Iran war live: Ceasefire tested by US-Iran clashes; Israel kills 9 in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned a protest outside the home of an Israeli Supreme Court justice who had ordered the arrest of ultra-Orthodox Jewish students who refused to serve in the Israeli army.

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg on Wednesday night, in the illegal Israeli settlement of Alon Shvut in the occupied West Bank, with reports of damage to his home.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office shared on X, said he expected police to “take a hard line against the rioters”.

Israel has been trying to roll back on orthodox Israelis being exempted from compulsory military service, as Israel’s wars on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and the wider region have caused troop shortages.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, took to X after the US State Department released a statement on a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Leiter described the US-brokered talks as “another important step in the process to facilitate peace between Israel and Lebanon”, but he said that the deal is contingent on the end of Hezbollah.

“This ceasefire is entirely contingent on a complete cessation of fire towards Israel, and the complete dismantling of Hezbollah,” he said.

Germany losing its bid to return to the UN Security Council for a seventh term was a “rare moment of justice” and an “unprecedented loss” for the country, former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber said.

Mokhiber attributed the failed bid to “Germany’s scandalous support for genocide in Palestine and aggression against Iran, and its repression of human rights defenders inside Germany”.

“Germany’s money can no longer erase its responsibility for genocides in Namibia, Europe, and Palestine,” he added.

As we reported earlier, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul acknowledged that support for Israel may “have cost votes”, with just 104 of the General Assembly’s members voting in favour of Berlin’s continuing at the council, well short of the two-thirds majority needed.

In a rare moment of justice at the UN General Assembly today, Germany lost its bid for a UN Security Council seat. Germany’s scandalous support for genocide in Palestine and aggression against Iran, and its repression of human rights defenders inside Germany, were all on display…

— Craig Mokhiber (@CraigMokhiber) June 3, 2026

People were caught off guard as the attacks struck without any prior warning, while many were asleep.

According to initial reports, at least nine Palestinians were killed in the strikes, and rescue teams rushed to the scenes as a large fire broke out at one of the impacted sites.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as a family, including children, women and elderly people were trapped inside burning apartments.

Rescue crews struggled to reach those stranded, and medics stated that several victims were dealing with severe burns.

These attacks come amid continued Israeli ceasefire violations, and the Government Media Office said that Israeli forces have committed more than 3,000 violations since the ceasefire took effect back in October of last year.

According to the media office, these violations have resulted in the deaths of at least 900 Palestinians, and injured more than 2,000 others.

People say they went to sleep believing they were living through a period of relative calm, only to wake up to explosions, fire and scenes of devastation.

They have been afraid that the ceasefire remains fragile, and that a further escalation could follow in the coming days.

Activists in London have attempted to erect a statue of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in Parliament Square.

The group, Free Marwan Now, said that Barghouti – who has been called “Palestine’s Mandela” – has been “imprisoned by Israel for 24 years, 1 month and 19 days for crimes he did not commit”.

“He was convicted by a court he did not recognise in a trial widely criticised by legal experts and human rights observers,” it said.

“The statue may not stand in Parliament Square yet, but we know this is a just cause. One day, Marwan will take his rightful place alongside other civil rights leaders,” the group added.

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Oil prices have fallen as news of the strengthening of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon fuelled optimism for a wider diplomatic breakthrough to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

Brent crude futures slipped 67 cents, or 0.69 percent, to trade at $97.14 per barrel as of 00:15 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined by 62 cents, or 0.65 percent, to $95.40 per barrel.

A lot of what is said in these talks is actually… behind closed doors.

In terms of reporting, we’re largely having to rely on what’s being signalled to us by the State Department or diplomats from the different delegations taking part in these trilateral talks.

The fact that Hezbollah, as a group, has not been part of this negotiation makes them kind of a wild card and leaves questions unanswered as to how any sort of framework that could result from these negotiations would be implemented.

There is no formal relationship that exists between Israel and Lebanon.

So, from that point of view, the fact that the talks are taking place is a huge success.

I don’t get the sense, certainly from the diplomatic chatter here in Washington, that a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon would in any way mean an end to the conflict with Iran, but it is a massive part of this larger puzzle.

But again… one of the biggest sticking points for Israel specifically is the full disarmament of Hezbollah.

We are also hearing that there are still meetings taking place at the State Department, so I would not be surprised if there is an additional statement coming out of anything else that might result tonight.

Palestinian child Ayoub Junaid broke his specialised medical glasses after a fall in war-torn Gaza.

When a video of the seven-year-old, distraught over breaking his glasses, went viral, he received a replacement pair, thanks to a fundraiser and help from a Gaza influencer.

Ayoub’s mother says he can “finally see the world clearly again”, but he still needs surgery and urgent medical care, which he can’t get under the continuing Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.

Ayoub Junaid broke his medical glasses after falling down.

After a video went viral, he received a replacement – but his mother says he still needs surgery, which he can’t get under Israeli blockade. pic.twitter.com/8pNyT0k7WA

— AJ+ (@ajplus) June 3, 2026

The statement issued by the State Department not long ago [states that], as a result of the US-led negotiations, Israel and Lebanon agreed to the implementation of a ceasefire.

The ceasefire is contingent on the complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the south of the Litani sector.

This is not the announcement of a brand new ceasefire; this is asserting respect for a ceasefire that was actually agreed just last month in May, which was a 45-day extension to an already existing ceasefire that was there before.

Perhaps one of the most notable elements is the establishment of these so-called pilot zones, where the Lebanese armed forces would assume, essentially, exclusive control, not allowing the presence of any non-state actors.

We did know ahead of this latest round of talks that there was a lot of optimism from US diplomats, even earlier in the day.

On Wednesday, we had signalling from a State Department official, saying that there was a slow start, kind of a slow burn in the talks during the course of Wednesday, but that a lot was accomplished.

So, throughout the course of this, there has been this emphasis from US officials that the fact that these talks are taking place at all is a success, even of itself.

Hezbollah has reported launching 17 separate attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon throughout Wednesday, deploying rockets, artillery, and explosive drones to target troop concentrations, military vehicles, and tanks to halt Israeli advances.

Hezbollah attacks, according to the report, also focused heavily on Israeli forces positioned around Lebanon’s historic Beaufort Castle, where attack drones and artillery hit two of Israel’s Merkava tanks, disabled a military vehicle, and struck a house where troops were positioned.

The statement added that drones and rockets targeted Israeli troops and vehicles in south Lebanon’s Yohmor al-Shaqif, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Biyyada, Khiam, Odeissah, Dibbine, and an area in northern Israel.

Trump has privately told aides that he will consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if American troops are killed, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, which cited US officials, the weeks-long pause in major US military operations remains intact despite a steady stream of violent skirmishes with Iranian forces.

The president’s reluctance to reignite the war suggests he might be willing to withstand smaller flare-ups for weeks—or even months—to avoid a broader conflict in the Middle East, according to the report.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the report.

Germany has lost its bid to fill one of two rotating UN Security Council seats designated for European countries after Portugal and Austria secured more votes from the UN General Assembly.

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul noted that Berlin’s support for Ukraine and Israel may have played a role.

“We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share,” Wadephul said.

“The fact that Germany must always assume a special responsibility for Israel in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes,” he said.

Germany, which has already served six terms on the council, received 104 votes from the General Assembly’s 193 members, in comparison to Portugal’s 134 and Austria’s 131.

Other incoming members to the council include Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago, which ran uncontested to represent Africa and the Caribbean, respectively.

Kyrgyzstan defeated the Philippines by a vote of 143-49 to take a seat representing Asia.

They will join the powerful UN body at the beginning of 2027 for two-year terms.

There are 15 seats in total on the UNSC, five of which are held by permanent members China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.

The War Powers Resolution passed in part because there were a lot of absences on the part of Republicans.

But it also happened because there’s growing dissatisfaction among Republicans with Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

That’s given the fact that he pledged on the campaign trail not to start any more wars, and the fact that he intimated to the American public when this began that it would be over quickly. It is proving much more challenging in terms of negotiating an end with Iran.

What is significant is this isn’t the first effort in the House of Representatives to limit Donald Trump’s ability to conduct war, but this is the first time it’s passed. The other three measures did not.

It gives momentum to a similar measure that is in the US Senate, also Republican controlled.

But even if it were to pass in both chambers, nothing becomes law in the US without the president’s signature. That’s why it’s expected that the US president would veto any effort to limit his powers.

But, to be clear, the US Constitution says that it is Congress that must debate and vote on whether to send US troops, not the White House.

Congress has been largely absent in doing that, and is for the first time flexing its muscle in a significant way.

In other words, what is being said in Washington is that this is really a rare rebuke of Donald Trump, given the fact that this is a body controlled by his own Republican Party.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain were acts of Iranian “self-defence” against earlier US attacks.

US military bases were targeted, and a strike on Kuwait’s international airport killed one person and injured more than 60 others.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reports.

• Following Washington-based negotiations, the US says that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to commit to a ceasefire.
• The US House of Representatives has passed a Democratic-led War Powers Resolution aimed at curbing President Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran without explicit congressional authorisation.
• The House voted 215 ⁠to 208, ⁠with four ⁠Republicans joining Democrats in favour of the resolution.
• President Trump has pledged that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened “immediately upon signing” a memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
• Trump also vowed that the US “will go get” Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, reiterating that his objective is to secure the material.
• Israeli authorities have prolonged the custody of Rand Halawani, a member of the Palestinian women’s national football team, according to Palestinian officials.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that while communication channels with the US remain open, negotiations with Washington to end the war have yet to achieve any progress.
• Araghchi also said Tehran has made clear that it “will not remain silent” in the face of an attack on Beirut.
• The US says it has redirected 125 commercial vessels since launching its naval blockade of Iranian ports in mid-April.