At Least Three Killed in Israeli Air Attack on Tyre District in Southern Lebanon

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that at least three people were killed in an Israeli air attack on a car in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon. The victims were travelling near the Martyr Mohammed Saad High School between Burj Rahhal and al-Abbassieh when the strike occurred.

The agency also reported a separate Israeli drone attack in the southern city of Nabatieh that killed a man and injured his daughter. The pair were riding a motorcycle near Al-Sabah High School when the first strike hit, followed by two additional strikes.

Israeli forces issued nine forced evacuation orders in Tyre through Saturday. The orders covered areas that included strikes and artillery fire across a broad area of southern Lebanon, including locations north of the Litani river. That marked one of the deadliest days since a ceasefire was declared in late April.

Reporting from Beirut, Rory Challands noted that Israel is conducting operations beyond the buffer zone it has described as its limit in southern Lebanon. House demolitions continued in Bint Jbeil during the same period. Separately, political analyst Rania Khalek told Al Jazeera that many in Lebanon view ongoing talks between Israel and Lebanon involving Hezbollah as focused on disarming the group while Israeli operations continue.

She said the talks are not centered on Lebanese sovereignty or ending attacks. Khalek added that representatives of the Shia community, which has faced the majority of recent displacement and strikes, are not part of the discussions. She stated that substantive progress on disarming Hezbollah is unlikely given current conditions.

Araghchi has held talks with officials in multiple countries regarding peace discussions with the United States. Hamid Reza Gholamzadeh, director of the Tehran-based think tank Diplohouse, said Araghchi visited Beijing a week before President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip there.

Gholamzadeh said Iran is seeking Chinese cooperation on oil sales, including barrels already in international waters, amid U.S. import restrictions. The Iranian minister also discussed security measures for the Strait of Hormuz. China’s crude oil imports fell 20 percent in April to 38.5 million metric tonnes, the lowest level since July 2022, according to customs data.

Seaborne crude imports stood at 8.03 million barrels per day, also the lowest since July 2022, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. Natural gas imports dropped 13 percent to 8.42 million tonnes in April. China’s imports for the first four months of the year remained 1.3 percent above the prior year’s level.

The Central Insurance of Iran stated that approximately 30,000 cars were damaged during the period of conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Payments for damages below 30 million tomans ($387) have already been issued in recent weeks.