Iran war live: Tehran says no surrender to US, diplomacy ‘wiser’ than war

US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley have condemned Ben-Gvir’s treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists, saying it reflects more broadly on Israel’s actions towards Palestinians.

“Ben-Gvir’s treatment of these detainees is disgusting and inhumane,” Senator Merkley said in a post on X.

“When we see images of Gaza – destroyed communities and desperate families – we know why people are called to action,” he said.

Senator Van Hollen questioned how far Ben-Gvir would be willing to go with detainees in private.

“This is how National Security Minister Ben-Gvir treats detainees when he knows the cameras are rolling – to say nothing of what happens to Palestinians behind closed doors,” Van Hollen said.

“This conduct is abhorrent. He should’ve been sanctioned by the US long ago,” he said.

Van Hollen and Merkley, both Democrats, have long been outspoken supporters of Palestinians, including travelling to the Rafah crossing to highlight Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip.

This is how National Security Minister Ben-Gvir treats detainees when he knows the cameras are rolling — to say nothing of what happens to Palestinians behind closed doors.

This conduct is abhorrent. He should've been sanctioned by the U.S. long ago. https://t.co/7SSPAutLoF

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) May 20, 2026

The Financial Times has reported that ‌the US ⁠State ⁠Department’s oversight body is investigating the now-defunct and highly controversial ⁠Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and how it ⁠spent millions of dollars in emergency aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

In a report citing three people familiar with the inquiry, the newspaper said the State Department’s Office of Inspector General is focusing on ⁠a $30m grant announced ⁠by the department for GHF, which was backed by the ⁠US and ⁠Israel to distribute aid in Gaza.

The GHF was widely condemned for bypassing the UN and other humanitarian aid infrastructure in Gaza and for deadly violence that regularly broke out at or near its crowded distribution sites by Israeli soldiers and its own armed security contractors.

UN experts reported in August 2025 that at least 859 Palestinians seeking aid had been killed around GHF sites since the beginning of its operations in May that year.

Australia has joined a growing number of countries summoning their Israeli ambassadors over a video posted by Israel’s far-right minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, showing flotilla activists being forced to kneel with their hands bound as he taunts them.

“The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – are shocking and unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement shared on X.

“We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Wong said.

Wong also said that Australia had again called for the release of 11 Australians participating in the flotilla, and “for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations”.

“I have also directed DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] to call in Israel’s Ambassador to Australia to reinforce this message,” she added.

The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – are shocking and unacceptable. We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 20, 2026

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says its fighters targeted invading Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon in the early hours of this morning.

In a statement, the group said its fighters launched rocket barrages at gatherings of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the occupied Lebanese towns of Debel, Rachaf and Biyyada.

Shortly after, fighters deployed a swarm of loitering aerial drones to target additional military gatherings in Debel and the surrounding area of Haddatha, Hezbollah said.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has posted a video of himself taunting detained Gaza-bound activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla with the caption, “Welcome to Israel”.

The activists, abducted by Israeli forces in international waters, are seen zip-tied and kneeling while Israel’s national anthem blares over loudspeakers.

Watch below:

• US President Donald Trump again said his options on the Iran war remain open. “Do we go and finish it up, or are they going to ⁠be signing a ⁠document?”
• Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the US and Israel would “regret attacking Iran again” as Iranian forces had used the ceasefire to rebuild their capabilities.
• Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with officials in Tehran, as Islamabad continues to work on mediated negotiations between the US and Iran.
• China’s President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that “a comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency” in the US-Israel war on Iran.
• Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said vessels require its authorisation to pass through a newly created controlled maritime zone in the Strait of Hormuz.
• US forces boarded and redirected an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf ⁠of Oman.
• The US has lifted sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese.
• Several countries have summoned their Israeli ambassadors after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video showing him taunting abducted Gaza flotilla activists who are currently in detention in Israel.

Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran, as well as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

Stay with us for the latest news and analysis from across the Middle East and beyond.

You can find our updates from Wednesday, May 20, here.