First responders inspect the rubble of a collapsed building following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik, May 7, 2026. The strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs was the first such attack in nearly a month, and Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah commander from the elite Radwan force.Anwar AMRO/AFP/Getty
Here are the latest updates on the Middle East war:
As Iran says it’s reviewing the latest U.S. proposal to end the war, it is also attempting to formalize its control over the vital shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, which were free and open prior to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. Shipping intelligence firm Lloyd’s List says the strait is now closed, as Iran says an agency it just created is in charge of clearing vessels for transit.
President Trump is again voicing optimism for a peace deal, saying the war will be “over quickly” and insisting it’s going “unbelievably well.” But he also warned Wednesday that if Iran rejects the U.S. offer, he could order “higher level” military strikes.
Mr. Trump’s latest comments appear to have eased oil prices and boosted stocks this week. Brent crude and U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate were both trading below $100 a barrel early Thursday.
“No terrorist has immunity “
Hezbollah Elite Commander Malek Ballout who was killed by Israeli gunfire on the outskirts of Beirut City on Wednesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday, a day after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon’s capital Beirut.
Netanyahu said the strike “in the heart of Beirut” killed Malek Ballout , who was the commander of Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, warning that “anyone who threatens the State of Israel will pay the price.”
Netanyahu said with the killing of Balout, whom he said had led a plan by Hezbollah “to conquer the north” of Israel “we have eliminated more than 200 Hezbollah terrorists who acted against Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers.”
The Israeli and Lebanese governments signed a ceasefire, brokered by the Trump administration, weeks ago. The truce remains ostensibly in effect, but it has not stopped Hezbollah and Israel from attacking each other, or Israel from ordering the evacuation of dozens of towns and villages in a section of southern Lebanon it has occupied.
The conflict erupted in tandem with the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, as Hezbollah joined its backers in Tehran in attacking Israel with rockets and drones not long after the Iran war began 69 days ago.
The ongoing violence in Lebanon has proven to be a sticking point in diplomatic efforts to nail down a wider peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, as Tehran has thus far insisted on a stop to fighting on both fronts as part of any deal.
Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of breaching the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon almost daily since it took effect.
At least 11 other people were killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.
CBS
