US says Israel, Lebanon agree to expand Truth

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump have called on Iran to engage in talks and keep key shipping routes open.

After a phone conversation with Trump, Merz said the two leaders agreed on key points related to the war in Iran.

The Chancellor wrote on Twitter that he and the US President had “a good phone call”, adding that they agreed that “the US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO”.

“We agree,” they wrote: “Iran must now come to the negotiating table. It must open the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.”

The call comes after Trump announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to another extension of their shaky ceasefire, the US State Department announced Friday amid talks in Washington DC.

State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said, “The cessation of hostilities on April 16 will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress.”

The State Department described the talks Thursday and Friday as “highly productive” and said the two countries would meet again in early June for more talks.

However, the meetings also coincided with Israeli military attacks on southern Lebanon and the crashing of drones in northern Israel.

The force attacked on 16 April and escalated it twice, significantly reducing the volume of attacks, especially in more northern parts of Lebanon and the capital Beirut, but violations continued to occur more or less daily.

Iran-backed Hezbollah first fired missiles at Israel on March 2. In response to attacks on Iran that killed most of the leadership in Tehran, Israel soon launched a ground offensive in an area declared a “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon near the de facto border.

The United Arab Emirates has taken steps to accelerate the construction of an oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered state oil company ADNOC to accelerate the project, according to official media.

The pipeline is expected to be completed by 2027 and aims to secure export routes amid ongoing instability in the region.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy corridor and disruptions there have raised concerns about oil supplies and prices.

The UAE’s decision last month to leave the OPEC and OPEC+ group of oil producing countries is expected to boost its production.

Iran has said it is ready for support from China to help resolve the Middle East conflict.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would welcome any diplomatic assistance.

“We appreciate any country that has the ability to help, especially China,” he told reporters while attending a meeting of the BRICS grouping of countries in India.

“We have very good relations with China, we are each other’s strategic partners and we know that [the] “The Chinese have good intentions, so anything they can do to help with diplomacy will be welcomed by the Islamic Republic,” Araghchi said.

These comments came after talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Orphaned children in Gaza take part in a race organized as a part of Nakba commemorations.

Aid group The Zainab Project said the aim of the race was to honor the memory of displacement while giving children a chance to run, laugh and experience a moment of normality.

“For one day, orphans in Gaza will have the chance to run, laugh, celebrate and feel like kids again,” the group posted on Instagram before the race.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched attacks on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as tensions rise despite the ceasefire.

“The IDF has begun attacking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the Tire area in southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement, hours after the army issued a warning to evacuate five towns and villages.

The attacks came as Israel and Lebanon entered the second day of US-brokered talks in Washington aimed at reducing hostilities.

In a separate statement, the army said several explosive drones had fallen in northern Israel, with no reports of injuries.

The exchange of gunfire underlined the fragility of the ceasefire, with violence continuing despite diplomatic efforts.

China has stressed the need to restore stability in the Gulf and renewed calls for a permanent ceasefire in the Iran conflict following talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said a comprehensive and permanent force was necessary and urged the reopening of key shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.

“There is no reason to continue this conflict, which should never have happened. Finding an early solution is beneficial to both the United States and Iran, as well as countries in the region and the entire world,” the ministry said.

Trump said Xi supported a negotiated solution and offered to help broker a deal.

He also said Chinese leaders agreed that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons and should reopen the waterway. However, Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump about Iran, while China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement underscoring Beijing’s disappointment over the Iran war.

Take a look at our blog after Trump’s whirlwind China trip here.

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of residents of five villages in southern Lebanon ahead of possible attacks against Hezbollah.

The warning was issued on Friday despite an existing ceasefire with Lebanon, with the military citing alleged violations by Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“In light of the violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist Hezbollah, the Defense Force is forced to take forceful action against it,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichai Adrai posted on Twitter.

He listed five villages near the city of Tyre, on the southern Lebanon coast.

“For your safety, you should immediately evacuate your homes and stay at least 1,000 meters away from villages and towns [0.62 miles]”he adds.

Millions of Palestinians mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba as a ceasefire holds in Gaza.

The term, meaning “devastation”, refers to the mass displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.

It is the third Nakba commemoration since the Gaza war began in October 2023. The current ceasefire is doing nothing to ease the humanitarian strain on the region’s more than 2 million people, many of whom are still confined to the low-lying coastal zone.

Survivors of the events of 1948 have drawn comparisons between the past and present. A 78-year-old witness described the prevailing conditions as “indescribable” and “unbearable”, despite the cessation of fighting.

According to Palestinian figures, historically, about 80% of Palestinians living in Israel were displaced during the war, and about 530 villages were destroyed. Many refugees and their descendants – who now number about 6 million – live throughout the region, including the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza.

Hello and welcome to DW’s coverage of developments in the broader Middle East, including the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on Friday, May 15, 2026.

As millions of Palestinians mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, a fragile ceasefire in Gaza is shaping this year’s memory.

The Nakba refers to the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians during the war that led to the creation of Israel in 1948.

You can keep track of developments in the Middle East earlier this week Here.