May 23, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMay 23, 2026UpdatesIrish president's sister likens Israeli detention to 'concentration camp'Margaret Connolly (left), sister of the Irish president Catherine Connolly and an activist from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israeli forces, arrives at Istanbul Airport, Turkey, on Thursday. Credit: Murad Sezer/ReutersMargaret Connolly (left), sister of the Irish president Catherine Connolly and an activist from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israeli forces, arrives at Istanbul Airport, Turkey, on Thursday. Credit: Murad Sezer/ReutersIrish activist Dr. Margaret Connolly, the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly, said activists detained by Israel while aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla "got a feeling of what the Jews felt like during the Second World War," accusing Israel of "acting like a Nazi state."Connolly and hundreds of other members of a Gaza-bound flotilla were detained on Israeli navy vessels after being intercepted and transferred to Israeli territory. "I was on a warship … on Monday and Tuesday, which means we were kidnapped and abducted and held against our will on a warship, which was a prison ship," Connolly told RTÉ Radio, Ireland's public radio broadcaster.She called the naval detention "a horror of a concentration camp," and said the detainees were "all bent down like hogs, and kept in this position for hours."Read the full articleIsrael struck Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site in eastern Lebanon, IDF saysThe Israeli military struck overnight an underground weapons manufacturing site that was used by Hezbollah in Lebanon's eastern Beqaa Valley, the IDF said.The military's statement said it also struck Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" in the southern coastal city of Tyre.Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Saturday. Credit: AFP/KAWANT HAJUSmoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Saturday. Credit: AFP/KAWANT HAJU"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the issuing of advance warnings, the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance," the IDF's statement said.RECAP: Released Gaza flotilla activists report sexual assaults including rape in Israeli custodyHere are Saturday's latest updates:■ Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a Gaza-bound flotilla were subjected to abuse, organizers said, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.■ U.S. President Donald Trump said he will not attend the wedding of his son, Don Jr., as uncertainty over efforts to resolve the U.S.-Iran war continues. "I feel it is important for me to remain... at the White House during this important period of time," he said.■ Iran is preparing to resume fighting with the United States and Israel, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported, citing a military source. The Trump administration is also preparing to renew strikes on Iran, CBS News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.■ Pakistan army chief, ‌Asim Munir, held talks ⁠with Iranian Foreign ⁠Minister Abbas Araghchi on the latest diplomatic initiatives to ⁠prevent further ‌escalation and end the Iran war, Iran's state media reported.■ An Iranian businessman identified as Babak Zanjani, a self-described "anti-sanctions" operator, allegedly moved about $850 million through Binance over two years, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing internal compliance reports.■ A tanker sailing within ⁠200 nautical ⁠miles west of Yemen's Socotra island deployed its armed security team after it was approached by a ‌small ‌craft carrying five people, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.■ Israeli forces overnight twice raided a building in Tyre, Lebanon, and damaged the southern city's Hiram Hospital, Lebanese reports said, following an IDF-issued evacuation order for parts of the city.■ Sirens sounded in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona due to the impact of a "suspicious aerial target" on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, the IDF said. No injuries were reported.Reports: Israeli forces raid building in Lebanon's Tyre, damage hospitalIsraeli forces overnight twice raided a building in Tyre, Lebanon, and damaged the southern city's Hiram Hospital, Lebanese reports said.The reports follow an IDF evacuation order issued late on Friday for parts of Tyre, covering a UN office, a hospital, a university and a mosque.In a separate incident, Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen reported that two paramedics were killed on Friday and two more were wounded in three Israeli strikes in the south of the country.People inspect the site of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Saturday. Credit: AFP/KAWNAT HAJUPeople inspect the site of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Saturday. Credit: AFP/KAWNAT HAJUEarlier on Friday, the channel reported that a paramedic was killed and four people were wounded in an Israeli strike on a motorcycle and an ambulance crew in the southern town of Burj Rahal.Report: Iran's Araghchi met Pakistan's army chief, discussed efforts to prevent escalationPakistan army chief, ‌Asim Munir, held talks ⁠with Iranian Foreign ⁠Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Friday as Islamabad steps ‌up diplomatic efforts ‌to help mediate between Iran and the United States, Iran's state media reported on Saturday.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran, Iran, in a previous visit in April. Credit: Telegram channel of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, via APForeign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran, Iran, in a previous visit in April. Credit: Telegram channel of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, via APBoth sides exchanged ⁠views on the latest diplomatic initiatives aimed ‌at ⁠preventing further ‌escalation and ending the Iran war in ⁠talks that lasted late into the night, ‌the report said.Report: Iran moved billions through Binance to fund military networksPeople walk past an anti-U.S. mural on a street, amid a ceasefire between U.S. and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/REUTERSPeople walk past an anti-U.S. mural on a street, amid a ceasefire between U.S. and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/REUTERSAn Iranian businessman identified as Babak Zanjani, who has described himself as an "anti-sanctions" operator, allegedly moved about $850 million through Binance over a two-year period, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing internal compliance reports.Law-enforcement officials familiar with the investigation reportedly said Binance had assessed that roughly half of those transactions – about $425 million – were likely used to finance Iran's military networks, including entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.Read the full articleFreed Gaza flotilla activists report sexual abuse in Israeli custodyAn activist from the Global Sumud Flotilla is carried on a wheel stretcher upon her arrival at Istanbul Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday. Credit: Emrah Gurel/AP An activist from the Global Sumud Flotilla is carried on a wheel stretcher upon her arrival at Istanbul Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday. Credit: Emrah Gurel/AP Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to bring aid to Gaza were subjected to abuse, organizers said on Friday, with several hospitalised with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.Israel's prison service denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently.Germany said some ‌of its nationals had been injured and that some accusations were "serious", without giving further details. A legal source in Italy said prosecutors there were investigating possible crimes including kidnapping and sexual assault.Read the full articleIn the NewsFive Killed in Israeli Strike on Police Post in Northern Gaza, Medics Say'Israel Is Losing U.S. Jews – and Its Security Will Suffer as a Result'Paris Mayor Seeking Honorary Citizenship for Palestinians in Gaza, West BankIrish President's Sister Likens Israeli Detention to 'Concentration Camp''Help Me, Settlers Are Coming': Armed With Clubs, They Beat a Father and His BoyRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli OfficialsBen-Gvir Posts Video of Police Dragging Detained Gaza Flotilla ActivistsThe Most Consequential Republican Primary for Israel Is Happening in KentuckyIsraeli Settler Filmed Abusing Palestinian-owned Dog in West BankUnmoved by Trump's Ticking Clock, Iran Forms a New Reality in the Persian Gulf`World Leaders Summon Israeli Envoys Over Ben-Gvir Gaza Flotilla Activists Video