The US says that Israeli and Lebanese delegations have agreed to extend a ceasefire for 45 days. The truce has reduced the volume of fighting, but violations are commonplace, particularly in the south. DW has more.
Skip next section Merz and Trump push Iran on talks, nuclear issue 05/15/2026 May 15, 2026 Merz and Trump push Iran on talks, nuclear issue German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump have called on Iran to enter negotiations and keep key shipping routes open.
Merz said after a phone call with Trump that both leaders agreed on key points surrounding the war in Iran.
The chancellor wrote on X that he and the US president had had "a good phone call," adding that they agreed "the US and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO".
"We agree," he wrote: "Iran must come to the negotiating table now. It must open the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons." The call follows a rift that saw Trump announce the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany .
Europe pushes back after Trump threat over US troops To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DoRq Skip next section Israel, Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days, US State Department says 05/15/2026 May 15, 2026 Israel, Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days, US State Department says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to another extension of their shaky truce, the US State Department announced on Friday amid talks in Washington DC.
"The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said.
The State Department described the talks on Thursday and Friday as "highly productive" and said the countries would reconvene in early June for more negotiations.
However, the meetings also coincided with Israeli military strikes on southern Lebanon and drones crashing in northern Israel.
The truce struck on April 16 and extended twice has considerably reduced the volume of strikes, particularly in more northern parts of Lebanon and the capital Beirut, but violations have taken place more or less daily.
Iran-backed Hezbollah first fired missiles at Israel on March 2, in response to the strikes on Iran that killed much of the leadership in Tehran, with Israel soon launching a ground invasion into what it's declared a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon near the de facto border.
Balancing work and war in Beirut To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DpOM Skip next section UAE to fast-track pipeline bypassing Hormuz 05/15/2026 May 15, 2026 UAE to fast-track pipeline bypassing Hormuz The United Arab Emirates has moved to speed up construction of an oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered state oil giant ADNOC to accelerate the project, according to official media.
The pipeline is expected to be completed by 2027 and is aimed at securing export routes amid ongoing instability in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy corridor, and disruptions there have raised concerns about oil supply and prices.
The UAE's decision last month to leave the OPEC and OPEC+ groups of oil-producing countries is expected to boost its output.
What's behind China's Strait of Hormuz bypass?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DnwJ Skip next section Iran welcomes China's role in easing tensions 05/15/2026 May 15, 2026 Iran welcomes China's role in easing tensions Iran has said it is open to support from China to help resolve the Middle East conflict.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would welcome any diplomatic assistance.
"We appreciate any country who has the ability to help, particularly China," he told reporters as he attended a meeting of the BRICS group of countries in India.
"We have very good relations with China, we are strategic partners to each other, and we know that [the] Chinese have a good intention, so anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic Republic," Araghchi added.
The comments came after talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping .
Aid group The Zaynab Project said the run was intended to honor the memory of displacement while giving children a chance to run, laugh and experience a moment of normality.
"For one day, orphaned children in Gaza will have the chance to run, laugh, celebrate, and simply feel like children again," the group posted on Instagram ahead of the run.
"The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon," the army said in a statement, hours after issuing evacuation warnings for five towns and villages.
The strikes came as Israel and Lebanon entered a second day of US-brokered talks in Washington aimed at easing hostilities.
In a separate statement, the military said several explosive drones had fallen in northern Israel, with no injuries reported.
The exchange of fire underscores the fragility of the truce, with violence continuing even as diplomatic efforts are underway.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said a comprehensive and permanent truce was essential and urged the reopening of key shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.
"This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue. Finding a solution sooner is beneficial to both the US and Iran, as well as to countries in the region and the world as a whole," the ministry said.
Trump said Xi supported a negotiated settlement and had offered to help broker a deal.
He also said the Chinese leader agreed Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons and should reopen the waterway. However, Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump about Iran, while China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement outlining Beijing's frustration with the Iran war.
Take a look at our blog on the aftermath of Trump's whirlwind China visit here .
War with Iran casts shadow over Trump's visit to China To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5DnN0 Skip next section Israel urges evacuations in south Lebanon 05/15/2026 May 15, 2026 Israel urges evacuations in south Lebanon Israel's military has ordered residents of five villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of expected strikes against Hezbollah.
The warning was issued Friday despite an existing ceasefire with Lebanon, with the army citing alleged violations by Iran-backed Hezbollah .
"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
He listed five villages near the city of Tyre, on the south Lebanon coast.
"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns by a distance of no less than 1,000 metres [0.62 miles]," he added.
The term, meaning "catastrophe," refers to the mass displacement of around 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.
This is the third Nakba commemoration since the Gaza war began in October 2023. The current ceasefire is doing little to ease the humanitarian strain on the territory's more than 2 million people, with many still confined to a reduced coastal area.
Survivors of the 1948 events have drawn comparisons between past and present. One 78-year-old witness described the current conditions as "indescribable" and "unbearable," despite the pause in fighting.
Historically, about 80% of Palestinians living in what became Israel were displaced during the war, and around 530 villages were destroyed, according to Palestinian statistics. Many refugees and their descendants — now numbering around 6 million — remain across the region, including in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza.
Millions of Palestinians are marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, with a fragile ceasefire in Gaza shaping this year's remembrance.
The Nakba refers to the displacement of around 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.
You can catch up on Middle East developments earlier this week here .
