Day 97 | Trump projects weekend breakthrough; as Iran denies 'tangible progress'

Footage released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards shows patrols in the Strait of Hormuz

'Israeli' military announced that an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah directly struck the vehicle of Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo while in southern Lebanon.

The military said that the drone targeted a patrol involving Milo, officers from his staff, commanders, and soldiers while they were raiding a Lebanese village.

The vehicle was hit directly, but no injuries were reported. Further details about the incident were not immediately released.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, to discuss the latest developments in the region, according to a statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

During the call, Araghchi reaffirmed Iran's continued support for what it described as the resistance of peoples in the region, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon, the ministry said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that the peoples of the region would not abandon Lebanon, calling for an immediate halt to 'Israeli' attacks and a full withdrawal of forces from Lebanese territory.

In a statement carried by Fars News Agency, the IRGC said the Lebanese people would not allow 'Israel' to achieve through political agreements what it failed to accomplish during the war.

"The people of Lebanon will not permit the usurping regime to obtain through an imposed agreement, backed by the child-killing American regime, what it could not achieve on the battlefield," the statement said.

The IRGC also stressed that any regional ceasefire arrangement must include Lebanon, saying Tehran's minimum condition for accepting a ceasefire during the conflict was a halt to fighting across all fronts.

According to the statement, 'Israel' must immediately stop its attacks on Lebanon, withdraw from areas it occupies, return behind internationally recognized borders, and recognize Lebanon's territorial integrity.

The IRGC further argued that stability in the region cannot be achieved without the withdrawal of 'Israeli' forces from Lebanese territory.

"We will support the people of Lebanon with all our strength," the statement added.

A Hezbollah official told AFP on Thursday that the group had informed Lebanese authorities that it rejects a ceasefire announced after ‘Israel’-Lebanon talks in Washington a day earlier.

The official said on condition of anonymity that the position, which was announced by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in a televised message, was passed on "to parliament speaker Nabih Berri", a Hezbollah ally acting as an intermediary who "shares this position".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had said earlier Thursday he was waiting for Hezbollah's response.

Widespread destruction seen in the municipality of Srifa in southern Lebanon’s Tyre; following extensive ‘Israeli’ attacks.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Thursday demanded a comprehensive ceasefire and the withdrawal of ‘Israeli’ troops from Lebanon, urging authorities to abandon direct talks with ‘Israel’ after a truce agreement was announced.

"The ceasefire must be comprehensive... without the Israeli enemy having the freedom to kill," Qassem said in a televised message, urging the government to halt "the farce and humiliation called direct talks" with ‘Israel’.

He also vowed that "as long as our villages are unsafe -- being bombed, destroyed and our people killed -- the settlements (north Israel) are unsafe".

President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed a vote in the US House seeking to order the withdrawal of American troops from the Iran war, suggesting the “unpatriotic” and “meaningless” move disrupted negotiations with Tehran.

The largely symbolic vote came "right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Who would do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that an agreement on implementing a ceasefire announced in Washington after talks with ‘Israel’ was the "last chance" to reach a comprehensive truce.

"The results of the fourth round of negotiations, and the statement issued from it, which included very important points in Lebanon's favour, represent the last chance to enter into a final, comprehensive ceasefire.

Each party bears responsibility" if it fails to respond positively, Aoun said, according to a statement from his office.

Aoun said Lebanon would inform the United States of its position "as soon as responses are received from the concerned internal parties, particularly Hezbollah", adding that the US would determine the ceasefire's start date and "President Donald Trump will be the direct guarantor of its implementation".

The head of the Quds Force, the foreign arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards, said Thursday that ‘Israel’ must pull back from its current front lines in Lebanon, where it is fighting Tehran's ally Hezbollah.

"Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of all of us, and removing Israel from the region is an attainable goal for Muslims," Esmail Qaani said in a post on a domestic social media platform.

"The minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the usurping regime (Israel) to the position it held before the start of the 40-day war."

A UN peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon was Serbian, the country's defence ministry confirmed on Thursday, specifying that he died from injuries caused by a missile strike on the UN base.

"Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic was given emergency medical care at a hospital inside the base after being wounded and then transported by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Beirut, where he died," the statement said.

Iranians gather at Imam Khomeini Mausoleum in Tehran to mark the 37th anniversary of his death. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, died in 1989 and was succeeded by Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the Middle East war.

Iran's supreme leader on Thursday accused the US and ‘Israel’ of trying to sow "division" among Iranians after suffering a "decisive blow" during the Middle East war.

In a written message, Mojtaba Khamenei said “the malicious enemy” was seeking to "plant the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and division" among the public.

"In confronting these ill intentions, everyone must, through steadfastness, insight, preserving unity and cohesion... neutralise their sinister plot," his message said.

‘Israel's’ defence minister said Thursday that a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon grants the military the "freedom" to strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks ‘Israeli’ communities, adding that operations in southern Lebanon would continue.

"The IDF will, at this stage, continue its fire and ground operations, remain in the security zone in Lebanon up to the Yellow Line -- including in the Beaufort area -- and without the return of the population, while continuing to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the ground," Israel Katz said in a statement, as he hailed the ceasefire deal reached on Wednesday.

He said ‘Israeli’ forces retained the "freedom of action, with American backing, to strike in Beirut in response to fire on Israeli communities and territory".

Israel's Home Front Command has activated air raid sirens in the northern border community of Arab al-Aramshe after detecting a suspicious aerial target suspected to be an incoming drone.

• US Army cites financial strain from Iran war and border missions
• Rising fuel costs increase transport expenses
• Training schedules affected by higher operating costs
• Commanders ordered to make tough resource decisions

The United States Army is grappling with mounting financial distress driven by an expensive multi-front operational load and escalating economic pressures, military officials told Fox News.

The budget strain is forcing leadership to re-evaluate daily expenditures, threatening to impact everything from routine logistics to essential troop readiness.

Budget pressures

According to US Army officials, the military branch is currently facing a compounding financial squeeze from three primary sources: the ongoing war with Iran, continuous domestic border operations, and a sharp increase in global fuel prices.

These simultaneous challenges have rapidly consumed baseline budgets, leaving the military to manage an unexpectedly high operational burn rate.

Logistics, training hit

The surge in fuel costs has emerged as a particularly disruptive factor for the Army's day-to-day operations.

Speaking to Fox News, a US Army spokesperson warned that these rising energy prices are directly threatening to inflate the costs of transporting personnel, vital supplies, and heavy military equipment worldwide.

Beyond moving assets from point A to point B, the price hikes have fundamentally altered preparation efforts.

Officials confirmed that the soaring cost of fuel has already begun to affect and alter scheduled military training plans, raising concerns about the long-term impact on troop preparedness.

'Difficult decisions'

With no immediate relief in sight, senior military leadership is moving to contain the damage through strict resource management.

The US Army spokesperson revealed that official directives have been issued to commanders across various echelons, instructing them to make hard choices regarding how they manage their available assets.

These directives effectively mandate that leadership on the ground prioritize essential operations while scaling back elsewhere to navigate the tightening fiscal reality.

• Trump sets red line: no Iran strikes unless US troops killed
• Favors diplomacy over military action on Iran nuclear issue
• Officials say deterrence policy remains firmly in place

US President Donald Trump has established a conditional threshold for the potential resumption of hostilities with Tehran, informing senior aides that the United States will hold back from launching further military strikes unless American soldiers are killed.

The policy directive, reported by The Wall Street Journal citing US officials, outlines a deliberate effort by the administration to de-escalate regional tensions while maintaining a firm posture of deterrence.

According to administration insiders, Trump’s private communications with his inner circle indicate a desire to avoid re-entering a full-scale kinetic conflict in the Middle East.

By explicitly tying any future American military response to the loss of US service members' lives, the President is attempting to draw a definitive operational red line that Tehran cannot misinterpret.

This calculated restraint comes amid ongoing regional friction, signaling that Washington will tolerate certain geopolitical maneuvers but will react with immediate, overwhelming force if American personnel are directly harmed.

In tandem with his military red lines, Trump is reportedly focusing his administration's energy on a non-military resolution to Iran's atomic ambitions.

A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the President strongly prefers to secure the complete dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program through diplomatic negotiations rather than armed conflict.

The U.S. Department of State has officially announced that 'Israel' and Lebanon have reached a formal agreement to implement a comprehensive ceasefire mediated entirely under American auspices.

The United States House of Representatives passed a legislative resolution on Wednesday directing the withdrawal of American military forces from the ongoing war in Iran.

The vote serves as a direct political rebuke against President Donald Trump, who initially launched the conflict in February.

Symbolic rebuke to Trump

The resolution succeeded in the chamber with bipartisan support, as four members of President Trump's own Republican Party crossed aisle lines to vote alongside Democrats.

Despite the political messaging, the measure is viewed as largely symbolic. Under U.S. legislative procedures, even if the resolution manages to clear the Senate, President Trump retains the executive authority to veto the measure, effectively neutralizing its ability to force a mandatory policy shift.

For coverage of the previous day, visit the link below.

Read more: Day 96 | Trump says Iran talks happening “continuously”, Rubio still hopeful