HEADLINES IN BRIEF

• The US appears cold to the Iranian proposal to end the war without a nuclear deal. READ MORE BELOW

• A US official says Iran's ‘illegal behavior' should be an energy wake-up call. READ MORE BELOW

• Netanyahu says Hezbollah is down to about 10% of its arsenal. READ MORE BELOW

• Doctors Without Borders accuse Israel of ‘systemically depriving' people in Gaza of water in what it calls a ‘campaign of collective punishment'. READ MORE BELOW

• The war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza has left 96% of the Palestinian enclave's cropland damaged or inaccessible, a study finds.

• Israel cancels major holiday gatherings over fears of a Hezbollah attack.

• Germany's Friedrich Merz criticizes the US for going into the Iran war without any strategy.

• Bahrain sentences 30 people to life in prison and 10-year terms over accusations of spying for Iran.

• United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock says urgent efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Iran war are critical.

IN DETAIL

US appears cold to Iranian proposal to end the war without a nuclear deal

The Trump administration seemed unlikely on Tuesday to accept Iran's offer to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on the country.

The proposal would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, something that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out in a Fox News interview Monday.

"There's no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon," Rubio said.

"That fundamental issue still has to be confronted," he said.

"That still remains the core issue here."

Asked if he thinks the Iranians are serious about a deal, Rubio said they are skilled negotiators looking to buy time.

"We can't let them get away with it," the Secretary of State said.

"We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point."

The White House said US President Donald Trump's national security team discussed the offer and Trump would address it later.

The offer emerged Monday as Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Russia, which has long been a key backer of Tehran.

It was unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now.

US official says Iran's ‘illegal behavior' should be energy wake-up call

A senior US State Department official says Iran's "illegal behavior" in the Strait of Hormuz should serve as a "wake-up call" for global energy security.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker said at a gathering of Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Sea countries on Tuesday in Croatia that more needs to be done to diversify supplies and connect to avoid future problems.

"Iran's illegal behavior in the Strait of Hormuz should be a wakeup call for all of us with regard to the need to secure our supply chains and reduce our dependencies on unreliable countries and geographies," Hooker said during a panel discussion in the southern Adriatic Sea city of Dubrovnik.

"We all need to do more," she added.

"The world is changing under our feet."

Netanyahu says Hezbollah is down to about 10% of its arsenal

Meeting with army commanders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah's ability to fire into Israel has been sharply degraded, estimating the group retains about 10% of its arsenal.

He did not clarify whether that figure refers to the Lebanese militant group's stockpile from before the current war, or since the Gaza war began back in 2023.

Iran-backed Hezbollah is believed to still have tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones despite decades of efforts by Israel, UN peacekeepers and Lebanon's government to disarm it.

Despite Israeli pressure, it's unclear whether Lebanese authorities have the capacity or political will to disarm Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said Israeli forces' occupation of parts of southern Lebanon — which he described as a "security zone" — has made northern Israel safer.

He said deals brokered with the US and Lebanon gave Israel a "freedom of action" to counter threats inside that country.

Beirut has not acknowledged any such right, and Hezbollah says it will keep firing as long as Israel does.

Doctors Without Borders says Israel uses water as weapon in Gaza

International aid group Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of "systemically depriving" people in Gaza of water in what it calls a "campaign of collective punishment" against Palestinians.

Known by its French acronym MSF, the group said in a report on Tuesday that Israel has destroyed or damaged about 90% of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure including desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines and sewage systems.

MSF said it also documented the Israeli military shooting at clearly identified water trucks and destroying boreholes that were a lifeline for tens of thousands of people.

The practices have far-reaching consequences for the health, hygiene and dignity of Gaza's 2.1 million people, MSF said.

"Israeli authorities know that without water life ends, yet they have deliberately and systematically obliterated water infrastructure in Gaza – while consistently blocking water-related supplies from entering," MSF emergency manager Claire San Filippo said.

COGAT, Israel's military body that coordinates aid to Gaza, rejected the accusations and said the water supply in the Gaza Strip "consistently exceeds humanitarian thresholds".