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ABC News

Iran live updates: 'We are not withdrawing' from south Lebanon, Israeli minister says

PHOTO: Israeli forces re-enter the southern town of Western Zawtar in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Lebanon, August 8, 2026.
2:12
Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images
Stalemate over Strait of Hormuz as Israel rejects Trump's Gaza deal
By David Brennan, Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: August 13, 2026, 7:36 PM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Key Headlines

  • 'We are not withdrawing' from southern Lebanon, Israeli defense minister says
  • IRGC Spokesman reiterates that no ship is allowed safely through the strait without Iranian permission
  • US 'miscalculated' in Iran war due to 'intelligence failures,' Araghchi says
  • Iran rejects Trump's claim that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz
Here's how the news is developing.

Aug 13, 2026 7:36 PM

'We are not withdrawing' from southern Lebanon, Israeli defense minister says

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel will not withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a key sticking point in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over a peace agreement.

"We, as the Prime Minister and I have made unequivocally clear, are not withdrawing from this security zone," Katz said on Wednesday.

Katz said the Israel Defense Forces will remain where they are and "will not move from here."

"We will clear this area and ensure the security of the residents of the north, and under no circumstances will we withdraw from security zones, not in Lebanon, not in Syria, and not in Gaza," Katz said.

"The lesson of October 7 is that we protect our residents by having the IDF present herein these places. It protects them from raids, gunfire, and all other things. This is our policy, this is our doctrine, and this Beaufort fortress illustrates better than anything else the meaning of that policy," Katz said.


Aug 13, 2026 7:37 PM

IRGC Spokesman reiterates that no ship is allowed safely through the strait without Iranian permission

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reiterated that no ships are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's permission in a statement Thursday.

"The false claims of the United States that ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz normally, which indicate the desperation and helplessness of that country's army, are nothing more than lies," IRGC Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said.

"It is announced that the Strait of Hormuz, as in the past, is under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no commercial ship or tanker will be able to safely transit through this strait without the permission and supervision of the powerful Iranian armed forces," Zolfaghari said.


Aug 13, 2026 8:16 AM

US 'miscalculated' in Iran war due to 'intelligence failures,' Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested in a post to X on Thursday that the U.S. had "miscalculated" in its war against Iran due to faulty intelligence.

"The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran," the foreign minister wrote.

"Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz. Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful," he added.



Aug 12, 2026 8:59 PM

Iran rejects Trump's claim that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a newly created Iranian government agency responsible for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, appeared to reject U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the U.S. fully controls the vital waterway.

"Claims and repeated posts by U.S. officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted," the PGSA wrote in a social media post Wednesday evening.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor


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