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Hormuz 'bottleneck' puts uneven pressure on Gulf economies and global oil

Hormuz 'bottleneck' puts uneven pressure on Gulf economies and global oil
By Heba Habib, Danai Nesta Kupemba, Barbara Angopa, Adam Hancock, Usaid Siddiqui, Stephen Quillen, Edna Mohamed, Alex Milan Durie and Zaid Sabah
Published On 6 May 2026

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6 May 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

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Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

6 May 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

  • Hezbollah said it launched 17 drone and rocket strikes against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, targeting Qantara, Biyyada, Taybeh, Naqoura, Rishaf and Aita al-Shaab.
  • Three people were killed in an Israeli air strike on Ansariyeh in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district.
  • Israeli forces targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time since a so-called “ceasefire” was declared on April 17, targeting a Hezbollah Radwan Force commander. Meanwhile, at least 13 people were killed across Lebanon on Wednesday.
  • Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said his son was wounded in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood, which killed one person and wounded 10 others.
  • Hamas has condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks across Gaza as a “blatant violation of the ceasefire”.
  • Trump said a deal with Iran is “very possible” after “very good talks” over the past 24 hours, but Iran has not yet formally responded to the latest US proposals, though messages are being exchanged via mediators in Pakistan.
  • Iran has urged UN member states to reject a US-drafted resolution on the safety of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “politically motivated”.
  • Amnesty International has called for Israel to release two Gaza flotilla activists, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avil, who were abducted by Israeli forces.
6 May 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Kurdish group’s camp hit by drones in northern Iraq

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI) says Iran launched drone strikes on a camp belonging to the group in northern Iraq on Wednesday evening, the second attack on the group’s facilities in a single day.

The PDKI said on X that three drones struck the Zewi Aspi base, while earlier on Wednesday, two drones targeted the Girde Chal camp, a residential compound housing the relatives of PDKI members near Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

6 May 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Qatar and Egypt review cooperation, regional de-escalation efforts

Qatar’s foreign minister held a call with his Egyptian counterpart, during which the two discussed developments in the regional situation, particularly the ceasefire between the US and Iran and de-escalation efforts that contributed to enhancing security and stability, Qatar says.

6 May 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)

Israeli strikes expand to areas in Lebanon untouched since March

By Obaida Hitto

Reporting from Tyre,Lebanon

We have seen a significant escalation in the intensity and scope of attacks over the last 24 to 48 hours.

A school was attacked. There was another deadly strike in the western Bekaa, an area that had been issued a threat and was then attacked, killing the mayor of the village of Zellaya along with his wife and child. We saw many other attacks throughout the south, causing significant casualties in places that had been untouched by Israeli strikes for a long time.

This is extremely concerning because we are now in the third week of the ceasefire, and yet we are seeing an expansion of Israeli strikes throughout the country. The scope of those attacks has significantly widened to include areas not previously targeted. We are seeing more strikes, more people injured, more areas attacked.

6 May 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Trump employs familiar escalation tactics amidst new diplomatic window

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Wahington, DC, United States

It appears that Trump has fallen into a familiar pattern, like when he threatened to wipe out an entire civilisation.

This pattern has become somewhat recognisable: Escalating publicly, create hard deadlines, and then threaten overwhelming force, at the same time leaving an open window for diplomacy.

The reason that Trump may be trying to do this is because he has, as we know, as of about 24 hours ago, paused what is known as Project Freedom, and that was the US escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

He says the reason for doing so is to give diplomacy a window of opportunity, and so that does reinforce the point that there are signs and signals of something imminent.

6 May 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)
Houthi

Israeli army intercepts aerial target launched from Lebanon

The Israeli army says it has intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from Lebanon towards Israeli territory.

It said the interception followed sirens that sounded throughout Manara, Margaliot, and Kiryat Shmona.

No injuries or damage were reported immediately following the incident.

6 May 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Situation in Lebanon ‘remains highly volatile despite ceasefire’: UN

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon “remains highly volatile despite the ceasefire”, and civilians continue to be impacted by hostilities, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says.

More than 2,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, and the death toll continues to rise daily as strikes persist.

On Wednesday, Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, killing at least 13 people across Lebanon.

6 May 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Hezbollah ramps up attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah says its fighters launched 17 targeted strikes on invading Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on Wednesday.

According to a statement, the group targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in Qantara, Biyyada, Taybeh, Naqoura, Rishaf, and Aita al-Shaab through a series of drone and rocket strikes.

Hezbollah also carried out strikes against specific equipment and hardware, including a drone strike on a personnel carrier in Qaouzah, and another on a newly established command centre in Qantara.

6 May 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Trump’s peace deal talks could be to stabilise stock market

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington, DC

Trump believes the Iranians are on the verge of collapse, that they are ready to give up. We’re seeing no indication from the Iranians that that is actually the case. But he is hoping that he can get a deal.

Trump talked about the stock market going up, oil prices coming down. He said oil prices could hit $200 a barrel, and he still thinks that would be a price worth paying.

There are those in this town who would suggest that when Trump talks up the idea of a peace deal it is to try and stabilise the stock market, and the oil price because he is aware that as much as this war is having an impact on Iran, it’s also having an economic impact here in the US.

6 May 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

WATCH: Israel bombs Beirut’s southern suburb

6 May 2026 - 22:09
 (22:09 GMT)
Houthi

Sirens activated in northern Israel

The Israeli army says it’s responding to “hostile aircraft infiltration” in Kiryat Shmona in the north.

6 May 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Hezbollah sources deny commander was hit in Israeli attack

By Obaida Hitto

Reporting from Tyre, Lebanon

The person Israel allegedly targeted in this attack is Malek Balout, the commander of the Radwan Force, an elite group of Hezbollah fighters responsible for many of the attacks against Israel.

Hezbollah sources told Al Jazeera that no high-level military commanders from the Radwan Force or Hezbollah more broadly were affected by this strike.

The more concerning aspect is that these strikes happened during the ceasefire in the southern suburbs, one of the most densely populated areas around the capital. Many people returned to the southern suburbs when the ceasefire went into place, believing it would be safe.

People were hoping there would be no more attacks, especially in Beirut. Today was the biggest indicator yet that Israel intends to keep striking anywhere it considers a threat to its national security.

6 May 2026 - 21:55
 (21:55 GMT)
Houthi

Hamas leader confirms son wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza City

Leader of Hamas’s political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, has told Al Jazeera his son was injured in an Israeli attack on Gaza that we reported on earlier.

One person was killed and 10 wounded in the air strike on the Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City.

“This criminal attack is an extension of the Zionist aggression against our people everywhere, and an extension of the attack on the Palestinian negotiating delegation that was in Doha, Qatar, on September 9,” he said.

“Neither the killing of our sons nor the martyrdom of our leaders will intimidate us.”

6 May 2026 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)
Houthi

Three killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli air strike

At least three people have been killed in an Israeli air strike targeting the town of Ansariyeh, in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district, the National News Agency (NNA) is reporting.

The air strike also wounded seven people.

6 May 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

US officials remain vague on potential negotiations with Iran

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Wahington DC

We know that the administration officials are being deliberately vague because there is the possibility that anything that is in the works could fall apart very quickly.

The second round of talks never took place in Islamabad, so they’re trying to avoid that from happening again.

What we do know, though, is that there is the prospect, and signals that the future could hold direct negotiations once again, that there is a framework that is now being looked over and that it puts in place, essentially, 14 different points that would allow for the restart of negotiations and a 30-day period for these negotiations to be conducted.

We understand Iran is reviewing a US proposal and is expected to get back to Pakistan with some sort of response.

Until then, Trump has been indicating he believes there is a willingness on the part of Iran to try and make a deal.

We should point out, though, that Trump is also keenly aware of market reaction, and when the oil price goes up, and he’s concerned about that escalating, he does often hint publicly in the media that things are going well to bring that price down.

6 May 2026 - 21:35
 (21:35 GMT)

Israeli forces enter Wadi al-Raqad in western Deraa countryside

An Israeli army force entered Wadi al-Raqad in the Yarmouk Basin area of western Deraa countryside on Wednesday evening, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

Eight Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Wadi al-Raqad bridge and spread throughout the area.

The incursion follows a similar Israeli military incursion last Thursday into the town of Jamlah, also in the Yarmouk Basin area, before later withdrawing.

Syria continues to demand the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from its territory, calling all Israeli measures in southern Syria “null and void” under international law, SANA said.

6 May 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

GCC secretary-general condemns Iran’s ‘baseless allegations’ against UAE

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi has condemned Tehran for making “baseless and unacceptable allegations” against the UAE, after Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the country of collaborating with hostile actors against it.

Al-Budaiwi said the “misleading claims are an extension of Iran’s escalatory and provocative approach towards the countries of the region”, according to a GCC statement.

“He pointed out that Iran has not only carried out its brutal attacks targeting the territory of the United Arab Emirates but has also continued its blatant attempts to distort the facts, in flagrant violation of all international norms and laws.”

“GCC countries stand united with the United Arab Emirates and support all measures it takes to preserve its security, stability and sovereignty.”

GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi [File: Vincent Thian/AP]
6 May 2026 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

Amnesty calls for release of abducted Gaza flotilla activists

Amnesty International has called for the release of abducted activists Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, who have been detained by Israel since its forces intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla vessels while in international waters last week.

Abu Keshek and Avila are “at great risk of human rights abuses, including torture and other ill-treatment,” Amnesty said, citing its “previous documentation of the abuse inflicted on flotilla activists detained in October 2025 at the hands of the Israeli authorities”.

The NGO said it was especially concerned about Abu Keshek, “a Palestinian-Spanish-Swedish national”, as he is “being detained on suspicion of affiliation with a terrorist organization given Israel’s discriminatory laws and persistent record of harassment and oppression of Palestinians under Israel’s system of apartheid”.

Amnesty International called on Israel to “immediately release them and ensure they are protected while in custody”.

As we reported earlier, Israeli rights group Adalah said Israel’s Beersheba District Court had rejected an appeal for the activists’ release, ruling instead to extend their detention to Sunday morning.

6 May 2026 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

Qatar, UAE pledge to strengthen ties during Joint Higher Committee meeting

Qatar’s prime minister and the UAE’s deputy prime minister cochaired the seventh session of the Joint Higher Committee in Abu Dhabi, where the officials discussed the situation in the region, and Qatar confirmed its condemnation of Iran’s attacks against the UAE and expressed the country’s support for the UAE’s measures to protect its sovereignty.