Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says opponents must adapt to ‘new rules’ in Strait of Hormuz

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A ship waits to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran, which is conditional on the opening of the strait, in Oman on April 8, 2026. Shipping traffic remained at low levels, reported. [Shady Alassar – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said opponents of the Islamic Republic have been forced to accept what it described as new realities imposed by Iran’s armed forces, particularly regarding the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the June 1963 uprising, the Revolutionary Guard said Iran’s military and political position had altered the balance of power in the region.

“The enemy is forced to accept the new rules imposed on the ground by the Iranian people and armed forces, particularly in the smart management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The statement described public mobilisation as a key element of Iran’s strategy.

“The presence of the people in the streets is the backbone of the battle, the bulwark of diplomacy, and a necessary factor for achieving a complete and decisive victory.”

The Revolutionary Guard rejected what it called attempts by Iran’s adversaries to portray recent events as a success and said “the enemy is attempting to distort reality by fabricating false narratives and misleading the media”.

READ: Iran claims US patriot missile, not Iranian strike, destroyed Kuwait airport terminal

According to the statement, Iran’s armed forces remain on the highest level of readiness following decades of confrontation with the United States and its allies.

“Thanks to the invaluable experience gained over 48 years of confrontation with America, particularly in the imposed wars, the armed forces have maintained their full and continuous readiness at the highest level.”

The Revolutionary Guard also warned against what it described as broken promises by its adversaries and reiterated that any future military action against Iran would be met with a forceful response.

“Should any aggression occur, the response will be decisive, overwhelming, and far-reaching.”

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

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Hezbollah rejects Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement

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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.[Houssam Shbaro – Anadolu Agency]

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected the outcomes of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement marking the death anniversary of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, Qassem said the outcomes of the negotiations “are completely rejected by broad segments of the Lebanese people.”

He said the US-backed ceasefire understandings reflected American and Israeli visions for Lebanon’s future and sought to subject the country to what he called the “Greater Israel project.”

A joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced early Thursday that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.

READ: Israeli army crosses Litani River, reaches outskirts of Nabatieh city

The Hezbollah leader accused Israel of attempting “to achieve politically what it had failed to accomplish militarily.”

He added that Israeli settlements in northern Israel “will not be safe” as long as Lebanese villages remain under attack.

“We are only concerned with ending the aggression, securing a ceasefire, and ensuring Israel’s withdrawal,” he said.

Qassem stressed that any ceasefire must apply across all Lebanese territory, adding that as long as the Israeli occupation continues, “the resistance will continue.”

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.

More than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.

READ: Israeli businessman claims Trump threatened Netanyahu through his wife over Lebanon plans

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

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UN peacekeeper killed, 2 others wounded in shelling in southern Lebanon

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The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are seen as they have reported that the Israeli army constructed two walls inside Lebanese territory along the border, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, near the town of Yaroun, Nabatieh, Lebanon on November 15, 2025. [Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency]

A peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and two others were wounded after mortar shells struck their position in southern Lebanon, the mission said Thursday, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, UNIFIL said the peacekeeper sustained critical injuries “when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun, southeastern Lebanon” late Wednesday night.

The injured peacekeeper was evacuated by air to a hospital in Beirut, where he later died from his wounds.

The mission said two other peacekeepers were also injured in the incident and are receiving treatment at a medical facility inside a UNIFIL base.

The peacekeeping force said it has launched an investigation “to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to this tragic incident.”

“UNIFIL has detected an increasingly high number of trajectories and impacts in South Lebanon. The violence must end,” the mission said.

READ: Hezbollah rejects Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack that targeted a UNIFIL position near Marjayoun, identifing the deceased soldier as Sgt. Milovan Jovanovic of Serbia, born in 1989, citing the Serbian Defense Ministry.

It said attacks against peacekeepers carrying out their mission to maintain international peace and security constitute a “serious violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701,” which ended the war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006.

It said it was awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the attack and expressed solidarity with UNIFIL leadership, while wishing a speedy recovery to the two injured peacekeepers from El Salvador and Spain.

Lebanon and Israel agreed Wednesday to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish “pilot zones” placing the Lebanese army in exclusive territorial control, with all non-state actors excluded.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement released following a fourth round of US-mediated talks held at the State Department.

The US-sponsored talks followed weeks of near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed nearly 3,500 people since March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect April 17 and later extended to early July.

READ: Lebanese soldier killed in Israeli strike in new ceasefire violation

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingUN peacekeeper killed, 2 others wounded in shelling in southern Lebanon

Ex-Israeli premier warns Netanyahu could try to ‘steal’ next elections

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Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. [Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images]

Former Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert warned Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies could attempt to manipulate the next general elections, accusing them of using intimidation and coercion in the Knesset vote that elected a new state comptroller, Anadolu reports.

His warning came a day after the Knesset’s election of Michael Rabello, the Netanyahu family’s lawyer, as Israel’s new state comptroller.

Rabello, backed by the governing coalition, narrowly defeated opposition-backed retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, amid warnings of potential conflicts of interest.

The opposition has alleged that the vote was marred by irregularities, including warnings for lawmakers against supporting the opposition candidate.

“What happened yesterday is a preview of what will happen in the next Knesset elections,” Olmert told Israel’s 103FM radio.

The current Knesset’s term expires in October, although legislation to dissolve parliament and potentially bring forward elections has been proposed.

“They are trying to rig the elections and steal them,” Olmert said. “They will try to do at polling stations what they did yesterday at the Knesset voting station, in front of television cameras and the entire world.

READ: “My plan”: Netanyahu letter reveals Israel’s bid to replace US aid with military fusion

“They used mechanisms of blackmail and threats in violation of the law. This criminal gang is led by the prime minister and his aides,” Olmert said.

“I am issuing a warning,” he continued. “The prime minister and the gang of thugs governing the country with him will try to steal the elections.

“They believe they can prevent voters from going to the polls and influence the results,” he said.

“What happened yesterday involved blackmail through threats, vote theft, and the use of organized-crime methods to elect the candidate the prime minister wanted.”

No strategic benefit

Turning to Lebanon, Olmert said there is a framework that could eventually lead to peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

“There are some minor territorial issues that can undoubtedly be resolved,” he said.

Early Thursday, a joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.

“Our problem is that we (Israelis) have a government that wants war in Lebanon, a government that wants to stay there,” Olmert said.

“It is a government under pressure from a group of lunatics who believe that southern Lebanon, eastern Syria, Gaza, and perhaps Yemen in the future are all lands given to them by God.”

READ: Israeli businessman claims Trump threatened Netanyahu through his wife over Lebanon plans

He argued that part of any agreement with Lebanon should involve coordinated cooperation between Israel and the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government is already pursuing a plan to place all weapons under state control, including Hezbollah’s arms, but the group insists it is a resistance movement against Israeli occupation and has rejected disarmament.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has described direct negotiations with Israel as “absurd, humiliating and disgraceful,” saying any outcome would be “completely unacceptable” to broad segments of Lebanese society.

Olmert also said that if US President Donald Trump reaches an agreement with Iran to end the war between Washington and Tehran, it could create a framework for cooperation on the Hezbollah weapons issue.

“Our ground operations in southern Lebanon continue without practical value,” he said. “Israel should not have entered there. Our ground presence has brought no strategic benefit.”

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.

READ: Islamic Jihad accuses Israel of continued violations of Gaza ceasefire

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingEx-Israeli premier warns Netanyahu could try to ‘steal’ next elections

Italian activists from Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla say Israel tortured them

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Italian activist Antonio La Piccirella speaks in a press conference in Rome, on 3 June 2026 [Screengrab/Anadolu Agency]

Italians who took part in a humanitarian aid flotilla for Gaza said Wednesday that when the Israeli army attacked them last month in the Mediterranean in violation of international law, they abducted some activists, and subjected them to ill-treatment amounting to torture, Anadolu reports.

“This time, the Israeli army responded to the flotilla much more violently” than in past humanitarian efforts, Antonio La Piccirella, who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla’s 2026 Spring Mission, told a press conference in Rome.

“There were two attacks, one of them off the coast of Europe. In the attack between Italy and Greece, they abducted two of our members, further violating international law. The other intervention was carried out in broad daylight and lasted for one-and-a-half days.”

La Piccirella said Israel last year allocated $180 million to anti-flotilla propaganda in order to fight them and build up a sense of “impunity,” and that this year they spent far more, some $760 million.

This propaganda was carried out through disinformation and aimed to create communities sympathetic to Israel in Europe and the US, he said.

Emphasizing that they would continue to take action in the future, La Piccirella said: “We are concerned with actions against the naval blockade of Palestine (and promoting) humanitarian aid, and international law.

“The international situation is constantly changing, and so is our strategy. So we repeat that we will definitely continue to do something,” he said.

Watch: Israeli diplomat forced to cut short address at UN Labour Conference in Geneva

– Forced to kneel and be humiliated

Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani, who also took part in the spring mission, stressed that after being detained he was not even allowed to say that he was a journalist.

“From the very beginning, we were beaten and forced into humiliating positions. When we were taken to their military ships, we were pushed down face-first onto the deck, tied up, then forced to kneel and kept in the same extremely uncomfortable position for hours. When we were brought to the ship that we all called the prison ship, we were systematically beaten,” he said.

The face-down positions he described fit video footage posted online by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which the activists were forced to kneel and were subjected to abusive language, mistreatment which drew fierce criticism from numerous countries.

Mantovani said he still has problems with his jaw because of the blows he received and that his jaw may have been dislocated.

The Italian journalist said the Israeli army treated Turkish activists especially badly.

“I think I can say that the Turks were treated even worse than the others; torture also has a geopolitical dimension,” he said.

Turkish leaders have been at the international forefront of condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza as well as the famine and near-starvation of its populace due to a long-standing blockade of food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies. The blockade was due to be relaxed in recent months, but many rights groups and international observers say the situation has improved little if at all.

Mantovani pointed out that the Global Sumud Flotilla was detained at night during its first voyage last year, while during this latest voyage it was detained in broad daylight.

He stressed that the Israeli army was not ashamed to show that it attacked unarmed people with weapons.

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingItalian activists from Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla say Israel tortured them