shelter in the Strip, neither of which he substantiated with evidence. Hamas has repeatedly said it will not discuss Phase 2 of the plan, including disarmament, until Israel fulfills its Phase 1 obligations: halting strikes and killings, allowing sufficient aid and movement through Rafah and initial rehabilitation.

• Board of Peace preparing “plan B” for Gaza reconstruction: The U.S.-led Board of Peace is preparing a contingency plan to begin implementing President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza framework in areas under Israeli control after disarmament negotiations have reached a deadlock, Axios reported on Wednesday. The proposal would move the Palestinian technocratic government from Cairo into Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza, launch reconstruction projects, deploy an International Stabilization Force, and train the new Palestinian police force in Egypt—though Board of Peace officials acknowledged the risk of creating “two Gazas.”

• Israel escalates Gaza attacks by 35%: Israel has drastically escalated its attacks on Gaza in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing campaign against Iran, carrying out 35% more strikes in April than in March, according to conflict monitor ACLED. Gaza’s Ministry of Health recorded 120 Palestinians killed—including eight women and 13 children—since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran halted on April 8, a 20% increase compared with the five weeks prior when Israel was striking Iran.

• Israeli firms developed technology to track and identify Starlink users worldwide, Haaretz finds: Two Israeli-linked companies have developed systems capable of locating Starlink satellite terminals globally and, in some cases, identifying the people behind the accounts, using “data fusion” techniques that combine large volumes of digital and geolocation data rather than directly hacking the network, according to an investigation published by Haaretz. One previously unknown firm, TargetTeam, reportedly operates from Cyprus and has built a system called “Stargetz” that can monitor nearly one million Starlink terminals worldwide and de-anonymize around 200,000 of them; a second company, Rayzone, sells similar capabilities as part of a broader intelligence suite overseen by the Israeli defense ministry. Amnesty International’s Security Lab warned the technology posed serious risks to journalists, activists, and civilians in conflict zones, noting that Starlink has become a critical communications lifeline for Ukrainian forces and aid workers in Gaza.

• Israeli residents say IDF deleted portions of their October 7 security footage: Residents of Kibbutz Be’eri say a classified Israel Defense Forces reserve unit composed of veterans from elite units seized their security camera recordings on October 9, 2023, then returned the materials with portions allegedly deleted, according to a report from Israel Hayom published on Thursday. “The decisions to delete materials were made ‘under fluorescent lights’—it’s a conscious decision, not one made in the chaos of combat,” one Be’eri source told the outlet, adding ominously that “the fewer witnesses there are [for a prospective investigative commission], the less damage certain people in the military will sustain.”

• Israel threatens to sue New York Times over Kristof article documenting sexual violence against Palestinians: Israel threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over an article in the Opinion section by columnist Nicholas Kristof documenting widespread and systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the article “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press,” in a joint statement on Thursday. Israel’s use of sexual violence against Palestinians has been previously been documented by the United Nations and several international human rights organizations.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump and Xi open Beijing summit with friendly overtures, Trump claims joint agreement on Iran nuclear weapons and Hormuz: President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened two days of high-stakes meetings in Beijing on Thursday with warm personal exchanges and vows to deepen trade ties, with Trump praising Xi as a “great leader” and Xi calling for the two countries to be “partners rather than rivals.” Xi warned Trump privately that Taiwan remains the most important issue between the two countries and that if handled poorly could push the relationship into “a very dangerous situation,” according to Chinese state media. Trump is reportedly seeking Xi’s help in pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program. “The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said in a readout. “President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.” Beijing’s own readout did not confirm any of the comments.

• Senate blocks Iran war powers resolution 49–50 in closest vote yet: The Senate voted 49–50 on Tuesday to block a War Powers Resolution on the Iran war introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the seventh failed attempt to advance limits on President Donald Trump’s campaign against Iran since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28. The vote was the closest yet and the first procedural test since the War Powers Act’s 60-day deadline expired on May 1. Three Republicans broke with their party to support the measure—Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Ala.), Susan Collins (Maine), and Rand Paul (Ky.)—while Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) was the sole Democrat to vote against it. Democratic leadership said it plans to continue forcing weekly war powers votes to sustain pressure on the conflict.

• House Democrats will force vote on Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions: House Democrats secured the 218 signatures needed Wednesday to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson and force a floor vote on a package imposing new sanctions on Russia and authorizing $1.3 billion in military aid and up to $8 billion in loans for Ukraine. The petition, introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Rep. Greg Meeks (N.Y.), was signed by all 215 House Democrats along with Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Don Bacon (Neb.), and Kevin Kiley (Calif.), who provided the deciding signature. The vote is expected after Memorial Day but faces long odds in the GOP-controlled Senate and White House.

• U.S. Army scrambles to cut training amid $4-6 billion budget shortfall: The U.S. Army is grappling with a sudden budget shortfall of $4 billion to $6 billion and has begun slashing training across the force, canceling elite schools and unit-level exercises months before the fiscal year ends September 30, according to internal documents reviewed by ABC News. Major cost drivers include the Iran war, an expanding southern border mission, a National Guard deployment in Washington that alone is projected to cost roughly $1.1 billion this year, and ballooning personnel expenses from covering Department of Homeland Security funding lapses. The III Armored Corps—commanding some 70,000 soldiers representing nearly half of the Army’s combat power—is expected to absorb much of the cuts, with internal documents warning that its aviation units will deploy next year at “a lower state of readiness” and that it will take a full year to rebuild “combat proficiency” after pilot flight hours are slashed to mandatory minimums.

• Trump administration withholds $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California: Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration is suspending $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California and threatening to freeze federal funds to all 50 states if they fail to prosecute Medicaid fraud aggressively. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz said California’s records had generated “major red flags,” citing $630 million in disputed billing, $500 million in home health services, and $200 million in expenditures linked to coverage for undocumented immigrants. The administration also announced that it is imposing a six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies.

• Three southern states set to change their congressional maps:

  • Louisiana Senate Republicans voted early Wednesday to advance a new congressional map that would give the GOP a fifth House seat in the state, shifting the current 4-2 Republican-Democratic delegation to a 5-1 split, following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais that struck down the state’s previous lines as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The sole remaining Democratic district largely preserves the New Orleans-area seat held by Rep. Troy Carter, but it also stretches into Baton Rouge, where Rep. Cleo Fields currently represents a separate majority-Black district, potentially setting up a member-versus-member primary contest. The map still requires a full Senate vote and House approval.

  • South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to announce a special session on redistricting that would allow the GOP-controlled legislature to dismantle the district of Rep. Jim Clyburn—the state’s sole Democratic House member—leaving South Carolina with a likely 7-0 Republican congressional delegation, Politico reported on Wednesday. The move is a reversal of McMaster’s earlier position and follows direct pressure from President Donald Trump and his allies to redistrict the state.

  • Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a proclamation on Wednesday convening the state legislature for a special session on June 17 to redraw congressional and state legislative maps ahead of the 2028 election cycle. “It’s clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle,” Kemp said in response to the Supreme Court’s decision.

• Twenty House Democrats demand suspension of joint U.S.-Ecuador military operations: Twenty House Democrats sent a letter Wednesday to War Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding the immediate suspension of joint U.S.-Ecuador military operations and a full legal accounting of previous operations, citing reporting that U.S.-backed forces bombed a civilian cattle farm in northern Ecuador with no known links to drug trafficking. The letter also points to evidence that residents of the farm were interrogated, beaten, had their homes burned, and were subjected to torture before the aerial bombardment. The letter points out that the operations were never authorized by Congress, and that the operations may have violated the Leahy Law, which bars aid to foreign militaries credibly accused of human rights violations. Signatories include Reps. Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Greg Casar (Texas), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), and Pramila Jayapal (Wash.).

• Federal judge suspends sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese: A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Wednesday. The sanctions, which ​​barred Albanese from entering the U.S. and restricted her access to banking, were announced in July 2025 after Albanese publicly criticized Washington’s policy on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese’s husband and daughter—a U.S. citizen—filed the lawsuit in February against the Trump administration over the sanctions. In his court order on Wednesday granting a preliminary injunction against the sanctions, U.S. ⁠District Judge Richard Leon wrote, “Albanese has done nothing more than speak.” Albanese had recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursue war crimes prosecutions against Israeli and U.S. nationals. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions—they are nothing more than her opinion.” He added, “Protecting the freedom of speech is ‘always’ in the public interest.”

• Drug industry pushes unreliable blood tests and dangerous medication for Alzheimer’s: A new investigation from the Lever finds that the campaign to expand FDA-cleared Alzheimer’s blood tests to cognitively healthy Americans is being driven largely by pharmaceutical companies and industry-funded advocates with undisclosed financial conflicts—including former CDC Director Robert Redfield, who collected $638,000 from test manufacturer Roche while publishing op-eds urging widespread screening. Independent experts warn the tests are unreliable as screening tools—only 18% of cognitively normal people who test positive develop dementia within ten years—while the anti-amyloid drugs patients are funneled toward, including Eli Lilly’s Kisunla, cause brain swelling and hemorrhages in more than a third of trial participants, with researchers finding “little to no” correlation between amyloid reduction and cognitive benefit. If bipartisan legislation to have these tests covered by Medicare passes, the eligible treatment market would expand from 592,000 to an estimated 47 million Americans. Read more about the drug industry’s influence campaign and ties to lawmakers and major nonprofits in The Lever’s full report, available here.

• ICE contractors donated $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress, with Palantir executives giving more to Democrats than Republicans: Executives at ICE’s biggest contractors donated more than $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress across the 2022, 2024, and 2026 election cycles, with Palantir alone accounting for over $1.3 million, according to a report from The Appeal. Palantir’s executives, the report also found, donated roughly twice as much to Democrats as to Republicans. Private prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic directed nearly all of their roughly $675,000 in PAC donations to Republicans; only Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) received donations from the executives of these companies. Several Democrats who have publicly opposed the Trump administration’s deportation agenda, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Reps. Josh Riley (N.Y.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Pete Aguilar (Ca.), and Sen. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) received Palantir contributions. More on these donations can be found at In These Times, here.

Other International News

• Somali pirates demand $10 million ransom for oil tanker hijacked off Yemen coast amid Hormuz disruptions: Somali pirates are demanding $10 million for the release of the oil tanker MT Eureka, seized on May 2 near the Yemeni port of Qana and now anchored off the Somali fishing town of Bander Beyla with roughly 30 armed pirates and 12 crew members—including eight Egyptians—on board. The hijacking is the second in ten days and is part of a broader resurgence of Somali piracy fueled in part by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has rerouted international maritime traffic through the Red Sea and past Somali waters. The MT Eureka, owned by a UAE-based shipping company and carrying 20,400 barrels of diesel, had departed the Emirati port of Fujairah before it was taken. Mohamed Gabobe’s full piece for Drop Site on the ransom negotiations is available here.

• Cuba is completely out of diesel and fuel oil: Cuba has completely exhausted its diesel and fuel oil reserves, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy announced Wednesday on state media, prompting protests across the capital on Wednesday evening. Some districts in the capital are without light for 20 to 22 hours a day, the minister added in his announcement. Neither Mexico nor Venezuela, once top suppliers, have sent fuel to the island since President Donald Trump’s January 2026 executive order threatening tariffs on any country shipping fuel to Cuba. The United Nations last week called the fuel blockade unlawful, saying it had obstructed “the Cuban people’s right to development while undermining their rights to food, education, health, and water and sanitation.”

  • Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. State Department announced that it was offering $100 million in humanitarian aid for Cuba to be distributed through the Catholic Church and other independent organizations rather than the Cuban state, while accusing the Cuban government of blocking the offer and earlier U.S. assistance proposals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reaffirmed a standing U.S. offer of free satellite internet access to Cuba, which reports have suggested would be provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said the public offer was the first time Cuban authorities had heard about the assistance and expressed the country’s willingness to hear the details of the proposal but insisted that the best aid would be an end to the hardened blockade.

• At least 61 killed in South Kordofan, according to Sudan Doctors Network: At least 61 people—including nine children and five women—were killed in clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and the Atoro tribe in Kauda, South Kordofan, the Sudan Doctors Network reported Wednesday. The SPLM-N acknowledged launching attacks on May 8, framing them as a pursuit of “rebels” following a dispute between the Atoro and Shaway tribes over their tribal boundary markers. Survivor testimonies indicate that the SPLM-N directly and indiscriminately targeted civilians. SPLM-N forces are also accused of extrajudicial killings, slaughter, burning of homes and shops, and widespread looting in the region on Wednesday, with villages around Kauda subjected to systematic burning.

• Russia strikes Kyiv with drones and missiles: Russia attacked Kyiv with drones and missiles early Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring 40 others, including two children, Reuters reported. Damage was reported across at least 20 locations within and in the vicinity of the city, including a fire in a 12-story apartment block in a northern suburb.

• Russia places former British Defense Minister on wanted list on terrorism-related charges: Russia’s Interior Ministry has placed former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on its wanted list in connection with an unspecified criminal investigation, with an unnamed law enforcement source cited by state news agency TASS linking the charges to terrorism, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday. Wallace served as defense minister from 2019 until August 2023 and has continued to advocate military support for Ukraine, including publicly calling in October 2025 for strikes on the bridge linking southern Russia to Crimea.

• Gunshots at Philippine Senate as police move to arrest senator: Gunshots were fired at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday evening as police and marines moved to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa—former national police chief and top enforcer of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of crimes against humanity, Al Jazeera reported. Dela Rosa had earlier urged supporters to come to the legislature to prevent his transfer to The Hague, where Duterte is already awaiting trial following his arrest last year.

• French authorities investigate Israeli firm BlackCore over alleged disinformation campaign targeting left-wing candidates: French intelligence agencies are investigating whether an obscure Israeli firm called BlackCore carried out a foreign interference campaign targeting three La France Insoumise candidates ahead of March’s municipal elections. The firm reportedly designed deceptive websites, fake social media accounts alleging criminal behavior, and disparaging digital ads against candidates in Marseille, Toulouse, and Roubaix, Reuters reported Wednesday. BlackCore’s website and LinkedIn page, where it described itself as “an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare,” were taken offline after Reuters sought comment.

• Maldives jails two journalists for reporting on president’s affair: Two journalists from the Maldivian news website Adhadhu—Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir—were jailed on Tuesday for violating a court-ordered gag order and reporting on a documentary alleging the country’s president, Mohamed Muizzu, had an affair with a former aide. Their trials were conducted in secret and concluded within hours, with the journalists given just two hours to find legal counsel and no opportunity to present a defense. Two Adhadhu editors additionally face charges of “qazf”—the false accusation of adultery under Islamic law, carrying up to 80 lashes—with their trial opening behind closed doors Wednesday. The International Federation of Journalists and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the arrests as a “punitive attempt to criminalise investigative journalism.”

• SDF commander reveals planned trip to Ankara and possible meeting with Ocalan: Syrian Democratic Forces commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane revealed in a Wednesday interview with Al Monitor that he is planning a trip to Ankara, and that a meeting with imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan may be on that trip’s agenda. He also addressed the integration of the Kurds into the Syrian state, saying that four of his SDF-staffed military brigades are now formally recognized as part of the Syrian army, that roughly 50,000 autonomous administration employees are set to retain their positions and receive state salaries, and agreement is near on recognition of Kurdish school diplomas. Kobane criticized the United States for unexpectedly pivoting toward Damascus and not standing with its former allies, and said that additional funding for the SDF from the U.S. remains “under discussion.”

• Ghana to evacuate 300 citizens from South Africa amid wave of xenophobic attacks on migrants: Ghana will evacuate 300 citizens from South Africa following a wave of xenophobic attacks targeting migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced Wednesday. South African authorities have condemned the violence and vowed to crack down on attacks on immigrants. Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe have also warned their citizens in South Africa to exercise caution and stay indoors.

• Brazilian markets tumble as report links presidential contender Flávio Bolsonaro to jailed banker: Brazilian financial markets fell sharply on Wednesday after the Intercept Brasil reported that Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a leading presidential contender, had negotiated a $24 million deal with jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro to finance a film about his father. Vorcaro—who was arrested in March on bribery charges—was the owner of the failed Banco Master, which was ordered liquidated in November by the country’s central bank. The real fell more than 2%, and the Bovespa stock index closed 1.8% lower than the previous day. Bolsonaro has been polling roughly even with current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of October’s election.

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President Donald Trump: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.” Iran deputy FM says U.S. rejected proposal “because it is not a letter of surrender.” Pakistan denies sheltering Iranian military aircraft as U.S.-Iran ceasefire teeters. Classified U.S. intelligence shows Iran retained most of its missile capability, contradicting administration claims. Kuwait arrests four alleged IRGC operatives after armed infiltration attempt on Bubiyan Island. Pentagon says Iran war has cost $29 billion. IEA warns global oil inventories depleting at record pace. Iran executes another man on espionage charges. Eight killed in Israeli airstrikes near Beirut. Israel issues displacement orders for six more Lebanese villages. Israeli forces kill 16-year-old Palestinian child in West Bank attack. Israeli military bombs house in Gaza, killing one. Trump arrives in Beijing for two-day summit. Democrat Cindy Burbank wins Nebraska Senate primary, planning to drop out if polling indicates she can’t win. Federal appeals court temporarily pauses ruling that blocked Trump’s 10% global tariff. South Carolina Senate blocks redistricting push. Senate confirms Kevin Warsh to Federal Reserve board. Former GEO Group executive appointed acting ICE director. Alaska official steered $80 million in contracts to investor who sponsored his cruise. Cuba ends fixed fuel prices as a consequence of U.S. sanctions. Ukraine strikes gas facilities 1,500 kilometers inside Russia. RSF drone strikes hit civilian market and water source in Karnoi, North Darfur. Peru charges leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez with financial crimes. Nigerian military airstrike kills at least 100 civilians at market in Zamfara state, Amnesty says. Libyan authorities free and deport 120 kidnapped migrants. Islamic State claims first set of deadly attacks on Syrian government forces since February. Pakistan signals possible expansion of regional defense pact with Saudia Arabia.

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Iran and Ceasefire

• Trump: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation”: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he does not consider Americans’ financial struggles in the war with Iran. “The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. ⁠That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”

• Iran deputy FM says U.S. rejected proposal “because it is not a letter of surrender”: Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, defended Tehran’s conditions Tuesday as “the minimum requirements of any serious, sustainable arrangement aligned with the UN Charter,” arguing that Washington’s rejection exposed an intention to impose political will through coercion rather than pursue genuine peace. Gharibabadi, who met Monday with senior officials from France and Norway, said the U.S. position was self-contradictory. “One cannot speak of a ceasefire while maintaining a siege, or of diplomacy while intensifying sanctions and backing “a regime that is the source of aggression and instability,” he said.

• Pakistan denies sheltering Iranian military aircraft as U.S.-Iran ceasefire teeters: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected as “misleading and sensationalized” a CBS News report that Iran had moved military aircraft, including a reconnaissance plane, to a Pakistani air base to shield them from potential U.S. strikes, saying the aircraft arrived during ceasefire-period diplomatic logistics and that both Iranian and U.S. aircraft used the base. (Sen. Lindsey Graham later questioned War Secretary Pete Hegseth on the report.)

• Saudi Arabia bombed Iran in covert “tit-for-tat” strikes in March, Reuters reports: Saudi Arabia’s Air Force carried out multiple covert strikes on Iran in late March—the first known direct Saudi attacks on Iranian territory—in retaliation for Iranian strikes on Saudi targets, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing two Western and two Iranian officials. Saudi Arabia made Iran aware of the strikes, which were followed by intensive diplomacy and Saudi threats of further retaliation, producing an informal bilateral de-escalation agreement that took effect in the week before the broader U.S.-Iran ceasefire on April 7.

• WSJ: Mossad chief visited UAE to coordinate war with Iran: The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, secretly visited the United Arab Emirates on at least two separate occasions in March and April to coordinate the war with Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news follows an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal that the UAE carried out covert military strikes on Iran, including an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April shortly after President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire.

• Classified U.S. intelligence shows Iran retained most of its missile capability, contradicting administration claims: U.S. intelligence assessments from early May show Iran has regained access to 30 of its 33 Strait of Hormuz missile sites, retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, and restored access to approximately 90% of its underground missile storage and launch facilities nationwide. The intelligence, reported by the New York Times, directly contradicts claims by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s military was “decimated.”

  • The findings also confirm a U.S. military stockpile problem: if the ceasefire collapses, Washington has already depleted Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot interceptors, and other precision weapons—firing more Tomahawks than the Pentagon procures in a decade—while Iran retains considerable Hormuz strike capacity.

  • The White House called the report “virtual treason” and the Pentagon accused the Times of acting as “public relations agents for the Iranian regime.”

• Kuwait arrests four alleged IRGC operatives after armed infiltration attempt on Bubiyan Island: Kuwait’s Interior Ministry arrested four men it identified as Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps colonels and officers on May 1 after they allegedly attempted to infiltrate Bubiyan Island by sea aboard a chartered fishing boat, wounding a Kuwaiti soldier in a subsequent confrontation; two additional suspects reportedly escaped. Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied the operation was military in nature, claiming the sailors entered Kuwaiti waters due to a navigation malfunction, while Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation” of sovereignty.

• Pentagon says Iran war has cost $29 billion as Hegseth refuses to tell Congress how much more he needs: Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst told Congress Tuesday that the Iran war has cost roughly $29 billion—up from $25 billion two weeks ago—while Hegseth repeatedly declined to say how much emergency supplemental funding he would request or when. Sen. Lisa Murkowski noted that 15,000 U.S. troops, more than 20 warships, and an active naval blockade remain deployed. Hegseth also made clear the administration has no intention of seeking congressional authorization to continue operations, claiming Trump “has all the authorities he needs under Article 2.”

• Chinese oil tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz: A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera citing ship-tracking data. The Yuan Hua Hu crude carrier is now anchored off the Gulf of Oman.

  • U.S. Central Command says forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels and “disabled” four others, as part of its naval blockade of Iran: “USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) continues operations in the Arabian Sea, including enforcement of the U.S. blockade against Iran. CENTCOM forces have redirected 65 commercial vessels and disabled 4.”

• IEA warns global oil inventories depleting at record pace: The International Energy Agency (IEA) projected global oil supply to drop by 3.9 million barrels per day throughout 2026 as a result of disruptions caused by the Iran war. “More than ten weeks after the war in the Middle East began, mounting supply losses from the Strait of Hormuz are depleting global oil inventories at a record pace,” the IEA said in its latest oil market report. “With Hormuz tanker traffic still restricted, cumulative supply losses from Gulf producers already exceed 1 billion barrels with more than 14 mb/d of oil now shut in, an unprecedented supply shock.”

• Iran executes another man on espionage charges: Iran executed another man on charges of espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Ehsan Afreshteh was accused of receiving training from the Mossad in Nepal and providing Israel with sensitive national intelligence.

Lebanon

• Eight killed in Israeli airstrikes near Beirut: At least eight people were killed, including two children, in a series of Israeli airstrikes on a coastal highway south of Beirut on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

  • At least 22 children have been killed and 89 injured since Israel agreed to a “ceasefire” on April 17, the ministry reported. At least 2,896 people, including 200 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the health ministry. More than 8,824 others have been wounded.

• Israel issues displacement orders for six more villages: The Israeli military said Wednesday it had begun a new wave of strikes in the south of Lebanon and issued new displacement orders for at least six villages in the area.

• Hezbollah claims 25 operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon: Hezbollah’s military media arm claimed Tuesday it carried out 25 operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, including guided missile strikes on Merkava tanks in Bayyada and near Taybeh, suicide drone swarm attacks against troop gatherings near Naqoura port and the Al-Qouzah Triangle, and rocket and artillery strikes across multiple sites including Rashaf and Deir Seryan.

• UAE blacklists Lebanese citizens and groups: The United Arab Emirates has blacklisted 21 Lebanese people and groups over alleged ties to Hezbollah, according to the state news agency WAM. They include 16 Lebanese citizens and five UAE-based organizations accused of supporting groups designated as “terror” groups.

Palestine

• Israeli forces kill 16-year-old Palestinian child in West Bank attack: Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian child in the town of Jiljilyya on Wednesday, according to the Ramallah-based Ministry of Health. Four others were wounded as Israeli troops fired live ammunition and rubber-coated rounds after armed Israeli settlers stormed several Palestinian villages near Ramallah, attacking homes and stealing cattle, according to the Wafa news agency.

• Israeli military bombs house in Gaza, killing one: Israeli forces bombed a house on Salah al-Din Street east of Nuseirat camp on Tuesday, killing one Palestinian, according to Palestine Online. Israeli forces also fired on homes and displacement tents southeast of Khan Younis, dropped a drone bomb on the Jabaliya Services Club, and detonated residential buildings in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood.

• Israel secretly approved 34 new West Bank settlements in March: The Israeli security cabinet secretly approved 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank in late March—the largest number approved by any Israeli government at one time. The 34 new settlements join 68 settlements the current government has approved since its formation a little over three years ago. By comparison, only six new settlements were formally approved by Israel in the 30 years between the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the establishment of the current government. “This represents an unprecedented pace and scale of expansion,” Amir Daoud, director of Publishing and Documentation at the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, told Drop Site. “These new sites are distributed across the West Bank in what can be described as a fragmented but comprehensive pattern, effectively targeting the entire territory.” Read Naqaa Hamed’s full report from the occupied West Bank for Drop Site here.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

• Trump arrives in Beijing for two-day summit: President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a two-day summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping. It marks the first visit to China by a U.S. president since Trump visited in 2017. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with a number of tech executives, including Elon Musk of Tesla, Tim Cook of Apple, and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. The U.S. recently sanctioned several Chinese firms it accused of assisting in Iranian oil shipments and supplying satellite imagery allegedly used in Iranian military operations. China condemned the measures as “illegal unilateral sanctions.”

• Democrat Cindy Burbank wins Nebraska Senate primary: Cindy Burbank won the Nebraska Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, defeating pastor Bill Forbes—whom state Democrats had accused of being a Republican plant. Burbank has said she will drop out if polling shows she cannot win in November, potentially clearing the way for independent Dan Osborn to face off against Republican Senator Pete Ricketts in the fall. Osborn, a steamfitter and former union organizer who lost to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by just 7 points in 2024 despite Trump carrying the state by 20. Osborn has pledged not to caucus with either party if elected.

• Federal appeals court temporarily pauses ruling that blocked Trump’s 10% global tariff: A U.S. federal appeals court temporarily reinstated Trump’s 10% global tariff after a Court of International Trade panel ruled 2-1 that Trump had failed to meet the legal criteria for the tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Trump’s global tariff is set to expire in July unless extended by Congress. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is already processing $35.46 billion in refunds on tariffs previously struck down under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

• South Carolina Senate blocks redistricting push: The South Carolina Senate failed Tuesday to reach the two-thirds majority needed to extend its session for a redistricting vote, with five Republicans joining Democrats in opposition, including Majority Leader Shane Massey, who resisted direct calls from Trump to push through the redistricting effort. The vote deals a setback to Trump’s effort to redraw maps before the midterms, though Governor Henry McMaster could still call a special session to approve a new map.

• Senate confirms Kevin Warsh to Federal Reserve board: The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors Tuesday in a 51-45 vote, with Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman the sole Democrat voting in favor of his confirmation. Warsh’s confirmation deepens concerns about the central bank’s independence after Trump said in December he would only appoint a chair who agreed with him on interest rates. The Trump administration has also targeted current Chair Jerome Powell through a now-dropped Justice Department investigation, and by attempting to fire Lisa Cook, a case now being reviewed by the Supreme Court. Warsh has promised “regime change,” including closer coordination with the Treasury Department.

• FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigns: Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned Tuesday at the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On his departure, President Trump said: “Marty’s a terrific guy, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to lead a good life. He was having some difficulty.” Makary’s FDA lost 3,500 workers to DOGE-driven layoffs, saw the departure of high-profile leaders in the agency, and was beset by political difficulties, including demands from anti-abortion Republicans for the agency to restrict the mail-order abortion medication mifepristone. Kyle Diamantas, a former corporate lawyer who led the agency’s food division and lacks a medical degree, will serve as acting commissioner.

• Former GEO Group executive appointed acting ICE director: David Venturella, a former employee of the private prison contractor GEO Group, will serve as acting ICE director, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Tuesday. Venturella, who previously oversaw contracts for immigration detention centers at the Department of Homeland Security, replaces Todd Lyons, who is retiring. Border czar Tom Homan also worked for GEO Group.

• FBI running secret “payback squad” targeting Trump political enemies, sources say: The FBI has assembled a team of agents internally called the “payback squad” tasked with pursuing political targets set by the Trump administration, according to a new report from NOTUS. One such target is reportedly former CIA director John Brennan, who is expected to be indicted in the coming weeks; his indictment is part of a larger criminal case being built by the FBI that seeks to charge former top government officials with “grand conspiracy” against the president.

• Alaska official steered $80 million in contracts to investor who sponsored his cruise: Documents obtained by The Alaska Current reveal that former Alaska Revenue Commissioner and current Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Crum awarded more than $80 million in state contracts to companies tied to tech and energy investor Peter Corsell after one of Corsell’s companies sponsored a glacier cruise for a Republican state treasurer conference. Crum also reportedly attempted to funnel $225 million from the state’s rainy day fund into private equity deals with firms connected to Corsell and to data center developers. Corsell has also partnered with one of the state’s regional governments to build North Slope Power, a proposed natural gas utility, with no public record of a formal bid process. Read the entire investigation from The Alaska Current here.

Other International News

• Cuba ends fixed fuel prices as a consequence of U.S. sanctions: Cuba’s Finance and Prices Ministry announced Tuesday that starting May 15, it will liberalize fuel prices, allowing rates at state service stations to fluctuate based on actual import costs—ending a fixed-price regime the government said “cannot be economically sustained under present conditions.” Cuba’s national grid reports that it can meet less than half of its current electricity demand as a result of an escalating sanctions regime on the country.

• CIA running secret assassination campaign against cartel members inside Mexico, CNN reports: The CIA has been directly participating in lethal operations against cartel members inside Mexico—including a targeted car bombing that killed an alleged Sinaloa Cartel operative on a busy highway outside Mexico City on March 28—as part of an expanded covert campaign led by the agency’s elite Ground Branch unit, CNN reported Tuesday. Mexican Public Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch rejected the characterization of the operation and a subsequent report from the New York Times claimed the CIA provided intelligence for the operation but was not on the ground.

  • Reuters separately reported that one of the alleged CIA officers who was killed in a car crash in northern Mexico last month had been seen days earlier carrying a gun in a local security office. U.S. officials are normally not allowed to carry firearms in Mexico.

• Ukraine strikes gas facilities 1,500 kilometers inside Russia: Ukrainian drones struck gas facilities in Russia’s Orenburg region Tuesday—more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border—according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attacks come hours after Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine that killed six people overnight and effectively ended a three-day ceasefire between the countries.

  • Also on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had tested a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, which he claimed could penetrate “all existing and future” missile defense systems.

• RSF drone strikes hit civilian market and water source in Karnoi, North Darfur: Drone strikes attributed to the Rapid Support Forces struck a market in Karnoi, North Darfur, on Tuesday, killing civilians and destroying transport trucks carrying passengers from Tina to Kutum, while a separate strike disabled the “Am Saleh” well—the area’s primary water source—and killed significant numbers of livestock, according to Sudan Tribune. Drones caused more than 80% of civilian deaths in Sudan during the first four months of 2026, killing at least 880 people, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

• Peru charges leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez with financial crimes: Peru’s public prosecutor’s office accused leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez of filing false financial disclosures with undisclosed campaign contributions between 2018 and 2020, calling for over five years in prison and permanent disqualification from the presidency. The charges were unsealed Tuesday hours after electoral authorities stated that Sanchez was set to advance to a June 7 run-off against conservative Keiko Fujimori.

• Honduras arrests former mayor accused of masterminding assassination of environmental leader: Honduran authorities arrested former Tocoa Mayor Adán Fúnez on Tuesday, more than a year after the September 2024 killing of anticorruption and environmental defender Juan López. López was shot seven times days after publicly calling on Fúnez to resign over a corruption scandal tied to an iron oxide mining project Fúnez supported. Fúnez had long been accused by religious and environmental leaders of orchestrating the killing, drawing condemnation from Pope Francis, the United Nations, and the Biden administration.

• Nigerian military airstrike kills at least 100 civilians at a market in Zamfara state, Amnesty says: At least 100 civilians—many of them women and girls—were killed when a Nigerian military airstrike struck the crowded Tumfa market in Zurmi district, Zamfara state, on Sunday, Amnesty International reported Tuesday. The attack is the second to kill scores of civilians at a northern Nigerian market in a month, following an April strike on a weekly market in Jilli that killed around 200 people; the military has not commented on Sunday’s attack and has previously denied targeting civilians.

• Turkey unveils draft law expanding maritime claims in Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Black seas: Turkey unveiled draft legislation Tuesday that would codify its contested maritime boundaries and require foreign authorization for economic, scientific, and environmental activities in waters Ankara considers its own. The draft would expand Turkey’s maritime reach in the Black and Mediterranean Seas to 12 nautical miles from its shore, and would retain its claim to the 6 nautical miles it presently claims in the Aegean, where it has said it would oppose Greek expansion. Turkey has reportedly worried about growing collaboration between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean.

• Libyan authorities free and deport 120 kidnapped migrants: Eastern Libyan security forces freed 120 migrants who had been tortured and held for ransom inside a trafficking compound south of Benghazi, the Government of National Stability’s security directorate said. They said the captives were beaten and filmed to extort money from their families. Three migrants—two Bangladeshis and one Egyptian—were found dead on the Mediterranean shore nearby, and authorities also seized a small boat-building operation used for Mediterranean crossings.

• Market bombing kills 10 in northwestern Pakistan: A bomb killed 10 people and wounded around 30 others at a crowded market in Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday. The attack on Tuesday follows a car bombing and ambush in the nearby Bannu district on Saturday, which killed 15 Pakistani police officers. Pakistan has blamed Afghanistan-based militants for the weekend attack, which the Afghan Taliban government dismissed as “baseless.”

• Islamic State claims first deadly attack on Syrian government forces since February: The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a Monday ambush on a military bus in Hasakah province that killed two Syrian army soldiers and wounded others. This is the group’s first deadly operation against President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government since February, when it declared a new phase of operations; an earlier attack near Raqqa killed four state security personnel.

• Taiwan asserts independence in advance of U.S.-China conclave: China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said its resolve to oppose Taiwan’s independence was “firm as a rock” and its capability to crush separatism “unbreakable,” as President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for two days of meetings with President Xi Jinping. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, however, called the island a “sovereign, independent nation” that would not bow to pressure. The Trump administration announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan in December, its largest ever.

• Pakistan signals possible expansion of regional defense pact: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will consider expanding their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) to include other countries in the region, according to Pakistan’s defense minister. The country’s defense production minister also said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey had finalized a draft trilateral defense agreement to expand security cooperation. Bloomberg reported earlier this year Turkey was in “advanced stage discussions” to formally join the pact.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Read Drop Site’s reporting about the SMDA agreement here.

More from Drop Site:

• Reporter Courtney Bonneau discusses Lebanon on Drop Site’s weekly livestream:

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