Despite formal ceasefire arrangements remaining in place, fighting has persisted across multiple fronts, with Israeli military operations expanding in Gaza and southern Lebanon and U.S. and Iranian forces continuing to exchange fire amid efforts to negotiate more lasting settlements.

In Gaza, an October ceasefire brokered with strong backing from U.S. President Donald Trump ended two years of full-scale warfare and secured the release of remaining hostages seized during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. However, key provisions aimed at establishing a postwar framework have yet to be implemented.

Israeli forces have continued military operations in the territory, capturing additional areas and targeting Hamas leaders. Israel now controls roughly 60% of Gaza, up from about half when the ceasefire was agreed, according to figures cited by officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel intends to expand its hold further.The United States and Israel have attributed the stalled implementation of the ceasefire to Hamas’ refusal to disarm.

Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the agreement through continued airstrikes and military operations. Local health authorities say at least 932 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.Humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain severe, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians continuing to live in temporary camps while reconstruction efforts remain stalled and plans for a new Palestinian governing structure unresolved.

In Lebanon, an April ceasefire has similarly failed to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Fighting intensified over the weekend when Israeli troops raised their flag over Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, marking Israel’s deepest advance into Lebanese territory since the end of its 1982-2000 occupation.

Hezbollah responded with rocket attacks reaching deeper into northern Israel, underscoring the limited impact of efforts to de-escalate the conflict. The latest exchanges came despite Trump stating that both sides had again agreed to reduce tensions.Israel has said it will continue military operations until it no longer faces threats from Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.

Lebanese efforts to address Hezbollah’s military status have made little visible progress as clashes continue along the border.The conflict in Lebanon has become increasingly linked to wider regional diplomacy. Iranian officials have demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of any broader understanding with Washington.

Meanwhile, a separate ceasefire reached in early April among the United States, Iran and Israel has also come under strain. The agreement was designed to halt regional hostilities and facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route whose disruption triggered sharp increases in energy prices.

Iran initially announced it would reopen the waterway but later reinstated restrictions after the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Washington has called for the unrestricted reopening of the strait and seeks concessions from Tehran regarding its nuclear program, while Iran has demanded sanctions relief, an end to the blockade and guarantees against renewed military action.

Negotiators appeared close to an agreement last week but failed to reach a breakthrough. Trump has repeatedly warned that military action could resume if Iran retains its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iranian officials have said substantive nuclear discussions require a more durable ceasefire.

Military incidents have continued in and around the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the United States said it struck Iranian radar and drone facilities after Tehran allegedly downed a U.S. drone over the weekend. Iran subsequently said it launched missiles targeting American personnel in Kuwait, while U.S. officials said the missiles were intercepted.

In a statement posted on X, U.S. Central Command said it would continue protecting American forces while supporting efforts to maintain the ceasefire.

The persistence of military operations across Gaza, Lebanon and the Gulf highlights the growing gap between formal ceasefire agreements and conditions on the ground, where competing security objectives and unresolved political disputes continue to fuel violence.

The two-day meeting at the U.S. State Department brings together Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, Lebanese envoy Nada Hamadeh Moawad and senior U.S. diplomat Daniel Holler. No statements were made as the talks began.

The discussions follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that both sides had agreed to de-escalate, though fighting has continued along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Israel said it would keep targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs if attacks on northern Israeli communities persist.

The talks come amid a sharp escalation in hostilities, with Israeli forces conducting their deepest incursion into Lebanon in years. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes near a hospital in Tyre on Monday killed four people and wounded 127 others.

The ministry said missile, rocket and air defense systems accounted for 29% of export deals, making them the largest category of sales. Observation and optronics systems also recorded strong growth.

European countries were the biggest buyers, accounting for 36% of exports, followed by Asia-Pacific nations with 32%. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa purchased 15%.

Defense Minister Israel Katz linked the export growth to the performance of Israel’s military and defense industries during ongoing conflicts involving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

The announcement comes as Israel seeks to expand production of Arrow missile interceptors amid continued regional tensions and heightened demand for advanced air defense systems.

The escalation follows Israel’s capture of the strategic Beaufort Castle position, raising concerns that military gains on the ground could strengthen its negotiating position.

Lebanese officials said Beirut had rejected Israeli calls for the Lebanese army to immediately disarm Hezbollah, warning such a move could trigger internal instability.

Lebanese military sources said control of Beaufort Castle could give Israeli forces greater surveillance and operational reach across parts of southern Lebanon.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the situation at an emergency meeting requested by France.

The talks come as negotiations remain deadlocked over Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s military presence in Gaza. A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya is expected to attend discussions in El-Alamein.

Hamas said progress was possible if Israel showed willingness to reach an agreement, while reiterating its rejection of disarmament under Israeli conditions.

The meeting follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order for the military to take control of 70% of Gaza, a move Hamas called a violation of the ceasefire.

Speaking at a legal conference in Eilat, Baharav-Miara said a “race has begun to eliminate democratic institutions” as parliament considers measures to split the attorney general’s authority and expand the powers of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

She also criticized what she described as growing government disregard for court rulings, including delays in implementing a Supreme Court decision requiring military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted missiles and drones as warning sirens sounded across the country. Kuwait said the attacks violated international law and undermined efforts to reduce regional tensions.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council also condemned the strikes, expressing support for Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted an air base allegedly used in a U.S. attack on Sirik Island, without identifying the location of the facility.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, said he had made clear during his election campaign that he would not participate in the event, citing his criticism of the Israeli government and his support for Palestinian rights.”I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn’t be attending the parade, and I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear,” Mamdani told a news conference on Thursday.

The annual parade along Fifth Avenue has traditionally drawn mayors, governors and senior elected officials seeking to engage with New York’s large Jewish community and commemorate the establishment of Israel in 1948.Despite his decision to stay away from the event, Mamdani said city authorities had spent weeks preparing security arrangements to ensure the parade proceeded safely.

“While I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part,” he said.New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she would attend the parade, emphasizing that her decision was separate from that of the mayor.

“It is the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch told reporters.The decision has intensified criticism from some Jewish community leaders who argue that Mamdani’s positions on Israel have alienated Jewish New Yorkers.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding senior rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, described the mayor’s absence as an affront to the city’s Jewish community.

The controversy follows the release of a mayoral video commemorating the Nakba, the Arabic term used to describe the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed Israel’s creation.

The video featured the personal account of Inea Bushnaq, who described being displaced as a child and reflected on her connection to her homeland. The production marked what appeared to be the first formal recognition of the Nakba by a sitting New York City mayor.

Critics of the video argued that it omitted broader historical context, including the displacement of Jewish communities from several Muslim-majority countries and the impact of the Holocaust on support for the creation of a Jewish state.

The debate reflects broader shifts in American public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Support for Israel among some segments of the U.S. public has declined in recent years, a trend that has accelerated amid international scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.Mamdani has maintained his support for Palestinian rights while stating that Israel has a right to exist.

He has also pledged to combat antisemitism and highlighted the work of New York City’s Office to Combat Antisemitism as part of his administration’s outreach to Jewish communities.

The mayor’s decision places him at odds with a political custom that has long been considered a fixture of New York public life, particularly in a city that is home to the largest Jewish population in the United States.

The commission said its findings followed multiple verification and analysis procedures conducted in coordination with Syrian authorities, marking a significant development in one of the country’s most prominent unresolved disappearance cases.

Al-Abbasi, her husband Abdul Rahman Yasin, and their six children, who were between three and 15 years old at the time, vanished in March 2013 after security forces raided their home in Damascus, according to rights organizations.

Their disappearance became a symbol of the broader issue of missing detainees and forcibly disappeared civilians during Assad’s rule.”We have reached reliable and corroborating results that allow us to conclude with a high degree of professional certainty that Dr. Rania Al-Abbasi’s children are deceased,” the commission said in a statement.

It added that efforts to locate the children’s remains were continuing.The commission was established by Syria’s new authorities in May 2025 to investigate cases involving missing and forcibly disappeared persons following Assad’s ouster in 2024.Hassan Al-Abbasi, Rania’s brother, confirmed the children’s deaths in a video posted on Facebook.

He said family members had viewed video recordings linked to a suspect accused of involvement in a 2013 massacre in a Damascus district.According to Hassan Al-Abbasi, one recording showed children being accused of financing terrorism.

He said the children in the footage were identified as members of the Al-Abbasi family.The fate of Rania Al-Abbasi and her husband remains officially unresolved. Contact with both was lost after their arrest, and while rights groups and media reports have suggested they may have died, no official confirmation or recovery of their remains has been reported.

The case underscores the scale of Syria’s missing persons crisis, which includes detainees who disappeared in government prisons, civilians who went missing during years of conflict, and individuals who vanished at checkpoints or while fleeing violence.The Syrian conflict began in 2011 after a government crackdown on anti-government protests and evolved into a prolonged civil war.

Tens of thousands of people were detained or disappeared during the conflict.The commission said last year that the number of people who went missing over decades of Assad family rule could exceed 300,000.

The statement by Kataeb Hezbollah security chief Abu Mujahid Al-Assaf comes amid heightened tensions following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in late February, a conflict that triggered a series of drone and rocket attacks by factions operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against U.S. interests in the country.

Washington responded with strikes on facilities and bases linked to the groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah, killing dozens of fighters, according to the organization and regional media reports.

Since assuming office in mid-May, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has pledged to ensure that weapons remain exclusively in the hands of the state, a longstanding objective of successive Iraqi governments seeking to strengthen state authority and limit the influence of armed non-state actors.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Al-Assaf said “militant action is today a collective duty, and we will carry it out on behalf of the brothers who have decided to abandon it,” signaling that the group intends to continue its activities even as some allied factions move toward closer cooperation with state institutions.

While several Iran-backed factions have reportedly agreed to operate under official structures, Kataeb Hezbollah remains among the groups rejecting discussions on disarmament under what it characterizes as U.S. pressure.

Al-Assaf indicated that the organization was prepared to coordinate with other factions that no longer wished to maintain independent arsenals. He said Kataeb Hezbollah could supervise the transfer and storage of weapons and receive specialized systems, including cruise missiles, arguing that state agencies lacked personnel with the necessary expertise to manage such equipment.

The group has consistently linked any discussion of its weapons to the continued presence of foreign troops in Iraq. Kataeb Hezbollah maintains that it will not consider disarmament while international forces remain deployed in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region as part of the U.S.-led coalition established in 2014 to combat Islamic State militants.

The coalition is scheduled to conclude its mission in the Kurdistan region by September, a timeline that has become a key reference point in Iraq’s debate over the future role of armed factions and the country’s security architecture.