Violence grips Lebanon, Houthis issue Red Sea threat and Etihad predicts summer recovery

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, Iran and Israel halt attacks against each other after the heaviest exchange of strikes in weeks, but fighting continues in Lebanon. We also look at signs of a new phase in the regional conflict, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels resume operations against Israel. An Iran-backed Iraqi militia warns it could attack US interests if Washington "intervenes in the war". In the Gulf, American forces fire on an oil tanker heading towards an Iranian port and a US military helicopter goes down near the Strait of Hormuz. Etihad Airways says it expects passenger numbers to recover to prewar levels this summer, despite higher fuel costs and disruption caused by the Iran war. And authorities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia announce the seizure of more than 267,000 amphetamine pills in a joint operation that also dismantles a drug trafficking network. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.