Israel resumes strikes on Iran

Israel conducted airstrikes in Iran early on Monday, targeting military sites in response to missile fire from Tehran, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict that had seen a ceasefire since April. The strikes followed earlier Israeli attacks on southern Beirut, prompting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to label Israel’s actions as crossing “all red lines.” During the missile exchange, Israel reported intercepting 11 incoming missiles without casualties. Tensions continue to rise as the situation in Lebanon remains fraught with conflict, particularly with Israeli forces targeting Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group. US President Donald Trump reportedly advised Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu against further retaliation, reflecting concerns over the potential for escalating violence in the region

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned a Russian drone strike near the Chornobyl nuclear plant. Ukrainian officials said a spent nuclear fuel storage facility was hit, but contained no spent fuel at the time. A fire was extinguished, with no injuries reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation levels remained stable. Meanwhile, British prime minister Keir Starmer is hosting Zelenskyy, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks on support for Ukraine.

Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least nine people and wounded 20, according to health officials. One strike hit a Hamas-run police post near a tent camp for displaced families in Khan Younis. Another hit a vehicle in Gaza City. The Israeli military didn’t immediately comment.Meanwhile, Egypt is hosting new talks with Hamas and other Palestinian factions to rescue a fragile United States-brokered ceasefire. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of truce violations. Hamas says ending Israeli attacks is needed for progress on the next phase of the Gaza plan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has won the country’s parliamentary election, strengthening his mandate to continue a westward foreign policy shift. His Civil Contract party defeated opposition candidates who had called for closer ties with Russia. The vote was closely watched by Moscow, the European Union and the United States. Pashinyan’s main challenger, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, campaigned from house arrest. The election followed Armenia’s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in 2023. The opposition accused Pashinyan of surrendering historic Armenian lands. Pashinyan argued that Armenia’s focus on Nagorno-Karabakh had kept the country trapped in conflict and dependent on Russia. He campaigned on peace with Azerbaijan and normalising relations with Turkey, a highly sensitive issue in Armenia because of the 1915 genocide.