Israel issues evacuation to ancient Lebanese city after missile strikes shatter Iran ceasefire
Israel issued urgent evacuation orders for the southern Lebanon city of Tyre after a series of retaliatory Iranian-Israeli missile strikes shattered a fragile truce, triggering a massive escalation in regional hostilities and forcing thousands of civilians to flee active conflict zones.
Lebanese city with famed Christian quarter issued Israeli evacuation order for first time in current
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation to the entire ancient Lebanese city of Tyre, including the city's Christian Quarter, Tuesday, citing Hezbollah activity in the Christian Quarter.
"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah party's violation of the ceasefire agreement and targeting of Israel's home front, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to act against it forcefully. The Israel Defense Forces do not intend to harm you," IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a Tuesday morning X post.
The warning cautioned residents of the majority Muslim city to evacuate north of the Zahrani River, roughly 20 miles north of the city's center.
"Your presence near Hezbollah elements or their facilities or combat means endangers your lives," Adraee continued.
"As we warned in the past days, following Hezbollah elements' actions inside the Christian Quarter in the city, the Israel Defense Forces will be compelled to act against their terrorist activities in the quarter in the near term," Adraee wrote.
The city's Christian Quarter, which has been continuously inhabited by Christians for nearly 2,000 years, had previously been spared of Israeli strikes and evacuation orders that had targeted much of the rest of the city.
Israel launched military operations against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group operating in Lebanon, after the group launched a fresh round of missile strikes on northern Israel in March as a response to the joint U.S.-Israeli assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"Any building used by Hezbollah for military purposes may be subject to targeting. To ensure your safety - evacuate your homes immediately and move north beyond the Zahrani River," Adraee added.
"Any movement south of the Zahrani River may endanger your lives," his statement concluded.
Trump keeps forecasting an Iran deal — why the White House still thinks it can happen
President Donald Trump is continuing to project confidence that a final nuclear agreement with Iran remains within reach despite months of slow-moving diplomacy, unresolved disputes over uranium enrichment and a ceasefire that appeared at risk of unraveling over the weekend.
"We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal," Trump told reporters after attending the third game of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, adding that it would come in "two or three days."
Trump has suggested dozens of times over the past two months that a deal is just around the corner, yet little public evidence has emerged that the sides have bridged the core disputes that have complicated negotiations. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the president has said a deal was close at least 38 times, according to a CNN count.
This is an excerpt from a story by Morgan Phillips.
Israel-Lebanon at 'point of no return,' says US Ambassador
The U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said "we have reached a point of no return" in ceasefire negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, adding Monday that talks are progressing positively, according to foreign media reports
“It is very important for an official to choose what he wants and move forward with it, especially if it is the only choice to end a painful and harsh situation like the one Lebanon is experiencing,” Issa told reporters Monday after meeting with Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, according to Israel's Channel 7 news agency.
"I would like to commend the Lebanese negotiating team for its high level of professionalism and effectiveness. The members of the team speak clearly and frankly on the Lebanese file," Issa added.
Issa also remarked on President Donald Trump's request to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pull back on strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon after Iranian officials conditioned any ceasefire on a halting of Israeli operations in Lebanon.
"What happened yesterday was a political message," Issa said, adding "in the United States, we decided that the confrontation should not expand further."
Both sides publicly acceded to Trump's request, with Netanyahu confirming that "the fire has been halted" Monday morning.
Netanyahu maintained that Israel would retain the right to launch strikes in Lebanon, including on capital Beirut, if the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah continued to launch missiles at northern Israel from Lebanon.
While Lebanon's government agreed to become party to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in early June, leaders from Hezbollah publicly refused.
Despite Hezbollah's obstinance, Lebanese officials continued to appeal to Israel for a diplomatic solution on a peace deal.
"We are ready, we are willing, we are committed. Are you? If you are, let's sit and talk," Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said Monday during an interview with CNN.
Oil prices fall as Trump signals Iran war could be over in 'two or three days'
After a Monday surge, oil prices erased gains Tuesday following a Monday night statement from President Donald Trump that a deal to end the Iran war could come in "two or three days.”
After closing above $94 per barrel on S&P Platts' index, dated Brent Crude, one of the primary benchmarks for global oil prices, is trading between $91 and $92 as of 9:40 a.m.
The price decrease follows a Monday night assurance from Trump that the Iran war is almost over.
"We're very close to having a very, very good strong powerful deal," Trump said Monday night while speaking to reporters on the tarmac of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
"Two or three days," Trump said when asked when a deal would come together.
"Their economy is really suffering and they're gonna make a deal," he said.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate, another key oil benchmark, also dropped nearly 2% to $89.67 a barrel, according to CNBC.
Oil prices had initially risen Monday after Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes, imperiling a tepid ceasefire and seemingly defying a direct request from Trump for both sides to stop shooting.
Israel killed two Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza strikes, IDF claims
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the elimination of two Islamic Jihad terrorists in a Monday strike on the Gaza Strip.
The Monday strikes eliminated Iyad Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Nofal and Ahmad Abd al-Hamid Hamad Ma’arouf, the IDF claimed in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
Nofal was a Nukhba commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, according to the IDF.
Ma'arouf was the head of an Islamic jihad terrorist cell and executed numerous rocket attacks against Israel, according to the IDF.
The pair were, according to the IDF, "planning to carry out imminent terror attacks against IDF troops and were eliminated in order to remove the threat."
"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance," the IDF wrote in the statement.
The strike was the IDF's second major strike on terrorist organizations in Gaza in two days following Sunday strikes on Hamas' Naval Police Headquarters in Gaza's Khan Yunis city.
Fox News' Yonat Frilling contributed to this report.
CENTCOM announces historic rescue mission saving two U.S. service members in waters near Oman
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that American forces rescued two crew members from a downed Apache helicopter in waters near the coast of Oman on Monday night.
"At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters," CENTCOM said in a statement posted to social media.
"The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59," the statement concluded.
Speaking to reporters at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump noted that "the pilots are fine."
CENTCOM also revealed Tuesday that the crew members were rescued by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) sea drone
"This was an operational first for the U.S. military," CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed to Fox News' Trey Yingst.
Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
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