Watch out for Cypress. Yes, Cypress. ────────────── The Greek Cypriot administration is reportedly planning to expand defense cooperation with India and purchase BrahMos supersonic missiles as part of a broader strategic partnership between the two sides. Reports in Greek Cypriot and Indian media said the Greek Cypriot administration is working with India on a defense cooperation roadmap covering the 2026-2031 period. The plan reportedly includes joint military training, port visits, maritime security, cybersecurity, and technical defense cooperation. The Greek Cypriot administration is also said to be interested in Indian weapons systems, including BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. turkiyetoday.com/region/gree…

So the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" is here to stay. If more serious action was being considered, sanctions would be irrelevant. ─────────── U.S. Sanctions Iran’s ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ as Hormuz Transit Fight Escalates gcaptain.com/u-s-sanctions-i…

The IDF spokesman in Arabic posted a new warning for residents of a certain neighborhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre to evacuate - not just to a different neighborhood, but to north of the Zahrani River.

Members of the emergency response team in Shomera, a moshav on Israel's northern border, tried to shoot down an explosive quadcopter drone. This happened on Tuesday.

Posts on Lebanese social media: The [Israeli] army announced in a statement the start of a bombing operation against Hezbollah headquarters in the city of Tyre. Random Israeli phone calls are reaching residents in the city of Tyre and its surroundings, instructing them to “evacuate their homes immediately.” Video: "A mass exodus from Tyre after the Israeli army issued a warning to evacuate the city and its surroundings."

Israeli strikes kill dozens in southern Lebanon as Netanyahu expands ground campaign ───────────── Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 31 people on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel said it was intensifying attacks despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah [which Hezbollah never agreed to]. The Iran-backed group meanwhile said it faced Israeli troops entering the southern town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, as the Israeli military said it was expanding its ground operations. In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed in attacks and 40 wounded. . . . . . The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for at least 50 southern and eastern towns and villages on Tuesday, including Nabatieh city. An Israeli military official told AFP that troops had begun operating beyond the Israel-announced "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory. As Israel's operations moved deeper into south Lebanon, Hezbollah said its fighters confronted Israeli troops trying to advance into a town that overlooks Nabatieh city on Tuesday. france24.com/en/middle-east/…

Moments before Netanyahu and Trump's conversation: "It will hurt them when we flatten Dahieh" ───────────── Via Maariv (Israel) Last night (Tuesday), the Israeli political-security cabinet held a tense discussion on the issue of fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, the deadly drone threat, and the strategy that should be adopted at the current point in time, in light of the ceasefire violations and the repeated attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Several ministers demanded a much tougher line be taken, not only against Hezbollah but also against the Lebanese government, claiming that Beirut bears responsibility for what is happening on its territory. A discussion developed among the ministers on the question of what would hurt Hezbollah or the Lebanese government, in order to apply pressure levers for Lebanese action against the terrorist organization. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed: "It will hurt them when we flatten the Dahieh." Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed - "It hurts them when we take territory." Energy Minister Eli Cohen: "It's strange that we have to be on guard when they harm us during a ceasefire. They are the ones violating it - and we should refrain? The State of Israel has every right to act!" Photo, right to left: Israel Katz, Benjamin Netanyahu and Eyal Zamir at the Palmachim base, March 2026

May 26 The IDF issued an evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. Residents of the city were instructed to evacuate north of the nearby Zahrani River. timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e…

Via Maariv (Israel) The IDF attempted to eliminate Muhammad Odeh, the new leader of the Hamas military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, in a targeted attack in the Gaza Strip yesterday evening (Tuesday). Odeh was appointed to the position only a week ago, as the replacement for the mastermind of the massacre, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, who was eliminated two weeks ago. After the assessment in Israel increased that the attack had achieved its goal, media outlets affiliated with Hamas confirmed that he was killed yesterday in an IDF attack, along with his wife, two sons and a daughter, in an attack on a building in the Rimal neighborhood in the Gaza Strip. ─────────────── This video was posted by the IDF, which explained that it shows the elimination of Muhammad Odeh.

Via Ynet (Israel) Israelis believe that Muhammad Odeh, head of Hamas' military wing, was killed in an earlier attack in Gaza City. According to a security source, most indications show that he did not survive the assassination attempt, but Israel is awaiting final confirmation. Gaza reported another attack in the city. In both attacks, it was claimed that at least three people were killed and more than 20 were wounded.

Iran to US: Attack on Beirut could jeopardize negotiations | Report ─────────── Via Channel 14 (Israel) An Al Jazeera reporter reported shortly before midnight (between Monday and Tuesday) that an official Iranian source said that Tehran had informed Washington: "Any Israeli attack on Beirut or its southern suburbs would seriously jeopardize current efforts to end the war and could completely cancel the diplomatic track." The report refers to Israel's intentions to escalate its tone against Hezbollah and increase attacks - even deep inside Lebanon. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video in which he addressed the situation in the north and said: "We are at war with Hezbollah. In just the last few weeks, our heroic fighters have eliminated over 600 terrorists, and we are not taking our foot off the pedal, on the contrary. We will strike them. They are shooting drones at us, we have a special team working on this, and we will resolve this too."

Via the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Units have operated in recent months in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip, east of the Yellow Line [inside the buffer zone], to systematically destroy above-ground and underground terrorist infrastructures, and to protect Israeli settlements in the western Negev. As part of the engineering operation, the forces conducted hundreds of systematic drillings, locating and destroying more than 11 kilometers of underground routes. Hundreds of above-ground terrorist infrastructures were also destroyed.

Reserve soldiers ordered to mobilize: IDF to expand activity in Lebanon beyond the "Yellow Line" Via Kann 11 News (Israel) The IDF has begun mobilizing reserve forces in order to increase activity across the ceasefire line in Lebanon. Soldiers who were released in recent days were required to report for reserve duty with an immediate notice. The decision was made following criticism by the Chief of Staff in the cabinet, and claims by senior officers that the IDF's hands are tied. The army claimed that the forces were unable to operate beyond the "yellow line" due to negotiations with the Americans for an agreement with Lebanon, which increased frustration among the soldiers who were being subjected to gunfire, IEDs, quadcopter drones, and fixed-wing drones.

"Hunt for Commanders": Hezbollah's New Explosive Drone Strategy ────────── Via Kann 11 News (Israel) Hezbollah has begun adopting a new strategy of "hunting commanders" in the IDF, operating in southern Lebanon and on the northern border - this morning (Tuesday) data from the Amit Institute for Research and Intelligence revealed. As part of Hezbollah's new strategy, the movement of senior Israeli officers is being monitored with the aim of damaging the IDF's command, control, and defense establishment using drones, UAVs, and combined attacks. As part of Hezbollah's "commander hunt" strategy, there were reports of attempted attacks against an Iron Dome launcher, a vehicle attributed to the commander of IDF Brigade 300, and combined attacks using rockets, artillery, and drones in several locations simultaneously. According to estimates, the goal is to damage the IDF's control capabilities, disrupt the activities of forces in the field, and create a continuous burden on the air defense systems on Israel's northern border.

Dramatic report: Israel tried to eliminate Hezbollah Secretary General ───────────── Via HaMchadesh (Israel) Naim Qassem, the Hezbollah secretary-general, is the focus of an ongoing Israeli intelligence and operational effort, according to a report this evening on the Saudi television channel "Al-Hadath," citing a senior Israeli official. According to the report, the Israeli security establishment has attempted to carry out at least two targeted assassination attempts against him in recent months, as part of an operation aimed at undermining the organization’s leadership. According to the report, Qassem—who assumed his position following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures—is under close and continuous surveillance. It is further claimed that he is aware of the intelligence pressure surrounding him and frequently changes his hiding places in an attempt to make it more difficult to eliminate him. Alongside reports of assassination attempts, sources note that Israeli operations in Lebanon may soon expand, though estimates suggest the focus will remain solely on the Dahiyeh area [Beirut's predominantly Shiite southern suburb] and will not extend deep into Beirut. However, sources note that this is a time-limited operation not intended to lead to a full-scale escalation of hostilities. Against the backdrop of these developments, local council heads in the Israeli north informed residents that, according to the IDF, intense activity is expected tonight in the Lebanon sector, which may affect communities along the front line. Following these reports, many residents began evacuating the Dahiyeh neighborhood in Beirut out of fear of further escalation. At the same time, the IDF launched a wave of strikes in Lebanon in response to the organization’s launch of explosive drones. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed criticism regarding the handling of the threat, stating: “We are at war with Hezbollah.” He added: “We are not taking our foot off the gas. True, they are firing drones at us. We have a special team working on this—and we will resolve this as well. This requires us to intensify our strikes and increase our firepower.”

IDF confirms: Hezbollah began using explosive drones at night Via Kann 11 News (Israel) Video released by Hezbollah today shows for the first time the use of an FPV explosive drone equipped with a thermal camera, evidence that the organization is capable of carrying out attacks against IDF forces even at night.

Direct hit by an explosive drone on a house in Metula, on Israel's northern border.

Joseph Aoun says Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon 'non-negotiable' ───────────── Speaking on the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, May 25, 2000, President Joseph Aoun [a Maronite] on Monday defended his decision to negotiate with Israel and said that the demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon remains "non-negotiable," as talks between the two countries are set to resume this week in Washington. . . . . . These remarks were widely seen as a message directed at Hezbollah and its secretary general Naim Qassem, who on Sunday rejected any scenario in which the militia-party would hand over its heavy weaponry to the Lebanese Army as the government has ordered. today.lorientlejour.com/arti…

"[Iran's] negotiating position has never been stronger, in the last 47 years." | Via @CommodMkt @SquawkCNBC