Middle East live: Israeli military says two soldiers killed in southern Lebanon

Home Middle East Live Issued on: 06/08/2026 - 05:48Modified: 06/08/2026 - 06:09 Smoke rises from a hill following Israeli air strikes, after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to the village of Mansouri, Lebanon, August 5, 2026 in this screengrab obtained from social media. © Reuters ⁠Two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon, the military said Thursday, where Israel has been fighting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Iran said an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages, while US President Donald Trump suggested a deal could be announced within days. Follow our live blog for the latest developments. Yesterday's key developments: Iran said Wednesday it is in the "final stage" of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz , and US President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Wednesday that it can seem like the U.S. is not making progress in Iran, describing the effort to end the war as "messy" and that "it’s going to take some time". The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed Wednesday they had fired ballistic missiles toward a Saudi oil tanker on the Red Sea off the Saudi port of Yanbu, without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. The shaky ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah grew more volatile Wednesday, as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to residents of the southern Lebanese village of Mansouri, the first such warning in weeks. Later, the Israeli military said it had begun conducting "precise strikes" in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire" that had largely held since June 20. (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters) Keywords for this article