[Up First] Israel-Iran-Lebanon Escalation, Trump Walks Out Of Interview, Ebola Outbreak In DRC

A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in place since April, has collapsed into the most serious escalation

since the two sides last traded direct fire. Israel struck an apartment building in the southern suburbs of Beirut — territory Iran considers a red line

— killing two people. Iran responded by launching missiles at two Israeli military bases, while Israel hit Iranian radar sites and a petrochemical plant. Iran then struck an Israeli petrochemical facility in retaliation, and Houthi rebels in Yemen, acting as Iranian allies, fired additional missiles toward Israel.

The Israeli strikes in Lebanon occurred despite a direct U.S. request to stand down,

and President Trump publicly stated he was “not happy” that Israel had not coordinated its actions with Washington. In the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, nearly the entire population had already been warned to evacuate. Reporters found elderly and disabled residents remaining amid leveled apartment blocks, while displaced families pitched tents on the beach beside shuttered hotels. The conflict risks widening further, with Iran-backed groups in Iraq expected to join and Yemen threatening to target Israeli assets in the Red Sea, which could disrupt Suez Canal shipping.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the latest strikes deepened its distrust

of the United States at a critical moment when Washington is simultaneously trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran. The dual role the U.S. is playing — as Israel’s closest ally and Iran’s would-be negotiating partner — is proving increasingly difficult to sustain.

President Trump abruptly ended a sit-down interview on NBC’s Meet the Press after being pressed on two politically sensitive topics: a proposed anti-weaponization fund and his repeated, unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election and recent California primary results were rigged.

Declaring “I’ve had enough,” Trump walked off camera before the interview concluded. Earlier in the session, he had defended his handling of the ongoing conflict with Iran and suggested a peace deal was imminent, though he offered no specifics — a pattern that has continued for weeks.

The anti-weaponization fund, which Trump described as being for people unfairly targeted by the government, has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans, who view it as a potential slush fund

benefiting supporters involved in the January 6 Capitol attack. Trump’s own attorney general had reportedly sought to assure Republican lawmakers the fund was being dropped, yet Trump contradicted that message on air, saying he still considers it “a great idea” and would be “disappointed” if Congress failed to approve it.

On Iran, Trump expressed sympathy for the Iranian leadership, saying the country’s leaders were being pressured into concessions

they had never imagined making. He also praised the new Iranian supreme leader — who has not been seen publicly since his father was killed at the start of the war — calling him “brave and rational.” The interview illustrated the tension between Trump’s desire to project diplomatic progress and the persistent lack of a concrete deal.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at a pace that public health officials describe as unprecedented,

with Africa’s Centers for Disease Control warning that the outbreak could potentially rival the worst Ebola epidemic on record — the 2014–2016 West Africa crisis, which killed more than 11,000 people. The DRC has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks over the decades, but the current surge is crossing provincial boundaries at a rate that has overwhelmed local containment efforts.

Africa’s CDC has characterized the situation as a regional threat, meaning neighboring countries are at elevated risk of spillover.

Weak health infrastructure, ongoing armed conflict in eastern DRC, and population displacement are all factors making it harder to trace contacts, isolate patients, and deploy vaccines effectively. International health organizations are calling for urgent resource mobilization to prevent the outbreak from becoming a full-scale regional emergency.