At times, he said, “We seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden there’s a major explosion that goes off in a major population center in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives, and that’s not acceptable.”
Vance said Trump has become frustrated with Israel for attacking Lebanon.
(June 18, 2026)
In response to those attacks, Vance pointed out that two-thirds of Israel’s defense weapons have been built and paid for by Americans and that the problem for Israel “is not Donald Trump.”
“Anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation in that country,” he added.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday delivered an extraordinarily direct rebuke to Israeli critics of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement, as he sought to defend the preliminary deal with repeated misrepresentations of some of its terms.
“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Mr. Vance said. He added, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
Mandy Sarti, NDR, tagesschau, 11.06.2026 • 16:08 Uhr
(June 16, 2026)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa may travel to Ankara to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit, though he has not received an official invitation to the gathering, according to information obtained by Türkiye Today.
Contrary to the reports published earlier in Turkish media, the Syrian leader is not included on the official guest list for the alliance‘s formal event. However, sources indicate a face-to-face meeting with Trump remains a possibility as global leaders converge on the Turkish capital.
Barak argued that Netanyahu “could sabotage the elections by launching operations in Lebanon that would provoke retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran.
“Netanyahu wants an endless war because he understands that ending it would accelerate his trial,” Barak said. “Just as he obstructed some prisoner-exchange deals (with Hamas), he also blocked the possibility of progress in Lebanon.”
Netanyahu is currently standing trial in Israel on corruption charges and is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process. We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down. There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
TEHRAN – A Qatari delegation has reportedly arrived in Tehran amid high-level diplomatic activity linked to ongoing efforts for “message exchange” between the US and Iran, as Tehran shows resistance over signing date.
The visiting delegation is headed by advisor to Qatar’s Foreign Minister. The visit is said to aim at continuing indirect communication and transmission of messages between Tehran and Washington. This is second visit by the Qatari delegation to Tehran within just a few days amid intensified behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
A potential peace agreement between Iran and US could be signed digitally as early as today.
As regional powers are discussing whether or not Lebanon is included in a deal between Iran and the US, this isn’t necessarily a moment of peace here. In fact, it is a moment of danger, just like it was on April 8, when there were discussions on whether or not Lebanon was going to be included in the deal.
The Israeli prime minister and his military made it clear that it would not be, and later that afternoon it turned into the deadliest day of the war as more than 350 people were killed.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said peacekeepers in southern Lebanon continue to observe extensive Israeli military activity, including “high-density armoured movements, large-scale engineering and demolition works and sustained logistical traffic” in areas near the border.
Dujarric said the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil, also recorded intensive air activity involving fighter aircraft and drones.
In an interview on Thursday evening, Esmaeil Baghaei rejected media speculations regarding an agreement and reaffirmed Iran’s resolute and principled stance.
“Textually, the text has almost been finalized in its major parts. The problem is that the contradictory positions of the United States have always caused turbulence and disruption in this process,” Baghaei stated.
He emphasized that the Islamic Republic entered the diplomatic process with goodwill and full responsibility, while American officials have repeatedly shifted positions, raised unrealistic new demands, and even carried out military attacks during the negotiations.
There is a positive understanding here in Tehran about this memorandum of understanding.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its spokesperson, told the media this evening that, yes, there is a proposal; it is now under consideration by the supreme leader of Iran, and also the top leaders of the country, and that it might well end in a kind of signing.
But the news about a location and timing are probably speculations at this moment.
If the Senate were to secure those 60 votes and pass the war powers resolution, the chambers would have to work out differences in the text of the bill between the two chambers, which might require additional votes.
If both chambers pass identical versions of a war powers resolution, the measure would still require the president‘s signature to take effect — something that seems unlikely based on Trump‘s commitment to the war so far.
If Trump vetoes it, the House and Senate could override the veto only with two-thirds votes in each chamber, which is well above the support demonstrated so far. No war powers resolution has ever overcome a veto.
Since a ceasefire went into place in early April, Trump has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran to end the war Israel and the U.S. launched on Feb. 28. Israel has publicly expressed skepticism that Iran would abide by any negotiated deal. Netanyahu has pushed for a resumption of bombing raids against Iran and disagreed with Trump, who has pressed him to scale back attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Western officials.
Israel is keenly interested in whether Trump decides to resume major combat operations against Iran or to end the conflict, the current and former U.S. officials and outside experts said.
The DIA reportedly posted an internal message raising the espionage threat level regarding Israel to “critical.” It also identified a series of specific incidents that heightened US concerns, one of the officials said.
The Pentagon is particularly concerned that Israel is surveilling top US officials to obtain information about internal deliberations among President Donald Trump‘s close advisors regarding decision-making on the conflicts in West Asia.
A peacekeeper died early Thursday morning from injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position in southeastern Lebanon the previous night, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.
Even with more than two years left to go before the next presidential election, speculation about who could run is everywhere. Several politicians have publicly flirted with the idea of running for the office in recent months. And polls are capturing a developing picture of who the top possible contenders could be.
Oil futures have seen their biggest weekly drop in nearly two months as news swirled of a potential US-Iran deal that could see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and a ceasefire extended between Washington and Tehran.
Brent oil crude futures fell to $92.69 a barrel, a weekly drop of more than 10 percent.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”
Oman, a strategic partner of the U.S. for more than 50 years, has played a key role in efforts to mediate a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.
“If you enter the Persian Gulf, first of all, we will give a tough, painful and unprecedented response and break the naval blockade,” he warned Washington.
“But more importantly, we may withdraw from the NPT. Do you know what will happen to you if we withdraw? So… don‘t commit suicide.”
(Updated on: May 24, 2026 / 6:16 AM EDT)
The shooting occurred outside the White House at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Somewhere between approximately 15 to 30 gunshots were fired, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Multiple CBS News reporters who were on the White House North Lawn said they heard what sounded like gunfire at around 6 p.m. ET before U.S. Secret Service ushered them inside.
(12:45 AM · May 24, 2026)
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
And reports indicate that the number of U.S. military surveillance flights taking place near the island have skyrocketed in recent weeks, raising fears of an impending operation.
(…)
Trump’s recent threats to “take” Cuba, however, coupled with the recent loss of energy supplies from Venezuela and the Castro indictment, may mark the most serious threat to the country’s independence since its 1959 revolution.
(May 5, 2026)
If he decides to act, the US president will pull Israel into a state of alert that will delay the Knesset‘s dissolution and lead to the election being held as scheduled in October. If Trump chooses not to strike Iran again, Netanyahu will lead Israel to an election on Sept. 1. Sources who have spoken with Netanyahu recently say the prime minister is leaning toward moving up the election, partly due to the erosion of his security achievements.
In the “Potential Strike on Iran by June” market, the likelihood of a strike by the UK, France, or Germany is currently priced at 4.3% YES, showing minimal change from previous days. In parallel, the “Warships Through Strait of Hormuz by May 31” market reflects a 12% YES probability for UK warships passing through, maintaining the same level as 24 hours ago.
(May 5, 2026)
If he decides to act, the US president will pull Israel into a state of alert that will delay the Knesset‘s dissolution and lead to the election being held as scheduled in October. If Trump chooses not to strike Iran again, Netanyahu will lead Israel to an election on Sept. 1. Sources who have spoken with Netanyahu recently say the prime minister is leaning toward moving up the election, partly due to the erosion of his security achievements.