In the 1970s, Israeli agents and IDF officers helped Kurdish rebels in Iraq; as a gesture of thanks, Kurdish leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani gave them a Syrian bear cub named Shamo, launching a strange covert journey from Kurdistan to the Tel Aviv zoo

US military says it hit Iranian surveillance sites near the Strait of Hormuz after downing four drones targeting maritime traffic, as Washington and Tehran continue indirect talks aimed at ending the three-month war

Temperatures will rise slightly on Saturday with a very high to extreme UV index; After cooling Sunday, warmer weather returns through Tuesday 

Drone explodes near IDF forces in southern Lebanon as cross-border tensions continue; Iran’s FM slams Lebanese President over claims Lebanon is used as a 'bargaining chip', saying a deal would have been reached long ago if that were the case

Lebanon is advancing its largest amnesty law since the civil war, potentially freeing more than 3,000 inmates, including Islamists and drug traffickers; The proposal has sparked fierce opposition from victims’ families and renewed debate over the return of former SLA members from Israel

Iran demands $12B in immediate cash from $100B in frozen assets, deepening deadlock in U.S.-Iran talks; Washington rejects upfront payments as Trump faces political risk and comparisons to Obama-era deals, while Tehran insists the funds are its own | Analysis

As US, Israel and Iran oscillate between escalation and diplomacy, regional media split: Gulf focus energy security, Israeli warn weak US-Iran deal, Iran-aligned cite leverage, others stress US-Israel escalation; Hormuz is the fault line

Pentagon raises Israel counterintelligence threat to ‘critical,’ NBC reports, citing US officials alleging surveillance of senior US officials over Iran talks; Israel and White House deny any accusations