Iran and Lebanon: strikes on Qeshm as Qatar mediates between Washington and Tehran

Where the war with Iran stands

The war that began with Israeli and US strikes on Iran in late February 2026 has now lasted more than eight months ¹². The United States maintains a blockade of Iranian ports. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has prevented the export of more than $25 billion worth of crude oil. Tehran, for its part, has closed off the Strait of Hormuz ¹. Negotiations are taking place through Qatar ²³.

Two rounds of strikes on Qeshm

On Monday 2 November, US officials confirmed a strike on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. They described it as a “defensive” response to Iranian fire directed at a US aircraft, rather than a resumption of the campaign. Iran’s IRNA news agency reported five successive explosions ⁴.

On the evening of Friday 6 November, the US military carried out another limited round of strikes, targeting air defences on Qeshm, according to Trump. “We took it out in fifteen minutes, maybe five,” he said, adding, “We’re not fighting.” He claimed to have made “a lot of progress” with Iran ². Iranian state media reported that two missiles had hit the Suza area. The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have shot down a US drone, which Washington did not confirm ².

No breakthrough in sight

On 5 November, an Iranian official said Tehran had submitted a nuclear proposal through Qatar, to be discussed only after “seven demands” had been met ⁶. Iran wants an end to the blockade, sanctions relief, the release of frozen assets, compensation for war damage and an end to hostilities in the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon ². Its September plan envisaged reopening Hormuz within seven days. On 8 November, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated on X an offer to do so in two ³.

Qatar denied on 6 November that talks had collapsed. Trump called Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that evening, and the Qatari prime minister said in Oxford that there would “never be a perfect peace agreement” ². On Sunday 8 November, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran’s demands “unacceptable”, some of them “outrageous, ridiculous and really unrealistic”, and described the talks as “not very productive”. Trump was due to receive the Qatari prime minister on 9 November ³. The same day, CENTCOM announced a 20-person unit based in Florida tasked with blocking overland routes and the Caspian Sea to prevent “advanced weapons systems” from reaching Iran. A Revolutionary Guards spokesman said the plan “would fail” ¹³.

On 9 November, Trump said a new offensive was “highly unlikely”, depending on progress in the negotiations. Iranian spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the IAEA had just inspected the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and European governments meeting at the G7 in Paris said they wanted to avoid “any further escalation” ⁷.

Lebanon faces strikes, arms caches and a deadlock over disarmament

Israel invaded southern Lebanon in March 2026 and reportedly controls about 20% of the territory there. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced, according to the Council on Foreign Relations ⁸. Under the US-brokered framework negotiated in June, any Israeli withdrawal depends on Hezbollah disarming, a condition the group rejects ⁸.

Israeli strikes continue. On 2 November, Al-Mansouri, Haddatha and Majdal Zoun came under fire, according to Lebanese state media ⁸. On 4 November, a drone strike on a motorcycle in Qabrikha killed one person and wounded another, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it had targeted two suspects who were “observing” its troops ⁸⁵. The same day, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said his forces would not allow Hezbollah to “establish terrorist infrastructure”, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned against dragging the country into another war ⁵. A strike hit Bint Jbeil on 6 November ⁸.

On 5 November, Lebanon’s military court issued arrest warrants for two Hezbollah members detained at a checkpoint with explosives ⁸. On 8 November, the Israeli military said it had found two arms depots in Mays al-Jabal about 200 metres from a UN post and an apartment Hezbollah used for observation in A-Tiri, 250 metres from another UN position. According to the account of its statement, it called the discoveries “further proof of UNIFIL’s failure” ⁹. UNIFIL’s mandate ends on 31 December 2026. Resolution 2790 provides for an orderly withdrawal within one year after that ¹⁰.

Sources

1. AFP / Times of Israel (édition française), « Les États-Unis veulent bloquer les routes terrestres vers l'Iran », 8 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/les-etats-unis-veulent-bloquer-les-routes-terrestres-vers-liran/
2. Euronews, « US launches new targeted strikes on Iran as Trump claims progress in talks with Tehran », 7 novembre 2026, https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/07/us-launches-new-targeted-strikes-on-iran-as-trump-claims-progress-in-talks-with-tehran
3. Times of Israel (édition française), « Rubio dénonce les exigences « scandaleuses et ridicules » de l'Iran dans les négociations », 8 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/rubio-denonce-les-exigences-scandaleuses-et-ridicules-de-liran-dans-les-negociations/
4. Fox News, direct « US launches 'defensive' strikes on Iranian island as Tehran talks hang in balance », 2-3 novembre 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/iran-war-news-trump-midterms-peace-deal-israel-november-2
5. Times of Israel, direct du 4 novembre 2026 (entrées de 12 h 36, 17 h 13, 18 h 15 et 18 h 41), https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-4-2026/
6. Times of Israel, direct du 5 novembre 2026 (entrées de 21 h 45 et 22 h 32), https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-5-2026/
7. Times of Israel, direct du 9 novembre 2026 (entrées de 11 h 20 et 12 h 48 ; « Trump says new offensive against Iran highly unlikely »), https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-9-2026/
8. Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker, « Conflict With Hezbollah in Lebanon », mis à jour au 6 novembre 2026, https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/political-instability-lebanon
9. Times of Israel (édition française), « Tsahal découvre des sites du Hezbollah près de positions de la FINUL dans le sud-Liban », 8 novembre 2026, https://fr.timesofisrael.com/liban-tsahal-decouvre-des-sites-du-hezbollah-pres-de-positions-de-lonu/
10. Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, résolution 2790, 28 août 2025, paragraphe 1, https://unifil.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/250828_unifil_mandate_renewal_adopted_res._e.pdf
11. Associated Press, déclarations sur les négociations avec l’Iran et réactions politiques après le scrutin américain, 8 novembre 2026, https://apnews.com/article/f7b507b55634985d6013d36265b3fbc0

The story in 30 seconds

Read the main facts at a glance and share the link.

1. The US described its 2 and 6 November strikes on Qeshm as “defensive” and then “minor”. Trump said, “We’re not fighting.”
2. On 8 November, Rubio called Iran’s demands “unacceptable”. CENTCOM set up an “Iron Gate” unit to block overland routes into Iran.
3. On 8 November in Lebanon, the Israeli military said it had found arms depots near UN positions that it attributed to Hezbollah.

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