AL-MONITOR: The Pulse of The Middle East

Israel carries out strike on Beirut suburbs, first near capital in weeks

2026-05-28T09:36:40-0400

BEIRUT, May 28 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike hit a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Thursday, the first strike to hit near Beirut in weeks amid a ceasefire that has failed to halt fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah in south Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it had conducted a precise strike in Beirut but did not offer additional details.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Dar to visit Washington on Friday, meet Rubio

2026-05-28T08:36:46-0400

KARACHI, May 28 (Reuters) - Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Washington on Friday where he will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The visit comes as Islamabad is attempting to negotiate a peace pact to permanently end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Dar will meet Rubio "to review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Rome Pride bars Jewish LGBT group from parade over Gaza stance

2026-05-28T08:36:46-0400

ROME, May 28 (Reuters) - Rome Pride has barred Italy's only Jewish LGBT group from joining its annual parade, saying Keshet Italia had failed to clearly condemn Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, drawing swift condemnation from Jewish organisations.

In a statement issued after meeting representatives of Keshet Italia and Keshet Europe, Rome Pride said "the conditions" did not exist for the groups to enter a float into the June 20 event.

Spurning just war, Pope Leo ends Catholic 'permission slip' for conflicts

2026-05-28T08:01:49-0400

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY, May 28 (Reuters) - Pope Leo this week repudiated a major teaching used by the Catholic Church since at least the fifth century to evaluate when countries might be justified in waging wars, in a move experts said could have long-reaching impact for global powers.

The disavowal of the doctrine came in the pope's first major document, issued on Monday, which also urged global regulation of AI systems and made the clearest apology yet for the Catholic Church's historic role in supporting transatlantic slavery.

Three tankers reportedly attacked by drones in Black Sea, shipping agency says

2026-05-28T07:01:42-0400

ISTANBUL, May 28 (Reuters) - Drone attacks were reported on three tankers in the Black Sea on Thursday near Turkey's northern coast, shipping agency Tribeca said.

The tanker James II, sailing under the Palau flag and in ballast, was some 50 miles (80 km) north of the Turkeli Area in the Black Sea when the incident occurred, the agency said.

The tankers Altura and Velora, sailing under the Sierra Leone flag and in ballast, were reportedly attacked in a nearby area while doing a ship-to-ship operation, the agency also said.

Exclusive-Pentagon says US military personnel are reportedly being targeted using location data

2026-05-28T06:36:53-0400

By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. forces deployed to war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how the global surveillance economy is shaping the battlefield.

How Israel has emptied southern Lebanon far beyond the front lines

2026-05-28T06:36:53-0400

By Alexander Dziadosz, Nazih Osseiran and Catherine Cartier

SIDON/BEIRUT, May 28 (Reuters) - The ceasefire agreed in Lebanon last month has brought little respite for civilians, who are being driven from a steadily expanding swathe of the country by a relentless Israeli campaign of evacuations and air strikes.

The U.S.-brokered truce announced on April 16, after about six weeks of fighting, has failed to halt the violence between Israel and Hezbollah. Both are carrying out near-daily attacks while accusing the other of violating the pact.

US, Iran accuse each other of violating truce after attacks

2026-05-28T05:30:19-0400

The United States and Iran accused each other of violating an ongoing truce on Thursday following an exchange of fire, three months after the Middle East war began with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

The latest exchange was the most serious since the ceasefire started in April, rattling ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the war and drawing in US ally Kuwait, which accused Iran of a "dangerous escalation".

Israel strikes Tyre after declaring 'combat zones' in south Lebanon

2026-05-28T01:30:21-0400

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had begun new strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing an evacuation warning to its residents.

Israel the previous day had declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River - an area roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border and including Tyre - as "combat zones" and told residents to evacuate ahead of attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Austrian trial over foiled attack on Taylor Swift concert enters final day

2026-05-28T00:36:37-0400

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, May 28 (Reuters) - The trial of a 21-year-old man over a foiled Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024 enters its final day on Thursday, with the defendant, Beran A, having already pleaded guilty to the main charges including terrorism-related offences.

Beran A, whose last name has not been made public in accordance with Austrian privacy rules, was arrested on August 7, 2024, the day before the first of three planned concerts by the U.S. pop star in the Austrian capital.

Iran and US trade air strikes after Trump dismisses report of Hormuz deal

2026-05-28T00:36:37-0400

By Jana Choukeir, Enas Alashray and Phil Stewart

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Thursday it targeted a U.S. airbase after the U.S. military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after President Donald Trump rejected a report he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.

Temperatures likely to remain at record levels in 2026-2030: UN

2026-05-28T00:30:23-0400

Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels this year and for the next four years afterwards, the United Nations warned Thursday.

The 11 hottest individual years ever recorded all happened from 2015 onwards and the UN's weather and climate agency said the trend was set to continue, with a new hottest-ever year "likely" before 2031.

There is a 75 percent chance that the 2026-2030 five-year mean temperature will surpass the key threshold of 1.5C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average, the World Meteorological Organization said.

Australia charges woman with terrorism over IS links

2026-05-27T23:30:17-0400

Australian police charged on Thursday a woman linked to the Islamic State group with membership of a terrorist organisation and entering a known conflict zone.

Hundreds of women from Western nations were lured to the Middle East as IS gained prominence in the early 2010s, in many cases following husbands who had signed up as jihadist fighters.

A joint counter-terror police team said they will allege that the woman, 34, travelled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with a man to join Islamic State.

The man is now believed to be imprisoned in the Middle East, they added.

US adds Persian Gulf Strait Authority to sanctions list, Treasury website shows

2026-05-27T21:36:38-0400

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday issued new Iran-related sanctions by adding the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to its Specially Designated Nationals list, the Treasury Department's website showed.

The authority is a body Iran has set up to manage requests for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

(Reporting by Bhargav Archarya; Writing by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Sonali Paul)

US reimposes sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians

2026-05-27T19:30:18-0400

The United States on Wednesday reimposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories who has harshly criticized Israel, after an appeals court overruled an earlier order prohibiting the action.

A notice on the Treasury Department's website showed that it had reimposed a sanctions designation on Albanese that blacklists her globally, making it impossible for her to use major credit cards or carry out bank transactions.

US puts UN expert Albanese back on list of sanctioned individuals, Treasury website shows

2026-05-27T19:01:44-0400

May 27 (Reuters) - The United States has re-added Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, to a list of sanctioned individuals, according to a notice posted to the U.S. Treasury's website on Wednesday.

Here are the details:

• The U.S. imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025 over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies and executives.

Trump says he can outwait Iran, dismisses midterm election pressure

2026-05-27T17:36:40-0400

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was unconcerned about the political fallout of an extended conflict with Iran, and that Iranian leaders had miscalculated if they thought the November midterm elections would force him into a deal.

"They thought they were going to outwait me," Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting, referring to Iran's leadership. "You know, 'We'll outwait him. He's got the midterms.' I don't care about the midterms."

Palestinians mourn slain Hamas militant chief as Israel escalates Gaza attacks

2026-05-27T17:01:43-0400

By Dawoud Abu Alkas , Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jana Choukeir

GAZA/CAIRO/DUBAI, May 27 (Reuters) - Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas' armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group's top brass despite a ceasefire.

The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza apartment block.

Trump appears to threaten to 'blow up' ally Oman

2026-05-27T17:00:19-0400

President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to threaten to attack US ally Oman if it sides with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said Oman must "behave" or he would "blow them up," when he was asked if he would accept a short-term deal to allow Iran and the Gulf state to control the waterway.

"No, the strait is going to be open to everybody," Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

"It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."

Israel declares new swathe of Lebanon 'a combat zone,' warns residents to leave

2026-05-27T15:36:39-0400

BEIRUT, May 27 (Reuters) - Israel's military on Wednesday declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act "with great force" against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone.

The military's statement, posted on X, appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanon's south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16.