US-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Trump Says 'US Shouldn't Have Been In Iran', Israel Advances Beyond Litani River

US-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Donald Trump defended the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, arguing that Tehran would likely have developed a nuclear weapon if Washington had not carried out the B-2 bomber attacks nine months earlier. He claimed Iran’s nuclear capabilities posed a major threat to regional security and suggested that the Middle East could have faced catastrophic consequences had the strikes not taken place. Trump also said Iran “shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” referring to its presence and activities in the region.

Israel’s military has crossed the Litani River in southern Lebanon for the first time since the 2006 war and appears to be moving towards encircling the strategic city of Nabatieh, according to senior Lebanese military sources.

The sources told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency on Saturday that Israeli forces had advanced beyond the Litani River, which Israel has designated as the boundary of its unofficial buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Israeli troops are now positioned on the outskirts of Nabatieh, a major economic and cultural centre in the country’s south.

Any capture of the Shia-majority city would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon despite an official ceasefire. Nabatieh holds symbolic importance for many Lebanese, who regard it as a bastion of resistance because of its long-standing role on the front line of past Israeli military operations.

The developments come amid heightened diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional conflict. On Friday, military delegations from Israel and Lebanon held rare security talks in Washington, with a new round of U.S.-mediated negotiations expected early next week. The upcoming discussions will be the fourth such round since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began.

Prospects for a broader agreement between the United States and Iran to end the conflict also remained uncertain. US President Donald Trump said he would make a “final determination” on any potential deal, while Iranian officials maintained that no understanding had yet been reached. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran would judge any agreement by actions rather than words and would not take further steps unless Washington acted first.

Meanwhile, fighting continued across the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had advanced beyond Lebanon’s Litani River, while Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Friday reportedly left dozens of civilians killed or wounded. A White House official also told AFP that Trump would agree to a peace deal with Iran only if Tehran accepted all conditions set by Washington, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding ongoing negotiations aimed at reducing regional tensions.