blasts

Israeli attacks come amid ongoing talks with Lebanese officials to implement framework for peace between two countries.

The Israeli army has attacked the southern Lebanese town of al-Mansouri and carried out blasts in the nearby village of Majdal Zoun, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports, despite the “ceasefie” and ongoing talks between the two countries.

The explosion in Majdal Zoun on Friday was heard as far away as city of Tyre, over 15 kilometres (nine miles) away, according to local reports.

The attack and demolitions have become a routine feature of life in southern Lebanon, despite a United States-brokered framework that is supposed to end the fighting and lead to “peace”.

On Thursday, an Israeli strike on an ambulance in Nabatieh al-Fawqa injured two medics. The Lebanese Health Ministry called the attack a “flagrant violation of international and humanitarian laws and norms”.

Israel has been systematically levelling entire villages near the border, with Israeli officials openly declaring the objective of erasing Lebanese towns out of existence to create a “security zone”.

Israel occupies nearly fifth of Lebanese territory and has killed more than 4,000 people since fighting erupted on March 2, maintaining that its operations are aimed at stopping Lebanese armed group Hezbollah from launching assaults into northern Israel.

However, the demolitions bear close resemblance to Israel’s tactics in Gaza, where a “ceasefire” has not halted the Israeli military’s campaign to destroy the territory. Rights advocates say Israel’s policies aim to make the strip uninhabitable.

US President Donald Trump promised to “help” Lebanon during a White House meeting with Lebanese president Joseph Aoun earlier this week.

Asked whether there will be a timeline for Israel’s withdrawal from the country, Trump said: “They’re in the process of doing that. They’re in the process of redeploying [to] other sections.”

Under the framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26, the Lebanese army is to take over Israel-occupied territories in the south, provided that Hezbollah is disarmed.

Lebanese and Israeli officials have been meeting regularly to discuss the implementation of the deal with the next round of talks scheduled for August 4 in Italy.

Hezbollah has rejected the agreement outright, with its leader Naim Qassem calling the deal “null and void” and calling for armed resistance to push Israel out of Lebanon.

The deal sets no timeline for withdrawal. Instead, it outlines two “pilot zones” where the Lebanese military “will gradually assume full and effective security responsibility”.

The Lebanese army deployed to the first pilot-zone villages this week. But residents returning to Froun and Ghandouriyeh say their villages were never occupied by Israeli forces, arguing that Israel has not given back any territory.

The US launched a new wave of strikes against Iran for a sixth night in a row, its military said, as the two sides battled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (Centcom) said the attacks were intended to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities”, before saying it had boarded a vessel as part of its blockade of the strait.

Iran’s state media reported US missiles struck close to the island of Qeshm, near the strait, as well as in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr – the site of a nuclear power plant.

In an apparent escalation, it also said two bridges in Hormozgan province had been hit. The BBC has verified an attack on one bridge to the west of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if the country did not return to talks.

After Trump said in April that the US would bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said “deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime”.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.

Centcom also said marines had boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of the renewed US blockade of Iran’s ports that began on Tuesday night.

It added it had “redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade”.

According to Centcom, US forces disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140 under its previous blockade of Iranian ports between 13 April to 18 June.

As the the renewed hostilities further strained the preliminary deal to end the war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump remained open to talks with Iran.

“The president will hold them accountable when they turn their back on the words that they state to the United States. But he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time,” she told reporters.

She said Iran has expressed it still wants to make a deal with the US, adding: “We’re talking to them, but again, the president is not going to allow them to fire on ships in the strait without paying a consequence for that.”

As attacks escalate, the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway off Iran’s coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes – has remained shut.

Earlier on Thursday, Tehran said it had struck US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, while the US said it had inflicted a six-hour wave of strikes on multiple locations in the strait.

Those exchanges came after Trump warned Iran it had “better behave” or face further military action should Iran not return to negotiations.

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told state media that Tehran had “no reason” to abide by any agreement that did not benefit the country.

He added that Iran’s national security depended on maintaining what he described as “Iranian arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz.

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns was filed for an “improper purpose,” a judge said Monday in a scathing decision that referred one of his lawyers for discipline and characterized the $10-billion complaint as an exercise in self-dealing.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams accused Trump of having manipulated the court system when he sued a federal agency under his control, bypassing a requirement that parties in a lawsuit must have adverse interests and laying the groundwork for a settlement last spring that granted him immunity from tax audits and created a fund to compensate allies of the president who say they were unjustly persecuted.

Though the practical impacts of the ruling may be limited given the administration’s public pronouncements that the so-called $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund has been abandoned, the judge’s ruling nonetheless amounts to a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration and resurfaces a politically damaging storyline for acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche just as he prepares to face the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law,” Williams wrote in her ruling.

She added: “The President may be the functional ‘dominus litus’ of the Executive Branch, but as a party to a civil suit, he, as well as all the parties and lawyers before a court, are bound by the rules. Ensuring that our courts are used only for the express purpose created by the Constitution is the obligation of every judge and an obligation that this Court must discharge in light of the matter before it. ”

The judge pointed to Blanche’s congressional testimony in early June in which he revealed that the “anti-weaponization” fund was no longer moving forward amid intense bipartisan backlash. Though nothing had been filed in court, Blanche appeared confident in his testimony that he “could speak for, and bind, both sides of this matter,” the judge wrote.

“Acting Attorney General Blanche’s apparent capacity to speak for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, sign a ‘settlement’ document on behalf of all Parties to this action, and then repudiate part of that agreement, demonstrates that there was only one party whose interests were being represented throughout this case,” the judge wrote.

Tucker and Richer write for the Associated Press. AP writers Fatima Hussein and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

ADULT content star Lily Phillips has had her say on the ‘degrading’ moment where she was shooed away by Phil Foden’s girlfriend.

The controversial OnlyFans star addressed the viral video which saw her being swatted away by Foden’s partner and left Lily feeling ‘like s**t on a shoe’.

The moment was captured while the Manchester City ace was spotted ringside at Tommy Fury’s box-office clash with Eddie Hall.

Viewers watched as the porn star was turned away abruptly by mum-of-three Rebecca Cooke after asking the footballer for a selfie.

Lily explained her version of the toe-curling situation on TikTok and how she found it unnecessary – just because of the industry she’s in.

“The Phil Foden debacle, I just want to clarify a few things here. I went over as a fan just to ask for a photo.

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“I didn’t know if he had a missus or a girlfriend in all honesty, I didn’t even know she was with him.

“When you’re at the boxing, you’re just sat next to random people most of the time.

“Usually when you go up to a celebrity to ask for a photo, you ask them, not the people around them. That’s just from my experience.

“And before I could even finish my sentence, I was shooed away. 

“See, I think it’s your prerogative if you don’t want to get a photo with me, that is so fine.”

Lily continued: “I think there are definitely different ways to go about communicating it. 

“And acting like I’m a piece of s**t on your shoe because of the industry I’m in is a little degrading I may say.

“I will say, a simple ‘no thank you, not today’ probably would have just sufficed.

“That’s just my opinion and opinions are subjective.”

Rebecca shares three kids with the footballer and has been with him since they were at school.

Followers were divided as they commented on her video.

One user stated: “She [Rebecca] was taking care of business.”

“The only thing that is surprising here, is that you’re surprised,” noted a second.

“She didn’t shoo you away at all, she’s protecting her family,” wrote a third.

Others backed Lily and supported: “Well said. No need to be disrespectful to people.”

“Seriously just a photo. Why did she do this?????” asked a second.

“There is no issue with someone asking for a photo. I watched the video – she did seem a tad aggressive, like you were going to ask something sinister,” observed another.

Lily, who is famous for several outrageous NSFW stunts, was seen working her way around the arena on the night of the Fury vs Hall fight.

She was spotted stopping and getting pictures with various celebrities attending the event.

At one point, she even approached Molly Mae, who recently welcomed her second child, a boy named Midas.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark called out officials following her team’s 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday. She was one of five players assessed technical fouls amid a fourth-quarter dustup that also involved former teammate DeWanna Bonner.

Clark was called for a personal foul at the 7:57 mark in the fourth quarter after getting tangled up with Bonner, who was trying to post up near the free-throw line. The two exchanged some words before things escalated as their teammates got involved. Clark appeared flabbergasted when she learned she received a technical foul for clapping while her teammate Myisha Hines-Allen and the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas were in each other’s faces.

Bonner, Thomas, Hines-Allen and Fever guard Sophie Cunningham were also assessed technical fouls for their actions during the scuffle. Hines-Allen was later ejected from the game after earning another technical foul for pushing Thomas after being called for a foul in the very next play.

This marks Clark’s fifth technical of the season so far. Players who rack up eight technical fouls in a season must serve a one-game suspension.

“It’s ridiculous. I got a tech for clapping,” Clark said after the game. “We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m going to be suspended for if I’m going to get technicals for clapping.

“If any technicals should be taken away, it should be that one,” Clark added. “I don’t understand it at all. … I’m going to play with emotion. I’m going to play with passion. And if they’re going to give me a technical foul for clapping, then so be it. That’s their choice.”

Caitlin Clark reacts during Monday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury.

(Michael Hickey / Getty Images)

This was not the first time this season the two-time All-Star has been seen clapping toward other players or officials during a game. None of the previous occasions resulted in Clark receiving a technical foul. The star guard has been receiving more attention this season for her behavior during games outside of her play. The Fever reportedly plan to appeal the technical foul.

Clark led all scorers with 24 points while also dishing out nine assists in the Fever win, while Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points. For the Mercury, Kahleah Copper led with 20 points, while Thomas had 19 points, five rebounds and nine assists.

Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion, had signed a one-year contract with the Fever last season. She played in just nine games before parting ways with the team and eventually rejoining the Mercury, where she started her career. Fever fans could be heard booing Bonner at various times during Monday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Fever coach Stephanie White said that Clark has to be aware of her technical fouls and that “there are some that we could do without.”

“There are natural things that happen that the energy of the game creates when you do get those,” White said. “But there are some that we can be a little bit more in control of. So, yes, we’ll continue to remind her, and I think she has to have an awareness.”

She also brushed off the incident as something “that … happens” in “a competitive sport.”

“As a group, we have to be able to have our moment and then regroup and play with poise and composure. It can’t continue to go on,” White said.

Dallas Wing guard Paige Bueckers and Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün are among the other players who have been assessed technical fouls this season for clapping after a play. Neither incidents involved taunting players from the opposing team, and both of those techs have reportedly been rescinded.

REBEKAH Vardy insists that “hell will freeze over” before she ever apologises to former pal Coleen Rooney over their Wagatha Christie row.

The wife of footie star Jamie said she must live with her libel loss to Wayne Rooney’s missus.

But Becky, 44 — accused of leaking stories about Coleen — said: “I’m never going to apologise for something I didn’t do. Hell will freeze over before I do that.”

Rebekah says her Wagatha Christie beef with Coleen is “done, it’s over” — and does not care what her ex-pal thinks about her.

The wife of former Leicester striker Jamie insists her own “peace” is more important amid the fallout to their legal battle.

In new ITV reality show The Vardys, she admits to still suffering from a public backlash after losing her libel case against Wayne Rooney’s missus.
Becky, 44, had taken legal action after Coleen claimed stories about her were leaked from her Instagram account.

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And she says: “I’m living with the judgment the judge made but, still to this day, I believe she was wrong.”

The mum of five goes on: “People constantly go, ‘Well, it’s not going to change anything unless you apologise’ — but I’m not apologising for something I didn’t do. Like never, ever, going to apologise for something I didn’t do — it’s never going to happen. Hell will freeze over before I do that.

“It’s over, it’s done, I’m not going to carry on living in the past. I’m so f***ing bored of it.”

The Sun revealed last year that the Vardys had signed a deal for a tell-all reality series, and the cameras followed them as Jamie, 39, left Leicester for Italian Serie A minnows Cremonese.

But before Becky packed her bags, she opened up about the High Court battle which finally ended last May, when she was ordered to pay Coleen’s legal fees of around £1.2million.

She says: “I don’t have any negative feelings towards her whatsoever. Some people might go, ‘That’s bull’, but whatever, that’s your opinion. If I ever saw her or bump into her, people will assume it’ll be like handbags at dawn, or ‘Birkins at dawn’, whatever they want to say. ‘Wag War 4’. I’ve forgotten how many headlines have been ‘Wag War’, but my peace is too important.”

She adds of her one-time friend: “I’ve got no idea what she thinks of me, but I’m not bothered.”

Becky was heavily pregnant when Coleen publicly revealed in 2019 she had turned detective to find out who was leaking stories about her.

Becky’s Prem-winning hubby has stayed silent on it, until now.

He says: “Becky’s a strong woman. If she wasn’t, it would definitely have broken her 100 per cent. But that’s not her.”

He adds: “People thinking that Bex was a villain, it’s just a load of s but everyone close to her knows, that’s all she needs. It was really tough seeing Bex in pain, obviously with all the crap coming her way. As a husband, the only thing you can do is be there for her.”

The couple celebrate their tenth anniversary today — and their close bond is evident during The Vardys’ opening episode.

Whether it’s playfighting in their home gym, Jamie’s disdain for her “banana breath” or Becky’s utter bewilderment at how “chilled out” her husband is, they are perfect reality TV material.

Becky says: “We have five kids, but if you include Jamie in that, we have six.”

Jamie is seen telling his young children about him leaving Leicester after 13 years.

But the transfer was far from straightforward — as he was initially bound for a Dutch club.

Becky rants: “The last 24 hours has been a total s*** show. Yesterday morning we were all on holiday in Portugal, chilling, rosé, life couldn’t get any better. And then Jamie tells me, ‘I’m going to sign for a Dutch team.’ I ask him, ‘Are you sure?’ And he seems pretty sure at that point.

“So I thought, ‘OK, that’s fine then, we’re going to Holland’ and literally, just as we’re boarding a flight home from Portugal, he changed his mind — standard Jamie.

“We landed back in the UK at 3pm, dropped the kids off, went straight back to the airport and back out on a flight to Italy.”

• The Vardys starts on ITV, June 2, 9pm, with all episodes on ITVX.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, specially painted to mark 40 years since Operation Eldorado Canyon, the U.S. raid on Libya, has taken to the air for the first. Hauling a load of eight inert 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, today the jet flew the legendary low-level routes that run through Wales, better known as the Mach Loop. The spectacular accompanying photos of the sortie were kindly shared with TWZ by David Lister and Alec Walker.

With a color scheme recalling an F-111F Aardvark of the same unit, the 48th Fighter Wing F-15E serial 91-0311 had first been unveiled in a ceremony at RAF Lakenheath in England, on April 28. However, it seems its first flight in its new look was recorded today.

The jet departed Lakenheath in the morning as EAGLE 31, accompanied by its wingman, EAGLE 32. After taking on fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, the jets headed to North Wales. From there, EAGLE flight went to the Holbeach Air Weapons Range on the coast north of Lakenheath, where the inert bombs were dropped. 

Recalling the F-111, the specially painted F-15E has the same camouflage scheme in two shades of green and tan, and the original 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron marking and red band on the tail. The tails of the jet also bear the legend “40 years Eldorado Canyon,” the panther emblem of the 494th, an F-111 silhouette, and the 48th wing’s Statue of Liberty insignia.

Notably, the nose radome is left in its standard gray paint.

Elsewhere on the nose, the Strike Eagle carries another F-111 silhouette and the inscription “Karma 52” in red. This commemorates KARMA 52, the Lakenheath-based F-111F serial 70-2389, which was the only example of the type lost during the Eldorado Canyon raid. The jet, armed with four GBU-10 laser-guided bombs, was flown by pilot Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci, and weapons system officer Capt. Paul Lorence. The exact fate of KARMA 52 remains unknown, with the aircraft wreckage never being located after it came down in the Mediterranean.

Capt. Ribas-Dominicci’s body was later washed ashore; the body of Captain Lorence was never recovered. Their mission had been a hazardous one: a single-ship, low-level attack on a heavily defended target at night.

Two dozen F-111s of the 48th Fighter Wing, also based at Lakenheath, were at the forefront of the Air Force’s Eldorado Canyon strikes, conducted in April 1986, together with Navy assets from the aircraft carriers USS America and USS Coral Sea. The raid was launched by U.S. President Ronald Reagan after the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque, in which two U.S. soldiers were killed and over 70 others wounded. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was blamed for the attack.

Ever since, the 48th Fighter Wing at Lakenheath has remained the first choice for a wide variety of critical missions around the globe, most recently Operation Epic Fury over Iran. This campaign has seen four combat losses of the F-15E, three of them to friendly fire. As to the other loss, this led to one of the most dramatic and complex combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions of recent times, before the two crew were safely recovered.

As of 2025, as you can read about here, the Air Force was planning to return its two squadrons of F-15Es from Lakenheath — the only permanently forward-deployed examples of the aircraft — to the United States.

Currently, Lakenheath is home to the 492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons flying the Strike Eagle. These squadrons each have a primary aircraft assigned (PAA) complement of 26 aircraft, although this is subject to some fluctuation. Under the 48th Fighter Wing, these operate alongside the 493rd and 495th Fighter Squadrons flying the F-35A, the first of the Air Force’s stealth jets to be based in Europe.

As well as being fitted with the more powerful Dash 229 engines, Lakenheath’s F-15Es have been at the front of the queue to receive a sophisticated new radar warning and electronic warfare suite, the AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS.

With the F-35A now firmly embedded at Lakenheath and apparently also provided with forward-deployed B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs, these stealthy jets may well take over entirely the F-15E, provided Congress approves consolidating the Strike Eagles in the United States. It is also possible that the decision to significantly boost the planned F-15EX Eagle II buy may see these plans changed.

In the meantime, the F-35A flies alongside the F-15E at Lakenheath, where these jets and their airmen continue the proud traditions of the 48th Fighter Wing.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.comu

U.S. forces operating in the Gulf of Oman disabled an Iranian-flagged ship trying to run the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports by blasting its rudder with several rounds from the 20mm cannon of an F/A-18 Super Hornet , U.S. Central Command stated on X. The jet was launched from aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

The incident occurred at 9 a.m. EDT, according to the command. It came as a new peace initiative between the U.S. and Iran is being floated and a day after President Trump paused the short-lived Project Freedom operation to protect commercial shipping trying to escape the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM forces “observed M/T Hasna as it transited international waters enroute to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” the command added. “American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.”

When it ignored the warnings, the Super Hornet opened fire. After being fired upon, the ship is no longer traveling to Iran, CENTCOM explained.

“The U.S. blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports remains in full effect,” the command continued. “CENTCOM forces continue to act deliberately and professionally to ensure compliance.”

The Hasna incident is the second known time the U.S. has fired on an Iranian-linked large commercial ship running the blockade. The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Spruance struck the Iranian cargo ship Touska on April 19th with its 5-inch MK 45 gun. The destroyer fired nine inert rounds into the cargo ship’s engine room after the vessel failed to comply with warnings while transiting the north Arabian Sea, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said last month. The Super Hornet used its own method to disable but not sink the ship via taking out its rudder control.

You can see him explain the incident in the following video.

Meanwhile, a French-owned ship is “currently drifting without power” after being “struck by an Iranian drone” yesterday, a maritime security official told TWZ.

The container vessel, CMA CGM San Antonio, was damaged and eight people were injured in the attack, the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) told us. The attack was reported about two hours before Trump paused Project Freedom, pending further negotiations with Iran.

A U.S. military official told us that it is “aware of the reports” about the attack on the San Antonio, but had no further details about how it happened.

“The transit in question was not coordinated” through Project Freedom, said the official, adding that the crew did not seek U.S. assistance.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, UKMTO “has received 46 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz (SOH), and Gulf of Oman,” the organization states. There were 26 reported ship attacks, including the San Antonio, 18 suspicious activity reports and two ships hijacked.

Vessel Attacked In Strait Of Hormuz As US Pauses Operation To Guide Ships | US Iran Update

In the wake of Trump’s decision to pause Project Freedom, the IMO and shipping companies say the short-lived effort did not changed the level of danger for ships trapped in the Persian Gulf.

“The situation remains the same,” IMO told us Wednesday morning. “IMO has been consistent in its messaging that the Strait of Hormuz is not safe at present for ships to transit, and ships should exercise maximum caution. Things have not materially changed over the past few weeks.”

“Our risk assessment goes on continuously and it is still valid, that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for Hapag-Lloyd transits until further notice,” a spokesperson for the German shipping giant told us

“We don’t have a comment specifically addressing the decision to pause,” a spokesperson for Maersk told us. ”We are following the guidance of our security partners in the region, and it is currently recommended to avoid transiting the strait.”

A U.S. official declined comment on how the pause is affecting CENTCOM operations. However, “U.S. forces are currently focused on enforcing the U.S. naval blockade against Iran,” the official told us.

As we reported yesterday, Trump paused Project Freedom after little more than a day, pending negotiations with Iran. 

The move came after Iran fired on U.S. warships and commercial vessels being protected under Project Freedom.  Trump said he made that decision at the behest of Pakistan, which has been mediating peace talks. The president claimed the goal was to give Iran time to respond to U.S. proposals.

Given the circumstances, it seems probable that tactical considerations also drove this decision.

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zambia is accusing the United States of tying a $2-billion deal for critical health assistance to access to the southern African nation’s rich mineral assets, and calling the outgoing U.S. ambassador’s allegations of corruption “mischievous” and “undiplomatic.”

The comments by Zambia’s foreign affairs minister, Mulambo Haimbe, on Monday brought into the open simmering tensions over President Trump’s “America First” strategy, which is reshaping aid to Africa into transactional agreements.

Some African leaders and health experts have criticized the new U.S. stance and its demands for sensitive health data in exchange for badly needed support for health systems strained by the Trump administration’s dismantling of foreign aid. Some say they would not receive access to health innovations like vaccines in return.

The U.S. is also seeking to challenge China, a dominant player in Zambia and much of Africa, whose minerals are critical to the green energy transition, including inputs for solar panels, electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.

Zambia says talks stalled over data-sharing demands

In a statement, Haimbe described the accusations of Zambian graft and negotiation inertia by outgoing U.S. ambassador Michael Gonzales as “mischievous” and “deeply regrettable, undiplomatic and inconsistent with the spirit of mutual respect.”

Haimbe also accused the U.S. of tying access to critical minerals to the conclusion of the health deal, which Gonzales earlier dismissed as “alarmist allegations” that he called “disgusting” and “absolutely and patently false.”

Negotiations have continued for months to conclude the deal, one of dozens the Trump administration is pursuing in some of the world’s most aid-dependent countries.

Gonzales in late April said Zambian leaders had “abdicated their responsibilities, letting the United States pay for healthcare while officials diverted government funds to their own pockets.” He said Zambian authorities had “ignored” U.S. overtures to conclude a new deal.

But Haimbe said negotiations had stalled over “unacceptable” data-sharing demands “in violation of our citizens’ right to privacy” and “the insistence on preferential treatment of U.S companies over Zambia’s critical minerals.”

Zambia “takes the view, first and foremost, that Zambians must have a say on how her critical minerals are used, and second that no one strategic partner is to be treated preferentially to others,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. says its approach aims to reduce donor dependency

The U.S. approach replaces decades of engagement anchored in the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.

In their place, U.S. officials are negotiating country-by-country agreements that recast aid as a transaction, tying funding to conditions including commercial provisions, domestic financing commitments, disease surveillance, pathogen sharing and even religion.

Since late last year, the U.S. has signed agreements with about 30 countries, many in Africa. Washington says the approach is meant to reduce donor dependency, promote local ownership and safeguard American interests, including against an aggressive China that dominates trade in Africa but contributes less aid.

There has been pushback.

Ghana last week said it had rejected a proposed deal over provisions granting broad access to sensitive health data without safeguards. Zimbabwe walked away from a $367-million package over similar concerns. In Kenya, a $2.5- billion agreement signed in December has been put on hold after a court challenge arguing it violates data protection laws.

In Lesotho, draft U.S. proposals sought 25 years of access to health data and biological samples before local officials secured a shorter five-year deal.

Health experts say data would largely flow one way

Critics say the data-sharing demands tilt toward U.S. interests and warn the information-sharing would largely go in just one direction: toward Washington.

The new agreements aim to ensure the flow of disease surveillance data and biological samples, but through bilateral channels, after the U.S withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, said Asia Russell, executive director of advocacy group Health GAP.

Countries currently report disease outbreaks primarily through the WHO, which coordinates responses and is negotiating new frameworks on pathogen-sharing and equitable access to vaccines.

The U.S., now outside those talks, is pursuing direct access instead.

“[The U.S. wants] to understand what’s actually happening,” said Jen Kates, a senior vice president at the Washington-based nonprofit KFF. “But they are trying to do it in a very different way.”

Health advocates say this risks creating a parallel global health system. In Zimbabwe, a government spokesperson in February said the government terminated negotiations because the U.S. was not offering a “corresponding guarantee of access to any medical innovations — such as vaccines, diagnostics or treatments — that might result from that shared data.”

“That raises serious concerns about who benefits,” said Atilla Kisla of the Southern Africa Litigation Center.

Advocates point to the harsh experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, when African countries contributed data and samples but were largely last in line for vaccines.

Experts warn against health as a ‘bargaining chip’

The agreements with the U.S. are drawing criticism for closed-door negotiations and limited public scrutiny.

“Secrecy is at the center of this. That puts accountability for results at risk,” said Health GAP’s Russell. “It’s impossible to evaluate these deals properly without seeing the full terms. Part of what made PEPFAR successful was transparency. Now that’s been taken away.”

The deals also come with tighter financial conditions. Many include reduced funding compared to previous levels of U.S. assistance, while requiring countries to increase domestic health spending, with aid at risk if targets are not met.

“These are going to be very heavy lifts,” said KFF’s Kates. “Countries are already under strain.”

Critics say some agreements also advance U.S. commercial and political interests, blurring the line between aid and transactional diplomacy.

“When health becomes a bargaining chip, everyone becomes less safe,” Russell warned.

Mutsaka and Imray write for the Associated Press. Keketso Phakela in Maseru, Lesotho, contributed to this report.