Middle East Roundup, June 5: Israeli strikes kill seven in south Lebanon's Tyre: Civil defense

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.

Catch up: Yesterday’s top developments

• Pakistan rejects Rubio-Iran intelligence claim
• Trump slams 'unpatriotic' US House vote to end Iran war
• Pakistan, Iran interior ministers stress continued diplomatic efforts for regional peace
• UN force says peacekeeper killed in south Lebanon
• Oil prices ease as report of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire sparks hope

Trump claims Iran has '21, 22 percent' of its missiles left

Published: June 5, 2026 | 23:45 GMT | by Web Desk

Trump has told NBC News that Iran retains only about 21 to 22 percent of its missile capability after the US “totally destroyed” the country’s military.

“I would say, percentage-wise, maybe 21, 22 percent of their missiles,” he said, during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press programme that was shared online.

US approves potential $1.98bn sale of counter-drone equipment to Kuwait

Published: June 5, 2026 | 22:30 GMT | by Web Desk

The US State Department says it has approved a potential foreign military sale of counter-unmanned aerial systems platforms and related equipment to Kuwait, estimated to be valued at $1.98bn.

In an official statement on its website, the department said that the proposed sale supports US foreign policy and national security objectives by enhancing the security of a major non-NATO ally in the Middle East.

“The proposed sale will improve Kuwait’s capability to meet current and future threats against unmanned aerial systems,” the statement said.

Lebanon says Israeli strike kills 5 including woman, paramedic

Published: June 5, 2026 | 21:20 GMT | by AFP

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike in the south on Friday killed five people including a woman and an emergency worker, condemning "the targeting of paramedics carrying out rescue operations".

"The Israeli enemy strike on the town of Zebdine in the Nabatieh district killed five people including a woman, and a paramedic from the Risala Association, and wounded two people including a paramedic," a ministry statement said, referring to emergency responders affiliated with Hezbollah ally the Amal movement.

Israel kills infant in West Bank

Published: June 5, 2026 | 19:40 GMT | by AFP

Israeli gunfire killed a Palestinian infant and wounded his parents on Friday in the south of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry reported.

Sam Fahd Abou Haikal, aged seven months, died and his parents were lightly injured "after the occupation forces opened fire on them on Friday evening" in the south of the city of Hebron, the ministry said. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lebanese president thanks Saudi crown prince for support

Published: June 5, 2026 | 15:20 GMT | by Web Desk

Lebanese President Aoun thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the kingdom’s support for Lebanon.

The Lebanese Presidency said in a post on X that Saudi Crown Prince has provided assistance “in calming the situation and putting an end to the escalation that Lebanon is experiencing”.

He also renewed his country’s support for Lebanon and its commitment to its “sovereignty, independence, and the safety of its territories”, the statement said.

In CNN interview, Lebanon president tells Iran 'not your job to interfere' in country

Published: June 5, 2026 | 12:12 GMT | by AFP

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Iran not to interfere in his country in a video interview published on Friday by CNN, also telling the Tehran-backed Hezbollah that diplomacy was the only solution to the conflict with Israel.

"It's not your country, it's our country... It's not your job to interfere into our country," Aoun told Iran in the interview, adding that "they are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with the United States. It's unacceptable".

"Hezbollah must understand that (there is) no other way but to sit and talk, no other way to solve this problem and to save what's left except through negotiation and diplomacy," he added. 

Lebanon PM tells Iran to stop treating country as 'bargaining chip'

Published: June 5, 2026 | 11:06 GMT | by AFP

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday urged Iran to stop treating his country, where Israel and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah are at war, as a "bargaining chip" in its negotiations with Washington on the Middle East conflict.

"If I may address a word to Iran, it is this: have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip to improve the terms of your negotiations," Salam told a press conference for a UN aid appeal for Lebanon.

Iran dismisses idea of Trump meeting supreme leader

Published: June 5, 2026 | 11:00 GMT | by AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed the idea of his country's supreme leader meeting Donald Trump, after the US president floated the prospect.

Iran's top diplomat, however, played down the chances in an interview with Lebanese media aired on Thursday night, suggesting it was not realistic.

"I saw a report which apparently said that he (Trump) had stated that he was ready for a meeting or that he wanted to hold a meeting," Araghchi told Al Mayadeen television channel.

"I think we should be realistic and think and live in the real world," he said.

Ireland bans two Israeli ministers from entering country: ministry

Published: June 5, 2026 | 10:57 GMT | by AFP

Ireland on Friday barred Israel's national security minister and finance minister from entering the country over the war in Gaza.

Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan "has instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Itamar Ben-Gvir - Minister for National Security of Israel, and Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance of Israel - should they seek to enter the state," said a justice ministry statement sent to AFP.

Iran army says fired 'warning missiles' at US destroyers in Gulf of Oman

Published: June 5, 2026 | 10:45 GMT | by AFP

Iran's army said Friday it had fired "warning missiles" at two US destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, forcing the vessels to leave the area, according to state media.

"In continuation of operations to counter maritime misconduct and harassment, as well as the hijacking of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the terrorist naval forces of the United States, following the firing of warning missiles, the hostile destroyers DDG-103 and DDG-8 have left the Gulf of Oman towards the Indian Ocean," the army said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

Pakistan, Iran interior ministers stress continued diplomatic efforts for regional peace 

Published: June 5, 2026 | 09:55 GMT | by Web Desk

Pakistan's Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held an important meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, said a post shared on X on Friday by Pakistan's Ministry of Interior.

During the meeting, both leaders exchanged views on Pakistan-Iran relations, the latest regional developments, efforts to reduce tensions, and matters related to internal security.

The two interior ministers emphasized the importance of continuing diplomatic efforts on a consistent basis to promote sustainable peace and stability across the region.

Feared global hunger crisis 'coming to pass' as Mideast war lingers: UN

Published: June 5, 2026 | 09:49 GMT | by AFP

"Pessimistic" predictions that the Middle East war could push tens of millions more people into acute hunger if drawn out are being proven right, the United Nations said Friday.

A few weeks after the US-Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 sparked the conflict and plunged world energy markets into turmoil, the UN's World Food Programme warned that soaring oil prices were devastating global food security.

If oil prices were to remain around $100 per barrel until the end of June, an estimated 45 million more people worldwide would face acute hunger, the WFP warned in March.

They would come in addition to the nearly 320 million people considered acutely food insecure at the start of the year, it said.

And now, nearly three months into the conflict, "the negative scenario is unfortunately materializing", Jean-Martin Bauer, the director of WFP's food and nutrition analysis service, told AFP.

"The closure of Hormuz is translating into increased hunger," he said, pointing to soaring costs for staples like rice and wheat.

"Unfortunately, the pessimistic projections that were made earlier this year are coming to pass, and we need to act."

Israel army warns of imminent strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon's Sarafand

Published: June 5, 2026 | 09:27 GMT | by AFP

Israel's military warned residents of south Lebanon's Sarafand, a town on the coastal road between Tyre and Sidon, to immediately evacuate on Friday ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah.

"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement and its targeting of Israel's home front, the Israel Defence Forces are compelled to act against it forcefully, especially in your areas," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, listing six towns and villages including Sarafand and Saksakiyeh, which is also on the coastal road.

He added: "Out of concern for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River," which runs some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border.

UN doubles appeal for Lebanon aid to nearly $640M amid Israel war

Published: June 5, 2026 | 08:49 GMT | by AFP

The UN on Friday more than doubled its aid appeal for Lebanon as the country reels from Israel's war against Hezbollah, saying nearly $640 million was needed over six months.

"The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is severe and deteriorating," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a revised appeal for the country.

"Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability," it said, warning that "affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities, and essential services are under increasing strain".

The UN had appealed for $308 million in March to support a massive emergency response led by Lebanon's government through to the end of May.

On Friday it said that another $331 million would be needed through the end of August.

Only $185 million had so far been received out of the initial appeal, OCHA said, adding that that amount had helped provide assistance to around 680,000 people between March 2 and May 31.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank

Published: June 5, 2026 | 07:55 GMT | by AFP

Israeli forces shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said Friday, while the military said it had killed someone who threw firebombs at vehicles.

In the early hours of Friday, the health ministry said it had been informed of "the martyrdom of the young man Haitham Ezzedine Omar Hmeida, 18, by occupation gunfire in the village of Beitin," north east of Ramallah.

It added that the man's body was being withheld.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its forces had "identified several terrorists throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles traveling on a major roadway" near the village of Beitin.

"The soldiers opened fire at the terrorists and eliminated one of them," the military said, adding that its forces were "currently pursuing the remaining suspects."

Since the war in Gaza broke out in Oct. 2023, near-daily violence has rocked the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,078 Palestinians since then, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.

Israel army warns will attack three villages north of Lebanon's Litani River

Published: June 5, 2026 | 07:49 GMT | by AFP

Israel's military warned residents of three villages north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon to evacuate on Friday ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres into open areas. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities, or their weapons endangers their life!" the army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

Israeli strikes kill seven in south Lebanon's Tyre: Civil defense

Published: June 5, 2026 | 06:57 GMT | by AFP

Israeli strikes overnight in the south Lebanon city of Tyre killed seven people, a source from Lebanon's civil defense told AFP on Friday, despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

One strike near the Jabal Amel hospital killed four people, wounded seven and lightly damaged the facility, while another elsewhere in the city killed three and wounded five, including two children.

Pakistan's interior minister Naqvi meets Iranian counterpart Momeni

Published: June 5, 2026 | 06:51 GMT | by Web Desk

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskander Momeni, according to a post shared on X on Thursday by Pakistan's Ministry of Interior.

Lebanese forces enter Debbine in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces withdrawal 

Published: June 5, 2026 | 05:57 GMT | by Web Desk

After several weeks, Lebanese troops have entered Debbine in southern Lebanon following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, according to Al Jazeera.

Lebanese officials have described the most recent ceasefire agreement with Israel, mediated by Washington, as the country's "last chance" to secure peace.

However, Hezbollah has dismissed the proposed negotiating framework, with its leader, Naim Qassem, characterizing it as “humiliating.”

Human rights group urges action to stop 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank 

Published: June 5, 2026 | 04:55 GMT | by Web Desk

Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem has urged the international community to take all possible actions to halt what it describes as "Israel’s ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank.

In a social media statement issued after foreign diplomats visited the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar, situated east of East Jerusalem and inhabited by several hundred residents, the group said stronger international intervention is necessary to prevent additional communities from being forced from their homes.

According to B’Tselem, the 17 "delegation of diplomats" were able to meet directly with residents whom Israel is seeking to forcibly displace.

Israeli strikes near hospital leaves at least 12 injured in southern Lebanon 

Published: June 5, 2026 | 04:21 GMT | by Web Desk

At least 12 people were reported injured in Israeli strikes near Jabal Amel hospital in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported quoting Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

The NNA also reported that the strikes also destroyed a bank building. 

Read our June 4 live blog for earlier developments here