Trump and Xi meet for high-stakes talks in Beijing

Hezbollah carried out 17 operations on Wednesday targeting Israeli military positions, forces and vehicles in southern Lebanon, according to Iranian state media Press TV.

Press TV reported that the operations included eight drone strikes, five missile or rocket attacks, one artillery strike, and one guided missile launch.

According to the news agency, Hezbollah targeted two "Nimr" military vehicles, two "Merkava" tanks, one armoured personnel carrier and two military bulldozers during the attacks.

The group also claimed that its fighters "ambushed" Israeli troops near the outskirts of the town of Haddatha, using pre-planted explosives along with 'light and heavy weapons and artillery fire'.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump the two countries should be "partners and not rivals" as they met for talks in Beijing on Thursday.

"A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals," Xi said.

Xi added he was "happy" to receive Trump for the US leader's first trip to China since 2017 as "the world has arrived at a new crossroads."

US President Donald Trump told Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday that the two superpowers would have a "fantastic future together" as the men met for talks in Beijing.

"It's an honor to be with you. It's an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before." Trump said at the meeting in the Great Hall of the People, adding that the two nations were going to "have a fantastic future together".

US President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Beijing's Great Hall of the People for a high-stakes summit, AFP saw Thursday.

The two leaders shook hands after Trump arrived in a motorcade to the steps, where a US delegation including State Secretary Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and business CEOs including Elon Musk awaited him.

The secretary of state, who is with Trump in Beijing, said administration officials will underscore that "economies are melting down because of this crisis" and that will result in consumers "buying less Chinese product."

"So it's in their interest to resolve this," Rubio said in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity. "We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf."

The message contrasts with comments by Trump, who downplayed differences with Xi over Iran before departing from Washington.

"We have a lot of things to discuss," Trump told reporters. "I wouldn't say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control."

Senior US and Chinese officials agree that no country can ​be allowed to exact shipping tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said, in a sign that ‌the two countries are trying to find common ground on efforts to pressure Iran to give up control of the vital waterway. The statement by the State Department comes ahead of a high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Iran's chokehold on the strait will be on the agenda.

President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in a high-stakes summit where tariffs, competition over technology, the war in Iran and the future of Taiwan are expected to dominate the agenda, US and international media reported.

The two leaders’ talks come as Washington and Beijing try to manage deep economic ties amid mounting strategic rivalry, with tariffs and US export restrictions on advanced chips and other technology likely to be front and center, as per CNBC and AP.

Trade and tariffs are expected to top the schedule as negotiators look for steps to stabilise economic relations and possibly narrow punitive duties that have weighed on bilateral commerce.

The Iran war and related regional tensions are also on the agenda, with both sides reported to seek clarity on each other’s positions and potential cooperation or de‑confliction.

Taiwan remains a key flashpoint, with Beijing stressing its core interest and Washington signaling continued support for the island’s defence, according to briefings and coverage ahead of the summit.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, said Tehran is demanding the immediate release of four Iranian citizens detained by Kuwaiti authorities after an incident in the northern Arabian Gulf. Kuwaiti officials earlier said the four — who allegedly confessed to links with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — were arrested this month as they attempted to land on a Kuwaiti island.

Aragchi accused Kuwait of boarding and attacking an Iranian vessel and said Iran “has the right to respond,” calling the detentions an unlawful attempt to “sow discord.”

In a post on X he wrote that the incident occurred “near [an] island used by the US to attack Iran” and reiterated demands for the detainees’ immediate release. Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said the four included two navy colonels, a captain and a lieutenant commander, and that they admitted they had been tasked with “infiltrating” Bubiyan Island.

Iran's strategy prior to October 7, 2023, and the subsequent regional escalations — including the intense Spring 2026 conflict with the United States and Israel — relied heavily on ballistic missiles, drones, and a network of "proxy" forces, including those in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine. Those pillars have been significantly "degraded", elevating the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and its partner, Critical Threats Project (CTP).

This strategy, too, has its own limits, another think-tank pointed out. "Iran’s ongoing strategy of leveraging the Strait of Hormuz as a geopolitical pressure point is widely perceived as a source of strategic advantage," according to the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies (BESA). "However, this assessment overlooks a fundamental reality: Iran is structurally more vulnerable to sustained disruption of the strait than are its regional adversaries," the centre pointed out.

The United Arab Emirates denies reports circulating regarding an alleged visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE, or receiving any Israeli military delegation in the country. The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.

Day 75: Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi

Day 74: Iran signals potential 90% Uranium enrichment

Day 73: Trump calls Iranian response 'totally unacceptable'

Day 72: 'As of today, Tehran’s restraint is over': Iran official

Day 71: Iran keeps US waiting on response to peace plan

Day 70: US fires on Iran tankers as talks hang in balance

Day 69: Iran creates agency to control shipping at the Strait of Hormuz

Day 68: Trump threatens 'higher level' bombing of Iran if deal not agreed

Day 67: 'Project Freedom' paused 'for a short period': Trump

Day 66: UAE intercepts 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, 4 drones