5th round of Iran-US talks to take place in Rome

The fifth round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran is expected to be held in Rome on Friday, May 23, although the location of the talks has yet to be announced.

Public speculation suggests the venue might still be the Omani Embassy in Italy, where the second round of U.S.-Iran talks took place on April 19, but it could also be the Italian Foreign Ministry or another secure location.

Unlike the first four rounds, where both sides found the talks positive and productive, the atmosphere before this round is highly tense due to the U.S. and Iran's refusal to compromise on core issues.

Recently, U.S. officials have repeatedly demanded that Iran completely cease its uranium enrichment activities, a request that Tehran has firmly rejected, insisting the issue is "non-negotiable."

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday there will be no nuclear agreement if the United States seeks to ban Iran's uranium enrichment. He emphasized that Iran would not give up its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment.

5th round of Iran-US talks to take place in Rome

5th round of Iran-US talks to take place in Rome

5th round of Iran-US talks to take place in Rome

5th round of Iran-US talks to take place in Rome

At least 15 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese official sources.

At least one child was among those killed and several children were among those injured in the strikes, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the National News Agency.

The Israeli army on Saturday morning ordered residents of southern Lebanese towns to evacuate before conducting airstrikes and demolishing homes.

Israeli attacks and airstrikes in Lebanon since March 2 had killed 2,795 people and injured 8,586 others, according to the latest data released by the Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it launched a rocket barrage overnight targeting a gathering of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers along the Lebanon-Israel border, in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group was in a "defensive position" against Israeli "aggression" and warned that Israel should expect a response whenever it targets Lebanese villages or Beirut's southern suburbs. An Israeli soldier was seriously injured, and two others moderately injured in Israeli territory near the Lebanese border by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The soldiers were rushed to a hospital, the statement said, adding that additional explosive drones launched by Hezbollah fell in Israeli territory near the border, without causing any casualties.

Another explosive drone hit an unmanned IDF engineering vehicle in southern Lebanon, with no casualties reported, the IDF said, adding that its air force intercepted several projectiles launched by Hezbollah toward Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.

The exchanges of fire came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect last month following weeks of cross-border fighting tied to broader regional tensions triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

15 killed in Israeli strikes in S. Lebanon