Published on: 04/28/2026 - 06:53 Modified on: 04/29/2026 - 04:18

Eight people, including three Civil Defense rescuers, were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. The United Arab Emirates also announced its withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+ from May 1. This announcement comes at a time when the war in Iran is causing a historic energy shock and destabilizing the global economy. Here is the thread for April 28, 2026.

See you soon !

This is the end of this live, thank you for following it. Our coverage of the situation in the Middle East continues here.

Alongside Charles III, Trump says US 'militarily defeated' Iran

Donald Trump said Tuesday, during a banquet at the White House in the presence of King Charles III, that the United States had “militarily defeated” Iran. “We have militarily defeated this particular adversary, and we will never let this adversary (...) possess a nuclear weapon,” the American president declared about Iran at the opening of the banquet, affirming that, on this point, “Charles agrees with me even more than I do.”

Lebanon: eight people, including three rescuers, killed in Israeli strikes

Eight people, including three Civil Defense rescuers, were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, where Israel also announced that it had destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel threatening the north of its territory.

Five of those killed were during Israeli strikes on a building in the southern town of Majdal Zoun, then during the joint rescue operation carried out at the site by soldiers and rescue workers, according to authorities.

The Lebanese Civil Defense said its three members died in Majdal Zoun "under the rubble" after the Israeli strike on a building. The army reported two wounded soldiers.

“Israel continues to violate international laws and conventions that protect civilians,” denounced Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The rescuers killed "were participating in a rescue and emergency response mission to those injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a building (...) which also caused the death of civilian residents", he detailed.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health also reported one person killed and 15 injured, including five children, in an Israeli strike on Jwaya, another locality in the south of the country.

Merz doubts US strategy in Iran, Trump says he 'doesn't know what he's talking about'

The American president violently attacked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, accusing him on his Truth Social network of "not knowing what he was talking about" on Iran.

The German leader asserted on Monday that "the Americans (have) visibly no strategy" in Iran and judged that Tehran was "humiliating" the world's leading power.

The chancellor "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about," complained Donald Trump.

Friedrich Merz made the comment during his visit to a school in western Germany. “The Americans obviously have no strategy. And the problem with this kind of conflict is always that not only do you have to enter, but you also have to get out,” he declared.

Read on France 24

Iraqi air defense fires on drone flying over Baghdad's Green Zone

Iraqi air defense fired on a drone flying over the Green Zone, a secure enclave in the center of Baghdad where the American embassy is located, a military source announced to AFP.

This is the first incident of this type in Baghdad since a fragile ceasefire in the war between the United States and Israel against Iran came into force on April 8.

“At 7:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. GMT), Camp Honor (Department of Defense) air defense detected an unidentified drone above the green zone,” the source said.

“Air defense systems were activated on the target,” she added, specifying that the drone, on which she did not provide details, had not been shot down.

US military arrests boat suspected of heading to Iranian port

The US military announced it had boarded a merchant ship suspected of attempting to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports.

The M/V Blue Star III was released by American forces "after they carried out a search and confirmed that the boat's itinerary did not include a stopover in an Iranian port", affirmed the American military command for the Middle East (Centcom) on X.

“To date, 39 ships have been redirected to ensure compliance” with the blockade, he added.

Israel claims to have discovered two Hezbollah tunnels running 2 km in Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed to have discovered two Hezbollah tunnels, with a total length of two kilometers, on the border between Lebanon and Israel, specifying that they were used by elite units of the pro-Iranian movement.

These tunnels were "built over approximately a decade" and were connected to projectile launchers "directed towards Israeli territory", the army said in a statement.

Lebanese army says two soldiers injured after Israeli 'targeted strike'

Two soldiers were injured Tuesday in an Israeli "targeted strike" in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said, for the first time since the ceasefire came into force on April 17.

According to a military statement, these soldiers were participating in a relief operation in the locality of Majdal Zoun and were accompanied by Civil Defense when they were targeted by Israel, which continues its strikes against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Crisis in the Middle East: for Meloni, the priority is to control prices

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her current priority was to contain inflationary pressure, particularly in the energy sector, since the launch of war by the United States and Israel against Iran at the end of February.

“In the current context of international crisis that we are facing, the issue of keeping prices and energy under control, of preventing an inflationary impact that clearly slows down GDP growth, must be considered a priority,” Meloni said at a press conference.

Five Palestinians, including a child, killed in Israeli strikes, doctors say

Strikes carried out Tuesday by Israel in the Gaza Strip killed five Palestinians, including a 9-year-old child, doctors reported, as attacks continue in the Palestinian territory despite the announcement last fall of a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas.

Gulf leaders meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss war aftermath

Saudi Arabia hosted leaders from Gulf countries to discuss the crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East and ways to respond.

According to Saudi state media, leaders and officials from participating Gulf countries were welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the coastal city of Jeddah.

“Several issues (...) related to regional and international developments were discussed, as well as the coordination of efforts to respond to them,” reported the Saudi Press Agency (APS).

A source close to the government told AFP that the discussions focused on "the current political and security situation in the region".

🎥 Negotiations at half mast: Trump “doesn’t like” Iran’s latest proposal

US President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest proposal sent by Iran, according to an American representative, indicating that it did not answer the question of Iran's nuclear program, which constitutes one of the main points of contention between Washington and Tehran.

Story by Alexandra Quarini and Bryan Quinn.

Israel, accused of letting in grain "stolen by Russia", says Ukraine did not "provide proof"

Israel said kyiv had provided "no evidence" to support its allegations that Israel allowed grain "stolen by Russia" from Ukraine into its ports.

“The Ukrainian government has not made any request for legal assistance and has not provided any evidence to support its accusations,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

According to Ukraine, which has been fighting the Russian invasion for four years, several ships loaded with grain stolen by Moscow have arrived in the Israeli port of Haifa in recent weeks. “In any normal country, the purchase of stolen goods entails criminal liability,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Emirates announce their withdrawal from OPEC from May

The United Arab Emirates announced its withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+, a blow to these two groups of oil-exporting countries and to Saudi Arabia, their leader, at a time when the war in Iran has caused a historic energy shock and is destabilizing the global economy.

The surprise withdrawal of the UAE, a member since 1967 of the organization founded in 1960, could sow disorder and weaken the cartel, which generally strives to present a united front despite internal disagreements on a range of issues from geopolitics to production quotas.

Israel has “no territorial aim” on Lebanon (minister)

Israel has "no territorial aim" on Lebanon, says Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, as the Israeli army continues its strikes against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in the neighboring country despite the ceasefire.

“Israel” has no territorial aim over Lebanon. Our presence in the areas along our northern border has only one objective: to protect our citizens,” insisted Gideon Saar during a press conference alongside his Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric.

The president of the International Air Transport Association is concerned about a shortage of kerosene in the middle of the summer period

The jet fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran has not yet reached the scale of that experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, but a shortage during the peak summer period in the northern hemisphere is worrying, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has said.

Willie Walsh told Reuters that demand remained strong around the world, but a shortage of jet fuel could hit Asia first, then Europe, then Africa and Latin America, with flight cancellations expected if fuel rationing occurs.

Sweden warns of possible kerosene shortage in the long term

The Swedish government has warned of a risk of a shortage of kerosene in the country, due to the war in the Middle East and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We would like to inform you of an early warning regarding a risk of shortage of aviation fuel. This assessment is based on the analysis of the Swedish Energy Agency,” Energy Minister Ebba Busch said at a press conference.

“Even if we reach a lasting peace agreement tomorrow, it will probably still take some time before oil and gas supplies return to normal,” she added alongside Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the head of the Energy Agency, Caroline Asserup.

At this stage, there is no systemic shortage of kerosene in the European Union. But concern is growing as 20% of aviation fuel consumed by the EU usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

With AFP and Reuters

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.