Middle East


Lebanese army failing to curb Hezbollah activity in south, Israeli officials tell US

A Lebanese army officer looks up at an Israeli drone while standing on an armoured vehicle in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, a village in southern Lebanon, as Lebanese soldiers deploy in one of three pilot zones following the withdrawal of Israeli forces under a US-brokered plan, July 26, 2026.

US clears Strait of Hormuz as 50,000 troops maintain blockade of Iran, CENTCOM chief says

US forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz, July 17, 2026.

US 'must commit' to ending Gaza, Lebanon conflicts to reopen Hormuz, Iranian official says

Iranian military commander Mohsen Rezaee attends the funeral ceremonies for Ali Shamkhani, political advisor to Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in airstrikes, in Tehran, Iran, March 14, 2026; illustrative.