Middle East

The Guardian -Amid a patchy ceasefire, Lebanon’s minister for the environment has accused Israel’s military of committing “an act of ecocide” in its operations against Hezbollah in the southern region of the country. In just 2023 and 2024, the Israeli military has damaged 12,350 acres of forest cover and destroyed 5,320 acres of orchards, including more than 2,000 acres of olive groves, according to a 106-page report.

NBC News - Peace talks between U.S. and Iranian officials have stalled, sending oil prices higher while a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz remains. Without a clear resolution to the war in sight, those high prices are here to stay indefinitely, experts say. Now, three emerging forces are at work and will likely lead to what one analyst is calling an “extended stagflationary shock” both for the U.S. and for the world. 

First, the world’s backup supply of crude oil products is rapidly being depleted. The ongoing supply deficit means the market will ration remaining oil supplies by increasing their price — and that will lead to the second factor: demand destruction. Finally, alternative sources of fuel production outside the Middle East are not going to make up for the shortage. 

.... In the meantime, the U.S. appeared skeptical about a new Iranian proposal that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz without resolving the impasse over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Tehran’s latest offer looked “better” than past pitches, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last night, after it was discussed by Trump and his national security team. But there was little sign that Washington might be willing to abandon its naval blockade and accept the offer.

NPR - Diplomatically, the ceasefire agreement is holding steady, meaning none of the involved parties — Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah — have officially declared it over, NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf says. But Israel is conducting multiple airstrikes daily against what it identifies as Hezbollah targets, primarily in the south. Lonsdorf was in southern Lebanon speaking to residents, and says the region does not feel like it's under a ceasefire. The sporadic air strikes taking place while she was there a few days ago have since intensified. Israel has also issued new evacuation orders for several communities beyond the zone it occupies. Many people are reevacuating after trying to go back to their homes. Abed Ammar, 35, said to Lonsdorf in a voice note, “If this was a ceasefire, we could be at home. This is not a ceasefire.”