U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the Pentagon said on Friday (May 1, 2026), in the latest spat with a European leader over the West Asia war. The war on Iran and the Gulf’s shattered illusions
Mr. Trump told top U.S. lawmakers that hostilities in Iran had ended, after coming under pressure from Congress to seek authorisation for the conflict as it headed into its third month. “There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” he wrote in letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley.
Battle of wills: On the U.S. war on Iran
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 12 people were killed Friday (May 1, 2026) in Israeli strikes on the country’s south, including in a town where Israel’s army had issued an evacuation order despite a ceasefire.
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