Goodbye for now

Thank you for following along with our live coverage of the Iran war. 

We'll leave it there for now and be back tomorrow to update you on the latest.

To stay up to date, you can download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest updates.

📸: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Lebanon

I reported earlier that Israel launched an intense wave of attacks on southern Lebanon overnight. 

The attacks killed at least nine people in the south. 

Here are some photos of the destruction in the region as a result of recent Israeli strikes.

Israel deports flotilla activists

Two activists who were detained after taking part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza have been deported, Israel's Foreign Ministry says. 

They were part of a second Global Sumud Flotilla launched from Spain on April 12 to try to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering aid to the enclave.

They were detained by Israeli authorities on April 29 and brought to Israel.

"After their investigation was completed, the two professional provocateurs, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, from the provocation flotilla, were deported today from Israel. Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza," the ministry said in a post on X. 

Iran wants team members who served in the IRGC to get visas for FIFA World Cup

Iran's soccer federation says the country will "definitely" participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

But it has concerns about the team's travel around the US, Canada and Mexico. 

"All players and technical staff, especially those who served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), should be granted visas without problems," Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran president Mehdi Taj said, according to Iranian media.

In the statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Taj said on Friday local time, that Iran had presented conditions tied to participation, including guarantees over visas, security and treatment of Iranian players and officials. 

He added that the Islamic Republic would take part "without retreating from our beliefs, culture and convictions".

Canadian authorities denied Taj entry ahead of a FIFA Congress last month, reportedly because of his ties to the IRGC, which it designates a terrorist organisation. 

Iran's team captain Mehdi Taremi previously completed mandatory military service in the Guard. 

The Islamic Republic's team has been drawn with Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in Group G, and opens the series in Inglewood, California. 

Reporting with AP

UK deploys warship to Middle East with eye on potential Hormuz mission

The UK said on Saturday it was deploying its warship HMS Dragon to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

HMS Dragon, an air defence destroyer, was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus.

Its relocation follows a move by France to deploy its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea.

"The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the strait, when conditions allow," a spokesperson for Britain's Ministry of Defence said.

As the US and Iran inch toward a potential off-ramp from their 10-week war, France and Britain have been working on a proposal to lay the groundwork for safe transit through the strait once the situation stabilises.

The plan would need coordination with Iran and a dozen countries have indicated a willingness to take part.

Reporting with Reuters

At least 9 killed as Israel pounds Lebanon despite truce

Israel carried out strikes across Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least nine people in the south according to authorities, with raids also targeting a highway not far from Beirut outside of Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

The fresh attacks were some of the most intense since the start of a three-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has done little to halt daily exchanges of fire, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said on Saturday it had targeted troops in northern Israel with drones on at least two occasions in response to the continued strikes.

The Israeli military said "several" explosive drones were launched into Israeli territory, with one army reservist severely wounded and two others moderately injured in one of the attacks.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA),  reported a series of Israeli strikes across the south, including one on the town of Saksakiyeh.

Lebanon's health ministry said that raid "resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children".

The Israeli military said it struck "Hezbollah terrorists operating from within a structure used for military purposes" in Saksakiyeh.

It added it was "aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians in the structure in which the terrorists were struck. The details of the incident are under review."

The health ministry reported that another Israeli strike on a motorbike in the city of Nabatieh hit "a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter".

"After they managed to move away from the site of the first strike, the drone attacked a second time," killing the father, the ministry said, adding the drone then targeted the girl "directly for a third time".

The girl was undergoing life-saving surgery, it added.

In the southern town of Bedias, the health ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli strike and 13 wounded, including six children and two women.

Israel's military had called on residents of nine villages to evacuate, saying it would act "forcefully" against Hezbollah, though neither of the two locations of the fatal strikes were included in the warnings.

NNA also reported that the "Israeli enemy launched two strikes on the Saadiyat highway", referring to a location about 20 kilometres south of Beirut and outside areas where Hezbollah has traditionally held sway. It later reported a third strike nearby.

Reporting by AFP

Iran is trying to formalise its control over the Strait of Hormuz, but there are some problems

Iran has launched what it calls the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), seemingly to govern the Strait of Hormuz — the vital shipping choke point the regime is now claiming as its own. 

Through the authority, ship captains and operators can apply directly to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for permission to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

The so-called PGSA even provides an email address where applications can be made.

We sent a request to the address asking for the regime's rules and regulations for the Strait of Hormuz.

And the IRGC got back to us. 

Today so far

Here are the day's latest developments:

  • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard threatened to target US sites if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media is reporting. 
  • As Washington awaits a response from Tehran on its latest proposal to end the war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi questioned the trustworthiness of the Trump administration.
  • A Qatari oil tanker was reportedly transiting the Strait of Hormuz, en route to a Pakistani port, with sources telling Reuters Iran approved its passage in an effort to build confidence with the two mediators. 
  • Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al‑Thani in Miami to work on a deal to end the war.
  • Israeli strikes on Saksakiyeh in Lebanon's south on Saturday killed at least seven people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah militants in the town. At least another two people were reported killed by Israeli attacks elsewhere in the country. 

Stay with us throughout the day for the latest updates. 

US activity harming negotiations, Araghchi says

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has questioned the reliability of the Trump administration in a call with his Turkish counterpart.

"The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy," he said, according to an Iranian account of the call published by the ISNA news agency.

Washington is awaiting a response from Tehran on its latest proposals to end the war. 

Rubio, Witkoff meet with Qatari PM

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al‑Thani in Miami earlier to work on a deal to end the war. 

"The Secretary expressed appreciation for Qatar's partnership on a range of issues," department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. 

"The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed US support for Qatar's defense, and the importance of continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East."

Iran has attacked sites in Qatar during the war, pointing to the wealthy emirate's role as host of a major US air base.

Qatar is also helping mediate between the sides.