Global conflicts surged to the highest number tallied by Uppsala Conflict Data Program. Fatalities were the highest on record since 1994, with approximately 244,600 people killed in conflict in 2025.
The exchange marked a major escalation in the already tense region. It came on the 100th day of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran as the heightened tensions further complicated efforts to end Middle East fighting.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission for Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said one peacekeeper was killed and others were wounded when they came under mortar fire in southeastern Lebanon.
The president also acknowledged that he cursed at the Israeli leader in a heated phone call in which he told Benjamin Netanyahu not to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Until now, only Orthodox Jewish men in Israel have been allowed to take exams to become rabbis. After a long campaign, women can now also take the test - but still can't become rabbis
Israel says it will intensify attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and U.S. military struck Iranian boats and missile launch sites as envoys continued negotiations for a deal that would end the three-month war.
Nearly 3,000 people have been killed and nearly 1 million have been displaced the war in southern Lebanon began in March. Nearly 400 have been killed since a ceasefire began in April.
Israeli authorities are issuing Palestinians demolition orders in East Jerusalem at an accelerated rate since Israel launched war with Iran, human rights groups and U.N. experts say.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has called for parliament to be dissolved, threatening to bring down the government.
Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port. And a U.S. ambassador revealed Israel sent its Iron Dome air-defense to the United Arab Emirates.
It was one of the deadliest Israeli strikes of the Gaza war, devastating one extended family. A year and a half later, the survivors find their loved ones' remains.
In southern Lebanon, towns near the border with Israel have been largely destroyed by Israeli demolitions and strikes. Israel says it has been attacking Hezbollah infrastructure, but civilian infrastructure has also been significantly affected.
Two months after the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran started the war, peace talks are on hold, with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program as the two main points of contention.
Iran's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Monday, after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy, seeking to gain political leverage and foreign backing as peace talks with the U.S. remain on hold.
