In Israel, Netanyahu faces criticism following the Trump-Iran deal

Benjamin Netanyahu faced a barrage of criticism today after US President Donald Trump announced a deal with Iran. Trump hailed the agreement, which extends the ceasefire and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, as a “Great Deal” intended to bring “peace and security to the entire region”. The signing is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, following several weeks of negotiations.

In Israel, the news was met with anger and frustration across the political spectrum, with many believing that Washington has once again imposed a truce on the country before it has achieved any of its war aims. Just hours after an Israeli strike against Hezbollah in Beirut, the agreement also demands a halt to the campaign against the movement in Lebanon, even though Netanyahu and his allies have always sought to separate this front from the war against Iran.

When the two leaders launched their joint offensive against Iran in February, Netanyahu promised Israelis “true peace” and an end to Iran’s ballistic and nuclear programmes.

Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, described the agreement as “one of the most resounding failures of Israel’s foreign and security policy”. Several far-right ministers have expressed their scepticism, and Defence Minister Israel Katz has assured that the army would remain “for an indefinite period” in the areas seized in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. Netanyahu has yet to respond publicly. Financial Times

🇺🇦 Ukraine • At least 11 people have been killed in a series of Russian strikes, and a fire has ravaged the roof of the Cathedral of the Dormition, a UNESCO-listed Orthodox church in Kyiv. Russia fired 70 missiles and 611 drones overnight, most of which were intercepted. Volodymyr Zelensky called on G7 leaders for a “decisive response” and for the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defences; Moscow denies having targeted the cathedral.

🇺🇦 Ukraine • The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which had been cut off from the grid for three days following an attack, was reconnected on Saturday thanks to a local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA, the 19th such incident since 2022.

🇪🇺 European Union • Around twenty former European prime ministers and ministers, including France’s Alain Juppé and Dominique de Villepin and Italy’s Romano Prodi, are urging the EU to stop “turning a blind eye to the horrors” inflicted on the Palestinians, in the name of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Article 2 of which makes relations conditional on respect for human rights. In the absence of unanimity on a package of sanctions, several states have moved to implement national measures.

🇫🇷 France • The G7 summit opened in Evian, where Donald Trump was set to impose his agenda and his mood, largely hinging on discussions regarding the peace deal with Iran. The US president, who says he does not care for these multilateral meetings, criticised his allies for failing to support him in dealing with Tehran and may raise the issue of French and British participation in clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Emmanuel Macron persuaded him to stay on for a dinner at Versailles, celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

🇷🇴 Romania • President Nicusor Dan yesterday appointed Adrian Vestea, a 52-year-old former Liberal minister, as Prime Minister tasked with forming a government, following Eugen Tomac’s withdrawal due to a lack of sufficient support. The country has been in political crisis since the ousting, in early May, of Ilie Bolojan’s Liberal government by a motion brought forward by a coalition of Social Democrats and the far right. Adrian Vestea will need to secure 233 votes in Parliament, where no coalition currently reaches this threshold, as the head of state has ruled out the far right joining the government.

🇨🇭 Suisse • On Sunday, the Swiss rejected, by nearly 55% of the vote, the SVP’s anti-immigration initiative, which aimed to cap the population at ten million by 2050. Its adoption could have put an end to the free movement of workers with the European Union, the country’s main trading partner. Welcomed by the government, business circles and trade unions, the rejection was driven by older voters and those in major cities, whilst rural cantons largely approved the measure.

🇳🇴 Norway • Marius Borg Hoiby, the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, has been sentenced to four years in prison for rape and domestic violence following a seven-week trial. Found guilty of 34 of the 40 charges, including two counts of rape, he plans to appeal. The case has tarnished the royal family’s image, even though the man in question holds no title or official position.

🇺🇸 United States - 🇮🇷 Iran • The two countries have announced an agreement to immediately cease hostilities, due to be signed on Friday in Geneva, which opens 60 days of negotiations on sanctions, the nuclear programme and reconstruction. The text, which has not been made public, provides for the end of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran will charge for “navigation services”. President Massoud Pezeshkian sees this as “a source of pride”, but Tehran says it trusts “neither Israel nor the United States”. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator, hailed it as “a historic step”.

🇱🇧 Lebanon • Israel carried out a strike yesterday on the southern suburbs of Beirut, killing three people, followed by another today in the south of the country, killing one person. The Israeli army says it is targeting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in response to rocket fire on northern Israel, whilst also stepping up strikes and evacuation orders around Nabatiyeh. Donald Trump said the attack on Beirut “should not have happened”, and Iran warned that it would not go “unpunished”. Since early March, Israeli operations have claimed more than 3,700 lives in Lebanon, according to Beirut.

🇵🇸 Palestine • Israeli strikes killed at least four Palestinians today in the Gaza Strip, as Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators prepared for new ceasefire negotiations in Cairo. Palestinian factions have accepted the bulk of a 15-point plan backed by Washington, with the exception of the disarmament of Hamas, which remains the main sticking point. More than 990 people have been killed by strikes since the October 2025 truce, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

🇺🇸 United States - 🇻🇪 Venezuela • Donald Trump announced on Friday the death of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Niño Guerrero, leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, who was killed in a strike by US Southern Command carried out “in close coordination” with Venezuela.

🇺🇸 United States • The US government on Friday forced Anthropic to cut off access to its two most powerful AI models three days after their launch, citing a national security risk under export controls. Unable to screen its foreign users, the company had to disable the models for all its customers. The European Union sees this as yet another argument in favour of its “technological sovereignty”.

🇸🇩 Sudan - 🇹🇩 Chad • Chadian ‘returnees’ fleeing the war in Sudan continue to pour into the Adré border post, where aid from UN agencies such as the IOM risks being cut off due to a lack of funding. In May, the country surpassed 400,000 returnees, earlier than expected, and is now hosting a total of more than 900,000 Sudanese refugees. The civil war, which has pitted the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people.

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo • Médecins Sans Frontières today expressed concern over “dangerous gaps” in the response to the Ebola outbreak, which is “spreading faster than the response”. The number of confirmed cases has reached 782, including 181 deaths, with a sharp rise in the last 24 hours and two new affected areas. The country’s 17th outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain for which there is no vaccine or approved treatment, remains confined to Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Testing and contact tracing remain the main weaknesses, according to the NGO, which believes the outbreak is still manageable.

🇲🇲 Myanmar - 🇨🇳 China • Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Beijing today to strengthen trade ties with his main backer, during a five-day visit where he is due to meet Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Isolated since the 2021 coup, Myanmar is relying on China.

🇦🇺 Australia - 🇨🇳 China • China’s capacity to carry out military strikes against Australia will increase significantly over the next decade, according to a report by the Lowy Institute think tank, which highlights cyberattacks and the cutting of undersea cables as short-term threats. A new long-range stealth bomber and potential bases in the Pacific could heighten the threat. China remains Australia’s largest trading partner.