U.S. Navyinterceptsat least four Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters. President Donald Trumpsaysnew Iran talks possible as soon as Friday. TrumpordersNavy to shoot and kill Iranian boats laying mines in Strait of Hormuz. Israelistrikesand violations continue in southern Lebanon. Lebanese and Israeli envoysmeetThursday as Beirut seeks ceasefire extension and Israeli withdrawal. Hezbollahcarriesout four attacks on Israeli positions in southern Lebanon, citing ceasefire violations. Haaretz: Israeli soldiersengagedin widespread looting in Lebanon. Israeli strikeskillat least nine Palestinians across Gaza, including three children. Israeli settlers and soldiers havekilled40 Palestinians in 2026. Defense Secretary Pete HegsethfiresNavy Secretary John Phelan mid-war. Senate Republicansadvance$70 billion immigration enforcement funding blueprint. FBIopenedinquiry into New York Times reporter who wrote about Kash Patel’s use of bureau resources for his girlfriend. Kalshipenalizesthree political candidates for betting on their own elections. Chemical leak at West Virginia silver recovery plantkillstwo, hospitalizes nearly 30. Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldinacquittedin Kuwait after 50+ days in detention. Peru’s defense and foreign ministers, electoral chiefresign. Sudanese militaryresumesmanned air strikes over Kordofan. ICCconfirmscharges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. King Charles will notmeetEpstein victims during U.S. state visit.
From Drop Site:Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Bombed and Left to Die by Israel.Two Iranian Women in ICE Detention are not related to Qasem Soleimani.Meet the Top “Content” Producers Linked to Canary Mission.
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U.S. Navy intercepts at least four Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters:The U.S. military hasinterceptedat least four Iranian oil tankers in waters near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka in recent days, redirecting them as part of its naval blockade on Iran, Reuters reports. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the supertanker Dorena is under Navy escort in the Indian Ocean, with the Department of War reporting forces seizure of the tanker Majestic X also in the Indian Ocean; shipping sources also reported the interception of the Deep Sea and the Sevin, while a fifth vessel, the Derya, may have been stopped after last being tracked off India’s west coast Friday. CENTCOM also claimed to have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of its blockade against Iran in aposton X.
Trump says new Iran talks possible as soon as Friday:President Donald Trumptoldthe New York Post Wednesday that good news on a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations could come “as soon as Friday,” texting the paper: “It’s possible!” Pakistani sources told the Post they are working a 36-to-72-hour diplomatic window with Tehran, with one source saying “the ceasefire is holding despite heightened rhetoric, indicating positive intent on both sides.” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remains open to dialogue and a negotiated agreement, but meaningful talks are being undermined by “breach of commitments, blockade and threats.” In aposton X, he also accused the United States of “hypocritical rhetoric” and of acting in contradiction to stated positions.
Two Iranian Women in ICE Detention are not related to Qasem Soleimani:Drop Site News reviewed Iranian birth records, identification papers and other personal documents and found no evidence connecting Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter Sarina Hosseiny, 25, to the late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, whose green cards Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked on April 3 after right-wing activist Laura Loomer flagged them on social media. Soleimani’s own daughters publicly denied any family connection, with his youngest daughter, Zeinab Soleimani, calling the State Department’s allegations “false.” Hamideh, who suffers from autoimmune hemolytic anemia, has been repeatedly denied blood transfusions at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in San Antonio, where friends say she recently lost consciousness for more than ten minutes. “She’s basically just trapped in there watching her mom die,” a friend said of Sarina’s detention.Read the full report from Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussainhere.
Trump orders Navy to shoot and kill Iranian boats laying mines in Strait of Hormuz:President Donald TrumpannouncedThursday on Truth Social that he has ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, adding “there is to be no hesitation.” Trump also said he was ordering minesweeping operations already underway to continue “at a tripled up level.”The Pentagontoldmembers of the House Armed Services Committee in a classified briefing Tuesday that fully clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months and would likely not begin until the war ends, according to three officials who spoke to the Washington Post.
Pakistan’s army chief emerges as lead U.S.-Iran mediator:Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s most powerful figure, has taken on the role of the primary broker between Washington and Tehran, spending days in the Iranian capital meeting political leaders and Revolutionary Guards commanders while maintaining constant contact with the White House, the Financial Timesreports. Analysts and diplomats are increasingly questioning, however, Pakistan’s ability to serve as an honest broker, citing its mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, deepened financial ties with figures close to President Donald Trump, and its silence on the ongoing naval blockade.
Israeli strikes and violations continue in southern Lebanon:Israeli violations of the ceasefire continued across southern Lebanon on Wednesday and Thursday, including airstrikes, demolitions, and forced displacement orders, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. A drone strike targeted the Rihan heights in the Jezzine area, while another strike on the town of Yahmar al-Shaqif in Nabatiehkilledtwo people and wounded two others Wednesday. Israeli forces alsoset fireto homes in the Mufailha neighborhood west of Mais al-Jabal on Thursday morning. Separately, the Israeli military re-issued warnings ordering residents not to approach areas near the Litani River, while prohibiting returns to dozens of villages across southern Lebanon.
Lebanese journalist bombed and left to die by Israel:Prominent Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed on Wednesday in southern Lebanon after what appeared to be a targeted Israeli strike, according to her employer Al-Akhbar. Khalil and freelance photojournalist Zeinab Faraj had been reporting on attacks in Bint Jbeil when a nearby vehicle was hit by a drone, killing two people, prompting the two journalists to take shelter in a house that was later bombed. Rescue efforts were obstructed amid continued Israeli fire, with reports that Red Cross teams and vehicles came under attack while attempting to evacuate the wounded. Faraj was eventually rescued with critical injuries, while Khalil’s body was recovered later after access was granted. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the incident, citing “repeated strikes on the same location” and the obstruction of humanitarian access as a serious violation of international law. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed his condolences over Khalil’s death and said in a post on X that Israel’s “deliberate and consistent targeting of journalists” was aimed at “concealing the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon” and that such acts constitute “crimes against humanity punishable under international laws and conventions.”Read the full report from Drop Site contributor Jeremy Loffredohere.
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