US and
Iran exchange strikes as Israel intensifies attacks on southern Lebanon
US forces
down drones near strait of Hormuz, sparking attack on American airbase in
Kuwait
Mark
Saunokonoko and agencies
Thu 28
May 2026 05.17 BST
The US
has carried out new strikes inside Iran , targeting a military facility and
downing Iranian attack drones, US officials said, which prompted an apparent
Iranian retaliatory attack on an American airbase in Kuwait.
US
Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed
a threat around the strait of Hormuz, according to US officials, who were not
authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A ground
control station in Iran’s Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone
was hit by the attacks, officials said. “These actions were measured, purely
defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” an official told Reuters.
Two hours
later, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported the Revolutionary Guards had
targeted an American base in Kuwait “that served as the source of the attack”,
in retaliation for the strikes. Kuwait’s army confirmed its air defences were
intercepting hostile missile and drone threats, just before 6am in Kuwait City.
The
apparent tit-for-tat strikes came as Iranian forces also fired at four ships
attempting to cross the strait, IRIB reported. “Four vessels attempted to cross
the strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf without coordination with the
security forces,” IRIB posted on Telegram, saying the incident took place at
around 12.35am local time but without providing details on the ships.
The fresh
strikes, combined with the latest strident remarks from Donald Trump about
Iran, Oman and the strait of Hormuz, underscored how far apart the US and Iran
appear to be in talks aimed at ending the war. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Israel
launched broad strikes and declared a huge swathe of the south a new combat
zone.
After
saying over the weekend that a deal was close, Trump on Wednesday threatened to
“finish the job” if Tehran did not agree to deal.
“[Iran]
want very much to make a deal. So far they haven’t gotten there. We’re not
satisfied with it, but we will be,” he said at a televised White House cabinet
meeting. “Either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”
He
claimed Iran was “negotiating on fumes” and insisted that November’s midterm
elections won’t make him rush into a deal to end a conflict that has rocked the
global economy. Trump and US officials frequently stated the war would be over
in four to six weeks, in the days after US-Israeli strikes first launched on 28
February.
At the
cabinet meeting, Trump also appeared to direct a warning at Oman, a US ally,
when asked about a possible short-term arrangement allowing Iran and Oman to
control the strait of Hormuz, which remains choked off.
Trump
said the strait would be “open to everybody” and “and Oman will behave just
like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.” The White House did not
immediately clarify whether Trump had misspoken.
Iranian
state TV had earlier claimed it had obtained an unofficial draft of an
agreement that would restore commercial shipping through the strait to prewar
levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic. The White
House called the report a “complete fabrication”.
Another
key issue unresolved is if a US-Iran ceasefire will cover Israel’s operations
against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Iran has
insisted Lebanon must be covered by any ceasefire agreement negotiated with the
US.
On
Tuesday the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his military is
“deepening its operation” in Lebanon; and overnight Israel’s military clashed
with Hezbollah fighters along a strategic river in southern Lebanon as Israeli
troops pushed farther north. Hezbollah described “point-blank range” combat
with Israeli forces in a strategic town just beyond an Israeli-declared “yellow
line” in the country’s south.
The
Israeli military said it had struck 550 targets since the beginning of the
week, a significant increase in attacks. Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the
war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops from the country’s south.
Hezbollah has dismissed Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel and has backed
Iran’s talks with Washington to their war.
Early on
Thursday, Israel’s military issued further evacuation warnings for residents of
Tyre in Lebanon’s south.
More than
1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli strikes and evacuation
orders since 2 March, when Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran.
Since
then, Israeli strikes have pummelled Lebanon’s south, east and its capital
Beirut, killing more than 3,200 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Fighting
has continued despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced on 16 April, which now
appears close to collapse. The World Health Organization has said at least 608
people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli attacks since the truce.
The
Israeli military said that 10 of its soldiers had been killed since the
ceasefire, six by Hezbollah’s explosive drones.
With
Associated Press and Reuters
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