NBC News reported that the US F-15 fighter jet that crashed in Iranian airspace last month was likely shot down by a Chinese-made shoulder-fired missile. The incident occurred amid ongoing hostilities that began on February 28. According to the report, China may have provided Iran with stealth aircraft technology and long-range radar systems, enhancing Tehran’s ability to track advanced US aircraft. The crash prompted a 36-hour search and rescue mission, during which both crew members were eventually recovered.

US officials are still investigating how the jet was downed, marking the first time in decades that an American warplane was destroyed by enemy fire. The Pentagon confirmed that the pilot was rescued within seven hours, while the weapons systems officer was found two days later in Iran’s Zagros Mountains. The timing of China’s military support to Iran remains unclear.

Analysts suggest that if Iran indeed used Chinese weapons, it could further strain US-China relations. The report surfaced as President Donald Trump sought Beijing’s help to de-escalate the conflict with Iran ahead of a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The United States has claimed responsibility for airstrikes on Iranian military installations during an ongoing ceasefire. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the attacks targeted radar and drone facilities in Iran’s Goruk city and Qeshm Island over the weekend. CENTCOM stated on social media that the strikes were carried out in response to what it described as Iran’s aggressive actions, including the downing of an MQ-1 drone in international waters.

The US military reported destroying Iran’s air defense system, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that were considered a clear threat to ships operating in regional waterways. The statement emphasized that the operations were defensive in nature and aimed at protecting navigation security in the area.

As of now, Iran has not issued any response or acknowledgment regarding the reported attacks. The incident was first reported by Al Jazeera, and no independent verification of the claims has been provided.

A truck carrying Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan overturned in eastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province, killing 22 people and injuring 36 others. Provincial governor’s spokesperson Abdul Malik Niazi said the accident occurred on the main highway connecting Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. Most of the victims were women and children, including ten children and five women. The injured were taken to hospitals in Nangarhar.

Provincial public health director Aminullah Sharif stated that the crash happened when the driver fell asleep, causing the truck to plunge into a ditch. The victims were among many Afghans returning home after Pakistan began a crackdown on undocumented migrants in 2023. Around the same time, Iran also started deporting Afghan migrants, leading to the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans from both countries.

Authorities have not released further details about the condition of the injured or the ongoing investigation into the accident.

Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) will be posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. The ceremony will take place on June 5, 2026, at the UN Headquarters in New York, where Secretary-General António Guterres will present the medals as part of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observance.

The honorees—Md Jahangir Alam, Md Sabuj Mia, Md Masud Rana, Md Mominul Islam, Shamim Reza, and Sant Mondol—were killed in a drone attack on December 13, 2025, while on duty in Abyei. The event will also honor 68 fallen peacekeepers from various countries, including 59 who died last year, and will feature a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of more than 4,500 peacekeepers who have died since 1948.

Bangladesh is currently the fourth-largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, with over 4,000 members, including 277 women, serving in eight missions worldwide.

Israeli settlers, supported by police, attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday. The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the assault, describing it as a provocative act that violates the mosque’s sanctity and the site’s historical and legal status.

Omar Rajoub, director of the Jerusalem Governorate’s media department, said the settlers raised Israeli flags and performed provocative rituals as part of a plan led by the extremist occupation government. He warned that such actions aim to impose new realities in East Jerusalem, weaken Al-Aqsa’s legal standing, and alter the city’s religious and historical identity. Rajoub called on the international community to take immediate action to stop these violations and reaffirmed that the entire 144-dunam area of Al-Aqsa is solely for Muslim worship.

The UAE’s foreign ministry stated that the settlers’ actions breached international law and urged global efforts to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Iran has restored access to most of its underground missile bases by clearing tunnel entrances that were blocked during US and Israeli airstrikes, according to satellite imagery reviewed by CNN. Experts said Iran is now fully prepared to launch longer-range missiles across the Middle East, including toward Israel. The renewed activity highlights the limits of US bombing strategies aimed at crippling Tehran’s missile capabilities.

During the conflict, US and Israeli forces destroyed roads and sealed tunnel entrances to restrict access to Iran’s underground missile network. Despite repeated attacks on construction equipment, Iran continued excavation work and maintained limited missile launches. Since the ceasefire more than seven weeks ago, Iran has accelerated recovery operations, reopening 50 of 69 damaged tunnels across 18 sites. Satellite images also show road repairs and renewed construction at bases near Isfahan and Khomein.

US intelligence assessments cited in the report indicate Iran has resumed drone production and missile launcher replacement. Analysts said the country’s rapid reconstruction, using basic machinery like bulldozers, demonstrates resilience against costly air campaigns.

At least 55 people were killed in a powerful explosion on Sunday in Kaung Tat village of Shan State, northeastern Myanmar, near the Chinese border. The incident occurred on June 1, 2026, and rescue workers confirmed the death toll. According to a source cited by the BBC, the victims included 25 women and 30 men, though other reports mentioned slightly different figures. Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising over the village immediately after the blast.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an armed group involved in anti-junta operations in the region, stated that the explosion was accidental and caused by explosives used in mining and stone extraction. Some residents initially suspected an airstrike, but TNLA clarified the cause in a statement. The group’s political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front, expressed condolences to the victims’ families through a Telegram post.

Footage from the site showed large craters, destroyed houses, and debris scattered across the area, with smoke still rising from the charred remains and damaged trees.

Former US defense official Adam Clements has stated that achieving victory in Iran through airstrikes alone is not possible. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Clements, who also served as a US diplomat in Jordan and Yemen, said that the ongoing US military campaign against Iran has revealed the limitations of relying solely on aerial attacks.

He explained that while the operation may have disrupted some of Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, the country has likely hidden or preserved parts of its arsenal for future use. Clements emphasized that the effects of the conflict are being felt far beyond the Middle East.

According to him, even South Asian and Far Eastern countries not directly involved in the war are being indirectly affected by its economic consequences, making it necessary to consider broader strategic and economic factors alongside military actions.

A brief Middle East war launched by former U.S. President Donald Trump against Iran has rapidly exposed the strategic weaknesses of American military power in an interconnected world. Analysts suggest the conflict could mark a greater geopolitical shift than the Vietnam War, despite being smaller in scale and resulting in only 13 U.S. casualties. A draft peace agreement reportedly frames the campaign as a universal defeat for Washington.

The war has triggered multiple regional and global consequences. Israel’s two-decade regime-change strategy has collapsed, Gulf monarchies are reassessing the value of U.S. bases, and cheap drones have proven to be powerful equalizers in modern warfare. Europe faces political and economic shocks from an energy crisis, while Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO have weakened the EU’s cohesion. Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations warn the conflict has severely damaged the U.S.-led world order, pushing allies toward alternative power centers.

Despite weakening Iran militarily, the war has revitalized its internal resistance and strategic posture around the Strait of Hormuz. Regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan have since prevented Trump from reigniting hostilities, signaling a shift toward a more multipolar Middle East.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to convene an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Lebanon following Israel’s expanded military operations and territorial advances in the country’s southern region. According to diplomatic sources cited by AFP, the meeting was called in response to growing concerns over Israel’s extended presence after the capture of the historically significant Beaufort Castle.

France initiated the move to call the emergency session as international concern mounts over the ongoing military activities in southern Lebanon and their potential impact on civilians. Member states are expected to deliberate on these developments and their broader implications for regional stability.

Diplomatic sources also indicated that before the Lebanon discussion, the UNSC will hold another emergency session on the same day regarding a Russian drone crash into a residential building in Romania. The Lebanon meeting will begin immediately after that session concludes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has instructed the Israeli military to expand its operations in Lebanon. According to Reuters, Netanyahu stated that his directive aims to broaden the scope of military activities in areas previously controlled by Hezbollah. He emphasized the need for Israel to deepen and extend its control in those regions.

The statement comes at a time of heightened military activity by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and growing international concern over escalating tensions with Hezbollah. The report, citing Al Jazeera, indicates that the situation has drawn global attention as cross-border hostilities intensify.

Further details about the expanded operations were not immediately available, and additional updates are expected as more information emerges.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that approximately 1,320 Ukrainian soldiers were killed within the past 24 hours during ongoing military operations. According to a report by the Russian news agency TASS, the losses occurred across multiple battle zones, including the North, West, South, Center, East, and Dnipro sectors, where Russian forces conducted coordinated offensives.

The ministry further stated that its air defense systems destroyed ten guided aerial bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS multiple-launch rocket projectile, and 352 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles during the same period. It also claimed that since the start of the special military operation, Russian forces have destroyed a large number of Ukrainian aircraft, helicopters, drones, tanks, rocket launchers, artillery, and other military vehicles.

The report, citing official Russian sources, did not include independent verification or Ukrainian responses to these claims.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that during last year’s conflict, a Pakistani drone flew close to the residence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at a rally in Moro, Sindh province, Zardari said the drone hovered over Modi’s residence for some time and that Pakistan Air Force drones had breached India’s defense lines.

According to reports from Indian media including NDTV, Zardari also asserted that Pakistan’s Air Force had shot down eight Indian aircraft. The remarks come in reference to the 2025 conflict that followed a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, where 25 tourists and a horseman were killed. India launched strikes inside Pakistan in response, prompting retaliatory attacks from Pakistan.

The hostilities were eventually halted after mediation by U.S. President Donald Trampen, leading both sides to agree to end the fighting, according to the same reports.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pledged to further strengthen Japan’s military capabilities while indirectly criticizing China during a security conference in Singapore on Sunday. Speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Koizumi dismissed Beijing’s accusations that Tokyo is pursuing a risky “new militarism,” calling such claims untrue. Without naming China directly, he contrasted Japan’s lack of nuclear weapons with a country possessing vast nuclear and bomber arsenals, questioning the fairness of labeling Japan militaristic.

According to reports from Singapore, Japan under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is moving toward a more active defense policy, gradually departing from its post–World War II pacifist stance with U.S. support. China has repeatedly criticized this shift, warning it could threaten regional stability. Koizumi countered that China is expanding its military power without sufficient transparency, calling it a serious concern for Japan.

Koizumi said Japan will continue enhancing its defense capabilities with high transparency, including in artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, and space defense. The Shangri-La Dialogue gathered security officials and experts from about 45 countries, though China again sent a lower-level delegation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that a total of 28 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial ships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours. According to the IRGC’s naval branch, all ships crossed safely under the coordination and security arrangements of the IRGC Navy.

The IRGC statement, published by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, added that the ‘intelligent control’ of the Strait of Hormuz is being maintained with regular strictness and oversight. The strait is one of the world’s most critical energy transport routes, through which large volumes of oil and goods are shipped daily.

Experts note that any military or security activity in this region could influence global markets due to its strategic importance in global energy transportation.