According to the Japan Coast Guard, the Chinese vessels entered waters that Tokyo regards as its territorial sea before moving toward a Japanese fishing vessel operating in the area. Japanese patrol ships ordered the vessels to leave and escorted the fishing boat to ensure its safety.

The coast guard said the two Chinese ships departed Japanese territorial waters at about 9:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT). It added that four Chinese coast guard vessels had been operating near the islands before two crossed into waters claimed by Japan.

Japanese authorities described the Chinese vessels’ actions as a violation of international law and said they would continue responding “calmly and resolutely” under both domestic and international legal frameworks while taking all necessary measures to safeguard the country’s territorial waters.

China did not immediately comment on Japan’s account of the incident.

The islands, administered by Japan and known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, have long been a source of friction between the two countries. Both governments claim sovereignty over the uninhabited islets, which lie in the East China Sea between Japan’s Okinawa prefecture and Taiwan.

Chinese coast guard ships regularly operate near the disputed islands, leading to repeated encounters with Japanese maritime authorities. While Chinese vessels frequently enter the contiguous zone surrounding the islands, direct approaches toward Japanese fishing boats are comparatively uncommon.

Japanese officials said Chinese coast guard vessels had last entered waters claimed by Japan on June 10, making Tuesday’s incident the latest in a series of maritime confrontations in the area.

The East China Sea remains strategically significant because of its important shipping routes and the potential presence of offshore oil and natural gas reserves, adding to the geopolitical importance of the territorial dispute.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have deteriorated further in recent months following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November suggesting Japan could become militarily involved if Taiwan were attacked. China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, condemned the remarks and subsequently advised its citizens against traveling to Japan while tightening trade restrictions on some Japanese companies.

The latest maritime encounter highlights continuing tensions between Asia’s two largest economies as both countries maintain competing territorial claims and expand coast guard patrols in contested waters.

Khamenei, who was 86, will be honored through a series of public ceremonies beginning in Tehran before his body is transported to several cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. The funeral marks one of the most significant political and religious events in the Islamic Republic since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Thousands of mourners gathered early Saturday at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, many dressed in black as they made their way through streets closed to normal traffic. Participants carried Iranian flags, banners and portraits of the late supreme leader, while groups performed traditional Shiite mourning rituals by rhythmically beating their chests.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” said Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who attended the ceremony with her mother. “I never expected to see such a day.”

The main funeral stage at the Grand Mosalla was designed to resemble the platform from which Khamenei had frequently delivered speeches at his religious complex in central Tehran. That compound was destroyed in the Israeli airstrike that killed him and members of his family at the beginning of the conflict.

Iranian authorities expect the funeral to draw millions of participants, recalling the mass public gatherings that accompanied the funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, more than three decades ago.

Ali Kazemi, who traveled from the northwestern city of Tabriz to attend the ceremony, said he wanted to demonstrate support for Iran and its religious leadership during a period of heightened uncertainty.

The funeral takes place as Tehran seeks to navigate the aftermath of the war while pursuing negotiations with the United States aimed at securing a permanent end to the conflict. Iranian leaders are also confronting continued security concerns following Israeli warnings that further military action could remain possible.

The government scheduled the opening of the funeral on July 4, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. Although officials did not publicly link the dates, mourners at the ceremony chanted anti-American slogans that have remained a feature of official gatherings since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Speaking separately at an Independence Day event near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the recent conflict with Iran and said Tehran was seeking a settlement following the hostilities.

Authorities have imposed extensive security measures throughout the capital, closing major roads, restricting airspace and disrupting normal daily activities to accommodate the funeral processions and public gatherings.

It remains unclear whether Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will make a public appearance during the ceremonies. When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died in 1989, the younger Ali Khamenei appeared prominently at the funeral shortly before assuming the country’s highest political and religious office.

The funeral also follows renewed regional tensions after Israel issued repeated threats against Mojtaba Khamenei. On Thursday, Iran’s joint military command warned both Israel and the United States against what it described as any “miscalculation” during the funeral period.

The ceremonies are expected to continue over several days, with Khamenei’s body scheduled to travel to multiple locations in Iran and Iraq before the funeral rites conclude.

Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said any attack on Iran during the mourning period would trigger a strong military response. His statement, carried by Iranian state media, cautioned Washington and Israel against what he described as any strategic miscalculation.

“We warn the enemies of Iran, especially the United States and the Zionist regime, to avoid any miscalculation and to consider the severe retaliation our armed forces would carry out against any threat or aggression against our country,” Abdollahi said.

Iran is preparing for a series of official funeral ceremonies beginning on July 4 in Tehran. The commemorations are scheduled to conclude with Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9, with additional memorial events planned in the holy city of Qom and in Iraq during the intervening days.

Pakistan confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry.

China also announced it would send a senior delegation to the ceremonies. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said He Wei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, would represent Beijing at the funeral.

The warning from Iran’s military followed similar remarks made on Wednesday by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran would respond immediately and forcefully to any threat directed at the country or its leadership.

Araghchi’s comments came after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death,” further escalating tensions between the two countries.

Iranian media reported that authorities have introduced heightened security measures ahead of the funeral processions. The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization also announced on Wednesday that temporary airspace restrictions would be imposed over several cities, including Tehran and Mashhad, during the ceremonies to support security operations.

The funeral preparations come amid continued diplomatic and military tensions following the conflict that began in late February. Although indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States have resumed in recent weeks, officials from both sides have continued to exchange warnings as efforts to implement a broader ceasefire and negotiate a permanent settlement remain ongoing.

In a report released on Wednesday, the IMF said Israel’s economy has demonstrated resilience despite repeated external shocks but warned that conflicts involving Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas continue to cloud the outlook. The institution said renewed escalation across the region remains the principal downside risk to growth.

The revised projection follows estimated economic growth of 2.9% in 2025. The IMF expects the Israeli economy to expand by 4.4% in 2027, while forecasting inflation to remain close to 2% in both 2026 and 2027 after a temporary increase driven by higher energy prices and supply constraints.

The IMF noted that inflationary pressures are expected despite the shekel appreciating to its strongest level against the U.S. dollar in more than three decades. It said elevated energy costs and supply disruptions are likely to offset some of the disinflationary effects of the stronger currency.

Israel’s economy contracted at an annualized rate of 3.8% during the first quarter of 2026. Following the conflict involving Iran in March and April, the Bank of Israel reduced its own 2026 growth forecast to 3.8%, while the Finance Ministry continues to project economic expansion of as much as 4% this year.

The IMF said its assessment was based on economic data available through June 10.

The Washington-based lender urged Israeli authorities to pursue prudent macroeconomic policies to preserve economic stability while advancing structural reforms aimed at strengthening long-term growth. It recommended rebuilding fiscal buffers through higher government revenue and broader fiscal consolidation to help offset increased defense expenditures associated with ongoing military conflicts.

The IMF also called for a moderately tight monetary policy stance, saying higher energy prices could generate additional inflationary pressures. It said the Bank of Israel should continue monitoring the effects of the conflict on labor supply, the transmission of higher energy costs into domestic prices, exchange-rate movements and the impact of the central bank’s most recent interest rate cut on financial conditions and domestic demand.

The report said policymakers should remain prepared to adjust monetary policy if incoming economic data or heightened geopolitical risks result in renewed inflationary pressures.

The IMF noted that a ceasefire reached in recent weeks between the United States and Iran has contributed to lower global oil prices, although it cautioned that regional uncertainty continues to pose significant risks to Israel’s economic performance.

President Donald Trump announced in a social media post that Iran had requested the meeting, saying it would take place in the Qatari capital without providing further details.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner would attend the discussions, while technical-level negotiations would continue on the sidelines.

“Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week, as we continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding. On the sidelines of those high-level talks will be the technical talks,” Leavitt told Fox News.

Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at ending four months of conflict. The agreement included commitments to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass.

The agreement has come under pressure following exchanges of strikes over the weekend after an Iranian projectile struck a commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Both Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating the interim ceasefire.

Leavitt said the United States remained committed to the agreement while warning that any further attacks would draw a response.

“There were attacks on commercial vessels that the United States of America, directed by the president, responded to, and that will continue to happen, but we hope we don’t see that. The president obviously wants to see the peace process play out,” she said.

The Doha meeting is expected to focus on implementing the memorandum of understanding and reducing tensions after the recent maritime incidents threatened to undermine the diplomatic process.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported the drone strike but did not immediately provide details on casualties, damage or the intended target.

The reported attack came less than 24 hours after the two countries agreed to a U.S.-mediated security framework designed to reduce violence along the frontier, where repeated exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have raised concerns over a broader regional conflict.

Neither the Israeli military nor Lebanese authorities immediately commented on the reported strike, and no further operational details were available.

The new security arrangement seeks to stabilize the border after months of escalating hostilities that have displaced civilians on both sides and heightened regional security concerns. It remains unclear whether Saturday’s reported strike will affect implementation of the agreement.

The statement came after Iran said it had carried out strikes against targets linked to U.S. forces in the region, though Tehran did not identify the locations or specify the targets involved.

Bahrain said the reported drone attacks constituted a violation of its sovereignty but did not immediately provide details on the number of drones, the locations targeted or whether there were casualties or damage.

The incident marks a further escalation in regional tensions as military exchanges involving Iran and the United States continue despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a broader agreement to end the conflict.

There was no immediate independent verification of the reported attacks, and Iranian authorities did not directly comment on Bahrain’s accusations beyond their earlier statement that strikes had been carried out against U.S.-linked targets in the region.

Security sources said no casualties were reported because the camp had been evacuated before the attack. They did not identify the opposition group or provide further details about the extent of any damage.

No party immediately claimed responsibility for the strike, and Iraqi authorities did not issue an immediate official statement on the incident.

The attack comes amid heightened regional instability following a series of military exchanges involving Iran, the United States and their allies, raising concerns that cross-border security incidents could spread further across the region.

Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have long maintained bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region near the Iranian border, an area that has periodically been targeted during periods of heightened regional tensions.

In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the latest U.S. attacks on coastal surveillance installations breached the memorandum of understanding reached by both sides to halt hostilities.

“These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation” of the peace agreement, the ministry said.

The U.S. military said its forces launched strikes on Friday against Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites, describing the operation as a response to an Iranian attack on a cargo vessel transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The exchange marks the latest escalation despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to preserve the ceasefire framework established after weeks of conflict. The competing accounts underscore the continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran over the implementation of the agreement.

Neither side indicated that formal negotiations had been suspended, but the latest military actions have raised fresh uncertainty over the durability of the peace arrangement.

Katz’s remarks came a day after Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, said Israel would ultimately be forced to withdraw from southern Lebanon if it did not leave voluntarily.

Speaking on Thursday, Qaani said Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon could not be sustained indefinitely and predicted it would eventually end in withdrawal following continued regional pressure.

Katz did not elaborate on the nature of Israel’s potential response but issued the warning amid heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel and Lebanon, where cross-border security concerns remain closely tied to broader regional negotiations.

The exchange of statements reflects the fragile security environment as diplomatic efforts continue to address unresolved disputes stemming from the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, alongside parallel negotiations concerning Lebanon’s security situation.