US President Donald Trump speaks during a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 11, 2026. © Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters

Middle East war live: Trump issues new warning to Iran to accept peace deal

· France 24

17/05/2026 - 22:56

Saudi says it intercepted three drones that entered from Iraqi airspace

⁠Saudi ​Arabia ​on said it intercepted three ​drones ‌after ⁠they ‌entered its territory ⁠from Iraqi airspace.

The kingdom's ​defence ministry ‌said it would ‌take the necessary ​operational measures to respond to any ​attempt ​to violate ​its sovereignty ​and security.

17/05/2026 - 21:06

Israeli strikes kill eight people in Gaza, medics say

Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, health officials said, as ceasefire efforts meant to end fighting between Israel and the Hamas ​militant group falter.

In ‌the weeks since halting its joint bombing with the US in Iran, Israel has ⁠stepped up its attacks in Gaza, where Hamas has been tightening its grip, even as Israeli troops remain in control of more than half the territory.

Medics ‌said an Israeli strike killed one Palestinian near a police post and another at a tent ⁠encampment in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it killed a militant who posed an immediate threat to forces in the area.

17/05/2026 - 20:58

Saudi Arabia calls drone attack at UAE nuclear site 'threat' to region

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the drone strike that triggered a fire near a nuclear power plant in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates.

The ministry said in a statement that the attack was "a threat to the security and stability of the region" and expressed its solidarity with the UAE, saying it would "support all measures taken to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity" of the country.

17/05/2026 - 20:14

Most of the architects of October 7 attacks have been killed, says Netanyahu

17/05/2026 - 20:05

Lebanon health ministry says Israeli strikes in south kill at least five people

Lebanon's health ministry said that new Israeli strikes on the country's south killed at least five people including two children, despite an ongoing ceasefire.

The ministry published a "preliminary toll" for strikes on Sunday, with three killed in the town of Tayr Felsay, including a child, and two more were killed in the town of Tayr Debba, including another child. 

It said 11 people were wounded in those strikes.

17/05/2026 - 18:50

Trump says 'clock is ticking' for Iran

US ​President ​Donald Trump threatened consequences ​for ‌Iran ⁠if ‌its leaders do not act ⁠quickly.

"For Iran, the ​Clock is ‌Ticking, and they ‌better get ​moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything ​left ​of them. ​TIME IS ​OF THE ESSENCE!," he wrote in ⁠a Truth Social ⁠post.

17/05/2026 - 18:02

Israeli strikes kill five people in Gaza, medics say

Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, health officials said, as ceasefire efforts meant to end fighting between Israel and ​the Hamas ‌militant group falter.

In the weeks since halting its joint bombing with the ⁠US in Iran, Israel has stepped up its attacks in Gaza, where Hamas has been tightening its grip, even as Israeli troops remain ‌in control of more than half the territory.

17/05/2026 - 17:51

UAE calls drone attack at nuclear site 'dangerous escalation'

The United Arab Emirates condemned a drone attack that caused a fire near its nuclear plant, calling it a "dangerous escalation".

"The UAE emphasised that it will not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances," a foreign ministry statement said.

17/05/2026 - 17:16

Hezbollah fired 200 projectiles over the weekend at Israel

An Israeli military official said that Hezbollah had fired around 200 projectiles at Israel and its troops over the weekend, despite Israel and Lebanon agreeing to extend a ceasefire.

"Over the weekend, Hezbollah launched approximately 200 projectiles toward the State of Israel and IDF troops, in a clear and ongoing violation of the ceasefire understandings," the official said, in a statement to AFP.

17/05/2026 - 16:34

UAE says drone that hit nuclear site crossed western border

The UAE's ministry of defence said a drone that hit an electrical generator at a nuclear power station Sunday was one of three that had crossed the country's western border.

"Investigations are underway to determine the source of the attacks," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Ministry of Defence announced that on 17th May 2026, UAE air defence systems intercepted three UAVs that entered the country from the western border direction," it said.

"Two were successfully intercepted while the third struck an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra area."

17/05/2026 - 16:34

Israel strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah calls talks 'dead end'

Israel struck eastern and southern Lebanon, state media reported, despite a fragile ceasefire as Hezbollah called US-brokered talks between the two countries a "dead end".

Two Israeli strikes hit the town of Sohmor in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, adding that others took place across southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army later issued an evacuation warning to four villages near the southern coastal city of Sidon, dozens of kilometres from the border area, which were also subject to an evacuation warning on Saturday.

Israeli airstrikes hit three of the four villages following the warning, the NNA said.

17/05/2026 - 16:12

Investigations underway to determine source of drone attack near nuclear plant

The UAE's ​defense ministry said that investigations were underway ​to ‌determine the source ⁠of a drone ‌attack that hit a ⁠generator outside the Barakah nuclear power ​plant in ‌Abu Dhabi.

The defense ministry said it ‌dealt "successfully" with two drones, ​while a third one hit a generator ​near the ​plant. It said ​the drones were launched ​from the "western border", without providing further details.

17/05/2026 - 14:02

One Indian national killed in drone attack in Moscow region

One Indian citizen was killed and three others injured "as a result of a drone attack" in the Moscow region, said the Indian Embassy in Russia.

"Embassy staff traveled to the scene of the incident and visited the victims in the hospital," the embassy said in a post on X.

"The embassy expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and is doing everything possible to provide the necessary assistance to the victims," it added.

17/05/2026 - 13:42

IAEA following the situation at UAE nuclear power plant 'closely'

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed by the UAE that radiation levels at the Barakah nuclear power plant remain normal, the UN's nuclear agency has said.

"The IAEA is following the situation closely and is in constant contact with the UAE authorities, ready to provide assistance if needed," the agency said in a post on X. 

17/05/2026 - 13:32

US response to Iran proposal has 'no tangible concessions', Iranian media says

Iranian media on Sunday said the US failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Iran's proposal for negotiations to end the war. 

Fars news agency said Washington gave a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.

The Mehr news agency meanwhile said: "The United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations."  

17/05/2026 - 13:22

Israeli strikes kill four people in Gaza, medics say

Israeli strikes ⁠killed at least four ​Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, health officials said.

Medics said ​an Israeli strike killed one Palestinian near a police post in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it ​killed ‌a militant who posed an immediate threat to ⁠forces operating in an area south of the enclave.

Separately, Gaza medics said another Israeli ‌airstrike killed at least three people at a community kitchen ⁠near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza area.

Israel has stepped up ‌attacks in Gaza in the weeks since halting its joint bombing with the US on Iran, redirecting its fire back on the devastated Palestinian territory.

17/05/2026 - 12:50

A drone strike causes fire outside a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE authorities say

A drone strike caused a fire outside a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said.

The Abu Dhabi media office said in a statement that the fire broke out in an external electrical generator outside the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra.

There were no reports of injuries and there's no impact on radiological safety levels, it said.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire didn’t impact the plant safety. “All units are operating as normal,” the organization wrote on X.

There was no claim of responsibility for the drone strike, and the UAE statement didn’t blame any party for the attack. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sunday’s strike marked the first time the four-reactor Barakah Nuclear Power Plant has been targeted in the Iran war. The reactor sits in the far western deserts of Abu Dhabi, near the border with Saudi Arabia.

17/05/2026 - 11:58

Israel strikes Lebanon while Hezbollah calls talks 'dead end'

Israeli strikes targeted eastern and southern Lebanon on Sunday, state media reported, despite a fragile ceasefire.

Two Israeli strikes hit the town of Sohmor in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, adding that others took place across southern Lebanon.

Israeli attacks since the start of the war have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon, including more than 400 since the truce began on April 17, according to Lebanese authorities.

The latest strikes came after envoys from Israel and Lebanon held a third round of negotiations in Washington and agreed to extend the ceasefire.

 Nevertheless, fighting has continued, with Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks on Israeli forces.

 Iran-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced talks with Israel.

"The direct negotiations that the authorities in Lebanon have conducted with the Israeli enemy have... led them down a dead-end path that will result in nothing but one concession after another," Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan said on Sunday.

17/05/2026 - 10:28

17/05/2026 - 10:28

Iran chief negotiator Ghalibaf appointed to oversee ties with China, media reports

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who recently emerged as a chief negotiator in talks with the US, has been appointed to oversee relations with China, Iranian media reported on Sunday. 

"Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has recently been appointed as a special representative of the Islamic republic of Iran for China affairs," Tasnim news agency reported, citing "informed sources", with other media carrying similar reports. 

It was not immediately clear who appointed Ghalibaf to the role, but Tasnim said he would "coordinate various sectors of relations between Iran and China".

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)