June 04, 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 formatSubscribeJune 04, 2026UpdatesUN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon was Serbian, defense ministry says after mortar strike on UNIFIL baseA UN peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon after a mortar strike on a UNIFIL position has been identified as a Serbian soldier, Serbia's defense ministry said Thursday.The soldier, Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, was wounded in the attack on the UN base in Marjeyoun and received emergency treatment on site before being evacuated by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Beirut, where he died from his injuries.The base that came under fire is part of the UNIFIL mission's eastern sector, which operates under Italian responsibility, prompting a series of statements from Italian officials.Italy's defense ministry and senior officials condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the Serbian armed forces, while emphasizing the presence of Italian troops within the mission. Defense Chief Gen. Luciano Portolano said the strike resulted in "the death of a Serbian peacekeeper," calling it a "tragic event" and stressing solidarity with UN personnel in the field.Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also said he conveyed condolences "to the government of Belgrade for the killing of a Serbian soldier that took place last night in Lebanon following an attack on a contingent base."Israeli ambassador to the United States Jonathan Peled condemned what he described as a Hezbollah attack on a UNIFIL base, saying it "caused the death and injury of UNIFIL soldiers," and called for a clear condemnation of Hezbollah and support for the cease-fire framework.8 minutes agoIsrael-Lebanon cease-fire could begin within 24 hours, Lebanon president saysLebanon's President Joseph Aoun said that following reports of a ceasefire agreement, Beirut is awaiting responses from all parties regarding guarantees and commitments. At a press conference, Aoun said implementation of the deal could begin within 24 hours of final approval.Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference after the EU Summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, April. Credit: Petros Karadjias/AP Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference after the EU Summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, April. Credit: Petros Karadjias/AP He added that Lebanon had proposed that "pilot areas" from which Israel would withdraw and which would come under the exclusive control of the Lebanese army include, in an initial phase, the Zoutar area in Nabatieh and Beaufort Castle, which was seized earlier this week by the IDF.IDF soldiers at Fort Beaufort, Lebanon, on Sunday. Credit: the IDF Spokesperson’s UnitIDF soldiers at Fort Beaufort, Lebanon, on Sunday. Credit: the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit"The agreement that has been reached is the last opportunity; otherwise, every party must bear responsibility," Aoun said. "The agreement today is different from the one of October 27, 2024, because it will be sustainable, and we rely on the role of President Trump and his administration."Hezbollah has not yet responded to the announcement of the agreement, but said its secretary-general Naim Qassem is expected to issue a statement at 3 P.M.RECAP: UN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon; Israel and Lebanon renew cease-fire amid continued fighting and political tensionsHere are Thursday's latest updates from the U.S.-Iran cease-fire and Israel's cease-firewith Hezbollah:■ Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza City, including members of the same family, according to local medics. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.■ Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew their cease-fire following U.S.-mediated talks, including the creation of "pilot" security zones in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah fighters would be barred, according to a joint statement. Israel's ambassador to the United States said the cease-fire arrangement with Lebanon reflects a shared goal of pushing Iran out of the region and limiting the influence of its proxies.■ Despite the cease-fire agreement, the IDF issued evacuation orders for the entirety of southern Lebanon, warning residents not to travel south of the Zahrani River and stating that operations against Hezbollah infrastructure were continuing.■ A UN peacekeeper was killed and two others wounded after a UNIFIL position in the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun was hit by mortar fire. The force said it has launched an investigation into the incident.■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told a restricted security cabinet meeting that a cease-fire deal in northern Israel could be reached within days, though the IDF and several ministers opposed halting the fighting at this stage and urged expanding operations against Hezbollah.■ The IDF said a drone was identified near Kfar Yuval in northern Israel, triggering sirens in the Galilee Panhandle. No injuries were reported, and the incident was declared over. Sirens also sounded in parts of northern Israel over suspected drone infiltration, later attributed by the IDF to misidentification in one of the regions.■ Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned against internal divisions, saying enemies defeated on the battlefield were now seeking to undermine national cohesion and morale.■ A U.S. House resolution aimed at restricting presidential war powers on Iran passed narrowly, reflecting growing congressional unease over the conflict, though it remains non-binding.■ President Donald Trump said in a Wall Street Journal report that he would consider ending a cease-fire with Iran if U.S. troops are killed, and also said the U.S. would seek Iran's enriched uranium stockpile in any agreement.■ A Hamas operative has been indicted by Israel's State Attorney's Office over the alleged decade-long holding of IDF soldier Oron Shaul's body in Gaza. Prosecutors say Hilo stored the body after Hamas instructed him to keep it for use as leverage against Israel. Shaul's remains were recovered in January 2025 after more than ten years in Gaza.Hamas operative indicted over decade-long holding of Oron Shaul’s body in GazaThe State Attorney's Office has filed an indictment with the Be'er Sheva District Court against Ibrahim Hilo, a 46-year-old Gaza resident, on charges of aiding an enemy in wartime and membership in a terrorist organization, after he is accused of holding the body of IDF soldier Oron Shaul in Gaza for nearly a decade.According to the indictment, Hilo kept Shaul's body following its transfer to Hamas after the soldier was killed in Shuja'iyya during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Prosecutors say Hamas later instructed Hilo to store the body, which he allegedly kept inside a refrigerator at his place of business, aware it was being used as leverage against Israel.Oron Shaul, right, receiving the President's Excellence Award, in 2014. Credit: Courtesy of the familyOron Shaul, right, receiving the President's Excellence Award, in 2014. Credit: Courtesy of the familyThe indictment states that Hilo maintained possession of the body until October 2023, when he left his home amid the outbreak of the current war in Gaza. He is also charged with weapons-related offenses for terrorist purposes.Shaul, a soldier in the Golani Brigade, was killed at the start of the 2014 Gaza war, and his body was held in the Strip for more than ten years. His family conducted a long public campaign for its return, which concluded in January 2025 when the body was recovered by the IDF and Shin Bet.He was later laid to rest next to his father, Herzl Shaul, in a cemetery outside a designated military section.UNIFIL: Soldier killed after our position in southern Lebanon was attackedUN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said one of its soldiers was killed this morning after its position in the town of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon was hit by mortar fire. Two additional soldiers were wounded in the incident. UNIFIL initially did not say which side the attack came from, adding it had launched an investigation to determine what happened.The observer mission said a "growing high number" of trajectories and impacts had recently been recorded in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL called for the violence to end.Source: Netanyahu said that a deal in the north is close; the IDF and Katz opposed halting the fightingPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu updated the restricted security cabinet ministers this week that a cease-fire agreement in the north could potentially be reached within a matter of a few days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz visiting Israeli troops deployed on the border with Lebanon, on Friday. Credit: Maayan Toef/GPOPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz visiting Israeli troops deployed on the border with Lebanon, on Friday. Credit: Maayan Toef/GPOAccording to a source familiar with the details, during the restricted cabinet meeting, the IDF and several ministers, including the defense and national security ministers, expressed opposition to stopping the campaign at the current point in time and requested expanding operations against Hezbollah.Iran's Khamenei warns against divisions after 'enemy's defeat on battlefield' ⁠Iran's ‌Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, ‌said in a message ⁠on Thursday that ⁠Iran's enemies, having been defeated on the battlefield, were now seeking to undermine public ‌resilience and sow internal ‌divisions.Khamenei called for national unity in the face of those threats and said any action that created pessimism or frustration among the ⁠public amounted to helping the enemy.Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran in 2016. Credit: Amir Kholousi/ReutersIran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran in 2016. Credit: Amir Kholousi/ReutersThe message ‌was ⁠read on his ‌behalf during ceremonies marking the anniversary of the death ⁠of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, as well as ‌a major Shi'ite holiday.IDF says Lebanon war continues, orders evacuation of entire south LebanonThe Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the entirety of southern Lebanon, saying the war hasn't ended."The fighting in southern Lebanon continues as the IDF continues to target Hezbollah facilities and infrastructure located in your villages and nearby," the military's Arabic-language Spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X."To ensure your safety, refrain from heading south of the Zahrani River until further notice," he wrote. "Anyone heading south puts their life in danger."Early Thursday morning, the United States, Israel and Lebanon issued a joint statement, announcing that the sides have reached a cease-fire agreement.5 hours agoIDF overnight strikes kill elevan, wound 32 in Gaza CityIsraeli strikes killed at least 11 Palestinians, including five members of the same family, in separate attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics at Al-Shifa Hospital said.Medics in Gaza said Israeli planes launched strikes on four apartments, including the family's home, before dawn. At least 32 people were wounded, and 11 others were brought to hospitals across the Strip, they said. Gaza officials also said the dead included three women, two children, and six men.Gaza's health ministry said that since the cease-fire began on October 11, 947 people have been killed, 2,935 injured, and 781 bodies recovered. It added that since the start of the war, 72,956 people have been killed and 173,043 wounded.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attacks.Footage showed a blown-out building with furniture damaged and burnt, with debris scattered across the street. A video circulated on Palestinian social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed people entering one apartment with blankets to recover bodies."We were woken up by the strike at 2:30 A.M. We found pieces of flesh and people were sleeping. They say the war is over, but the war is not over," Khalil Batran, a neighbour of the family who were killed, told Reuters. He said a girl was the only survivor of the attack on the family home."There is no safety in Gaza ... Every day they fire at us from there and strike us with missiles. It's futile," he added.Israel says its strikes are aimed at thwarting imminent attacks and that it continues to allow aid and goods into Gaza. Since the truce began, about 930 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Hamas rarely publishes information about its fighters.More than 72,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza health authorities.In the News62 Haredim Arrested in Violent Protests Outside Supreme Court Justice's HomeIsrael and Lebanon Agree to Renew Cease-fire, Create Lebanese Security ZonesThe Don, the Underboss and the Consigliere: Israel Is Officially Run by a MafiaWill Iran's Provocations in the Gulf Make Trump Blink?NYU Student Draws Hate Crime Rap for Flying Flag With Swastikas, Star of DavidRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIFar-right Israeli Ministers Join Thousands at Israel Day Parade in New YorkWho Built the Biblical-era Fortresses in the Deserts of Israel and Jordan?UN Report Accuses Israeli Forces of Rape, Sexual Abuse of Palestinian DetaineesNot Lapid or Bennett: Could This Former IDF Chief Be Israel's Next Leader?Israel's Solution to the Gaza Problem Is Well Underway'Fucking Crazy': Trump Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Lebanon, Report Says