Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has released a statement observing Resistance and Liberation Day, which marks the date in 2000 when Israel ended its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon.

Aoun noted that this year’s commemoration comes amid Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanese villages and deadly attacks.

“The path to a complete Israeli withdrawal remains a steadfast national demand, one that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

“These negotiations will not be concessions or surrenders, but rather a reaffirmation of Lebanon’s exclusive right to protect its land and sovereignty and extend its authority through its army and legitimate security forces.”

The first direct, ambassadorial-level negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in over three decades took place in Washington in April this year, after which U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hezbollah criticized the Lebanese government for initiating direct negotiations with Israel.

The U.S. military carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats, Fox News reported citing U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said.

“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.

According to a senior U.S. official, two Iranian boats were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while forces also responded after a missile site had targeted U.S. warplanes.

The U.S. military eliminated both IRGC vessels and also struck the SAM, or surface-to-air missile, site in Bandar Abbas.

“These were defensive strikes,” the official told Fox News. The strikes do not indicate the ceasefire with Iran is over, two additional sources said.

This came after explosions were heard Monday in various regions across the Strait of Hormuz, with one explosion heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas in the country’s south.

Other explosions were reported close to Sirik and Jask near the strategic waterway. The official confirmed Monday that the U.S. strikes were “over for now.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has outlined options for the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile if both countries sign a peace agreement currently under negotiation.

“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The U.S. has repeatedly insisted that Iran must stop its nuclear program and abandon its stockpile of enriched uranium.

According to The Hill, the issue has remained a sticking point during the latest set of talks in Qatar, where both sides are closing in on a deal that would end the conflict and gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier, the Iranian news agency Tasnim denied reports circulated in Western media that Iran was ready to transfer its enriched uranium reserves abroad.

Unconfirmed reports from Iran claim that four Revolutionary Guards members were killed in American strikes in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran.

The U.S. confirmed the strikes earlier today, saying it acted to defend its forces. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that it shot down a US MQ-9 drone and claimed that an RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter jet also entered Iranian airspace before retreating. The aircraft entered Iranian airspace over the Gulf region, the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. The IRGC has warned that it has the right to respond proportionally to ceasefire violations.

The Alliance Party has applied to Armenia’s Central Election Commission to cancel its participation in the elections, Armenia’s Public Radio reported.

The Central Election Commission will consider the party’s request to revoke the registration of its electoral list during an open session.

Campaigning for Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7 began on May 8 and will continue until June 5.

A total of 19 political forces – including two alliances and 17 parties – have been registered to participate in the elections.

Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has revoked the registration of the Alliance Party for participation in the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026, pursuant to the party’s request.

Alliance Party leader Tigran Urikhanyan had earlier said that his party had asked the CEC to cancel its registration for the upcoming polls. In an interview with Public Radio, he explained that political forces with no realistic chance of passing the electoral threshold ultimately benefit the ruling party by “splitting opposition votes.” He said the party’s decision to withdraw from the race demonstrates that it is a genuine anti-establishment opposition force, willing to step aside rather than participate symbolically without a viable chance of entering parliament.

As a result of the decision, ballot paper No. 13 will no longer appear in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

A total of 19 political forces — including two alliances and 17 parties — had initially registered to participate in the elections. Following the withdrawal of the Alliance Party, the number of participating parties has dropped to 16.

The parliamentary session scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning failed to start due to a lack of quorum, with only five lawmakers registered.

Vice Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan, who was presiding over the session, said that registration would remain open for up to four hours in accordance with the rules of procedure.

The ruling Civil Contract party and the opposition Armenia Alliance are currently campaigning for the June 7 elections.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has conveyed greetings to his Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze on the occasion of the country’s national day, the Day of Restoration of State Independence.

“On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and myself, I sincerely congratulate you on Georgia’s national day, the Day of Restoration of State Independence,” Pashinyan said in a letter addressed to PM Kobakhidze, published by his office. “Further strengthening of fraternal relations with Georgia is one of the main goals of our government’s foreign policy, which already has the character of a practical and institutionalized strategic partnership. I particularly note with satisfaction the participation of the delegation led by you in the 8th Summit of the European Political Community held in Yerevan. We also highly appreciate the efforts of the Government of Georgia and your personal contribution aimed at strengthening regional cooperation. Once again, I congratulate you on the occasion of Independence Day and wish you fruitful work, as well as peace and prosperity for your country.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that the guarantee of Armenia’s security and peace is a strong, defense-capable military.

“Our military is needed first and foremost for peace,” Pashinyan said during a campaign event for the Civil Contract party in Hrazdan, Kotayk Province. “We are preparing for peace because we understand that a strong, defense-capable army is very important for peace. A country without a strong, defense-capable army can be an attractive target for aggression. Therefore, we must always have a strong, defense-capable army whose task should be the protection of Armenia’s internationally recognized territory. And this is the guarantee of security and peace; this is the guarantee that we will pass our state from generation to generation,” Pashinyan said.