KOENIG

The U.S. embassy in Beirut on Thursday called for direct engagement between Lebanon and Israel, saying the Land of the Cedars faces a “historic opportunity” to reclaim its sovereignty and shape its future.

“Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation,” the embassy said in a statement posted on social media.

Direct talks between the neighboring states “can mark the beginning of a national revival,” the embassy said, adding that the current cessation of hostilities has created an opening for diplomacy.

As a series of complex post-Iran war dilemmas are set into place, the IDF has shifted to focus almost all of its Iran-related attention to the nuclear issue, with the ballistic missiles and regime change questions mostly falling by the wayside.

In briefings, the IDF is spending significant time emphasizing the continued danger of the 60% enriched uranium which the Islamic regime might access under the rubble of its Isfahan and other facilities.

Discussing that issue, the IDF is making it clear that it would be ready to return to a full-fledged war to prevent Iran from using the uranium to move toward a nuclear weapon.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to receive a briefing on plans for potential renewed military action against Iran on Thursday, sources with knowledge of the matter told Axios.

United States Central Command has prepared a plan for a “short and powerful” wave of strikes, likely including the Islamic Republic’s key infrastructure, in hopes of breaking the stalemate in the talks, the outlet cited three sources as saying.

Other options include an operation to take over part of the Strait of Hormuz and reopen it to commercial shipping, and a special forces raid to secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium, according to Axios.

(photo: Getty Images)

The United States has crossed a grim threshold: The national debt now exceeds the size of the entire American economy. As of March 31, debt held by the public stood at $31.27 trillion, while nominal GDP over the prior 12-month period was an estimated $31.22 trillion—pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio to 100.2%, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), based on new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Total gross national debt—including intragovernmental obligations—has already surpassed $39 trillion, a figure that amounts to roughly $114,000 per American or $289,000 per household, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee’s monthly debt update as of April 3, 2026.

The 100% milestone puts the U.S. on a collision course with its all-time high: the 106% debt-to-GDP ratio reached in 1946, in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as a figurehead since the start of the Middle East war, says the United States’ naval blockade of the country aimed to create division and “make us collapse from within.”

He says US President Donald Trump “divides the country into two groups: hardliners and moderates, and then immediately talks about a naval blockade to force Iran into submission through economic pressure and internal discord,” state TV reports.

With the killing of numerous Iranian leaders by US-Israeli strikes, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, there has been widespread speculation over the balance of power within the Islamic republic.

(photo: Reuters)

Turkey has approached the United States and Lebanon with a proposal to help broker an arrangement involving Hezbollah, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Jerusalem Post.

The initiative includes an offer by Ankara to act as a mediator and take an active role in addressing the Hezbollah issue. The proposal reflects Turkey’s broader effort to expand its diplomatic reach and position itself as a regional power broker. The US administration has not yet provided a clear response, with officials neither accepting nor rejecting the offer.

In recent years, Turkey has sought greater involvement across the Middle East, particularly in areas bordering Israel. In the Gaza Strip, Ankara aimed to participate in a planned CMCC peacekeeping force expected to be deployed following “Trump’s 20-point plan,” but Israel vetoed the inclusion of Turkish troops.

US President Donald Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.

In recent meetings, Trump opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports, the report says, adding that he believes that his other options, including resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict, carry more risk than maintaining the blockade.

US President Donald Trump is unhappy with Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal because it doesn’t address the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, said a US official briefed on Trump’s Monday meeting with advisers.

According to unnamed US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Trump did not reject Iran’s proposal outright during the meeting, but suggested Tehran was negotiating in bad faith and was unable to commit to halting its uranium enrichment and never seeking a nuclear arms.

The officials said the White House would likely make a counterproposal in the coming days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday convened coalition leaders and top ministers to prepare for a possible collapse of the U.S.-Iran talks, according to Hebrew media reports.

Netanyahu called the two meetings “to examine a series of scenarios in the event that the negotiations collapse,” according to Channel 12 News.

Jerusalem is reportedly urging the United States to continue its closure of the Strait of Hormuz and not ease the naval blockade as a goodwill gesture during the talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a reported recent offerfrom Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions is not acceptable to the United States or other countries.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Rubio said Iran has a different view of the strategic waterway than most of the rest of the world does: “What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we’ll blow you up and you pay us.”

“That’s not opening the straits,” the top US diplomat said. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Irania

Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid will officially unite their two parties into a combined ticket called “Together – Led by Naftali Bennett,” a spokesperson for Bennett announced Sunday afternoon.

Addressing reporters in the coastal city of Herzliya several hours later, Bennett called joining with Lapid the “most Zionist and patriotic act we have ever done, for the sake of our country” and declared that “the era of division is over.”

Insisting that he and Lapid — the current leader of the opposition — were “racing forward to victory,” he also invited Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to join them, stating that “our door is open for you too.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “vigorously” attack the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, his office announced on Saturday night.

The announcement followed the launch of several rockets and UAVs from Lebanon toward northern Israeli communities earlier in the day, in violation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Beirut.

The IDF announced the interception of one rocket after air-raid sirens were activated in Kibbutz Manara, Kibbutz Misgav Am and Moshav Margaliot on Saturday afternoon. A second rocket struck in an open area in the north, it said. “There are no casualties; this is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the military stated.

White House Correspondents’ Dinner Disrupted by Gunfire:  

Trump and Vance Evacuated The White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026, was abruptly interrupted after gunfire was reported near the event’s security screening area.

The incident triggered an immediate and large-scale response from the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were swiftly evacuated from the venue along with other officials and attendees. Witnesses reported moments of panic, with guests taking cover as agents secured the scene.

A man armed with multiple weapons allegedly attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the event and was “taken down” by U.S. Secret Service agents, according to statements attributed to President Trump following his evacuation. One law enforcement officer was struck during the incident but was reportedly protected by a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover. Trump told reporters that the vest likely saved the officer’s life. No fatalities have been reported.

Authorities said the situation was quickly contained, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the exact sequence of events and how the suspect approached the security perimeter.

President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after multiple gunshots were heard in the ballroom.

Trump, in a Truth Social post less than an hour later, said that a shooter has been caught.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” he said in the post.

“The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” he wrote.

“They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

A US negotiating team, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will no longer be traveling to Pakistan for US-Iran talks, US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Saturday.

Trump stated that he canceled the trip to prevent his team from taking an 18-hour flight “to sit around talking about nothing.”

“We have all the cards,” he continued, adding that “they can call us anytime they want,” in reference to Iran’s negotiators.

The report comes against the backdrop of the White House's desire to hold a call or meeting between Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. It was also noted that Aoun may visit Riyadh before his visit to Washington in the coming weeks, where he would meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the ceasefire between the two countries for three more weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday.

The announcement follows a meeting at the White House between Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

“The meeting went very well,” Trump wrote on social media. “The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah.”U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters in the Oval Office that the truce would be under the same terms as the 10-day ceasefire to which the two countries agreed on April 16.

The USS George H.W. Bush arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, joining two other aircraft carriers for “Operation Epic Fury,” U.S. Central Command said.

“For the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers are operating in the Middle East at the same time,” CENTCOM stated. “Accompanied by their carrier air wings, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) include over 200 aircraft and 15,000 Sailors and Marines.”

CENTCOM stated that more than 15,000 sailors and marines are now stationed in this convoy, with more than 200 aircraft and nine guided missile destroyer ships (DDGs).

The George H.W. Bush left Naval Station Norfolk in March.