Trump Threatens to 'Blow Up' Ally Oman as US and Iran Trade Strikes — Israel Pounds Tyre and Sidon as Dozen Killed in Southern Lebanon

28 May 2026 | Washington, Tehran, Beirut, Kuwait City — Updated 11:30 GMT

In Washington, Donald Trump issues a chilling warning to a decades-long US ally. "Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up," the president says. The threat comes as US and Iranian forces trade fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz — American forces downing four Iranian drones, Iran claiming retaliation against a US base in Kuwait.

In Lebanon, the skies are falling. A fireball erupts over the ancient coastal city of Tyre. Dawn airstrikes reduce homes to rubble in Sidon. At least a dozen people are killed — including children trying to flee threatened villages. The Israeli military declares new swathes of southern Lebanon a combat zone. "We will act with great force," it warns.

Oil prices jump to $95.95 a barrel. Trump says he may have to "finish the job" with Iran. Tehran insists its forces are "lying in wait with full magazines." The ceasefire is hanging by a thread. The region holds its breath.

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/BEIRUT/KUWAIT CITY – Donald Trump has threatened to "blow up" Oman — a decades-long US military ally and key mediator in the Iran conflict — as American and Iranian forces trade fresh strikes near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while Israel pounds southern Lebanon killing at least a dozen people including children.

The dramatic escalation comes as Trump warned he may have to "finish the job" with Iran, with Tehran insisting its forces remain "lying in wait with full magazines" as any hopes for a durable peace agreement appear increasingly elusive.

Trump Threatens Oman: 'We'll Have to Blow Them Up'

Trump appeared to direct a warning at Oman — a US ally and mediator in the Iran conflict — when asked about a possible short-term arrangement allowing Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz.

"No, the strait is going to be open to everybody," he said during a televised White House cabinet meeting. "It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has since condemned the US after Trump's threat, expressing solidarity with Oman following "US officials' threats" without specifically naming Trump. He also condemned US attacks on Bandar Abbas, the Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.

US and Iran Trade Strikes Near Strait of Hormuz

US Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials, and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Iranian state broadcaster Irib reported later on Thursday that the Revolutionary Guards had targeted an American base in Kuwait "that served as the source of the attack." Kuwait's army confirmed its air defences were intercepting missile and drone threats just before 6am in Kuwait City.

Oil prices jumped on Thursday — erasing much of Wednesday's decline — amid the latest test of the ceasefire. Brent North Sea crude — the main international benchmark — rose by 1.8% in Thursday morning trade to $95.95 a barrel.

But mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks. Iran said a return to war was unlikely, while Trump told the cabinet meeting that Tehran "very much" wanted a deal but had not yet offered enough.

"So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be," the US president said. "Either that or we'll have to just finish the job."

Donald Trump and other US officials at a cabinet meeting at the White House, where the president warned he may have to 'finish the job' with Iran as mixed signals underscore the fragile state of peace talks.

Iran Reacts: 'Trump Alternates Between Threats and Appeals'

Trump's "rhetoric" would not force Iran to back away from its demands to enrich uranium, wield authority over the strait and see sanctions against it lifted, said Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee.

"It is obvious Trump, seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock, alternates between issuing threats and appealing for an agreement," Azizi said on X.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Baghaei expressed solidarity with Oman after "US officials' threats," without specifically naming Trump, and condemned US attacks on Bandar Abbas.

Israel Declares New Combat Zones in Southern Lebanon

The Israeli military declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act "with great force" against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in the zone. The statement appeared to signal a further escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon's south and east on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire.

The major Lebanese city of Tyre has come under constant Israeli bombardment, according to local media. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is hitting Hezbollah targets in the ancient coastal city in southern Lebanon, a day after issuing a warning forcing thousands of people to leave Tyre and surrounding areas.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported two people were killed in Tyre in an Israeli drone strike on Thursday morning.

A fireball and smoke erupt from a building after an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on Thursday, as the Israeli military declares new swathes of southern Lebanon a combat zone and warns it will act 'with great force' against Hezbollah.

At Least a Dozen Killed in Israeli Attacks on Southern Lebanon

At least a dozen people have been killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon today, according to local media, as the Israeli military continues to push further into Lebanese territory.

Among those killed was a soldier in the Lebanese armed forces. In a post on social media, the army said the soldier was "targeted by a hostile Israeli airstrike" while travelling between the villages of Zefta and Deir ez-Zahrani in the Nabatieh area.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported at least six people, including children, were killed in an Israeli drone attack on the Adloun Highway in the Nabi Sari area of southern Lebanon. The victims — reported to be members of the same family — were killed "as they were trying to flee from the threatened villages to a safe place at dawn," according to the news agency.

More deaths were reported in the southern Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon where the Israeli military said it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

People search the rubble of their destroyed home after a dawn Israeli air raid on the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, as at least a dozen people are killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon including children trying to flee threatened villages.

Israeli Soldier Killed in Hezbollah Drone Attack

The Israeli military said a soldier was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon. In a statement online, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two other soldiers were injured in the same incident yesterday.

According to AFP news agency, 24 Israeli soldiers have been killed since renewed fighting with Hezbollah began on 2 March.

Hamas Confirms Military Wing Leader Killed in Gaza

Hamas has confirmed that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City killed the new leader of Hamas' military wing. The group said on Wednesday that Mohammed Odeh was killed the previous day, along with his wife and two of his children.

More Israeli strikes in the city on Wednesday evening killed at least seven people, including two children and a woman. More than 20 people were wounded, including several children, according to Shifa hospital.

US-Lebanon-Israel Talks Scheduled in Washington

Lebanese and Israeli military officials are set to hold their first security talks tomorrow in Washington, with talks at a political level scheduled on 2 and 3 June. The talks have extended a nominal ceasefire that went into effect on 17 April, although the attacks have since intensified.

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