crazy

BEIRUT — President Trump acknowledged criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a phone call that involved expletives, saying he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.

But even as the president conceded the tensions in an interview released Wednesday, he insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu was solid and that they connected, in part, because they are both “wartime” leaders.

“We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One.”

In an interview on the American business-news channel CNBC, Netanyahu responded that he and Trump sometimes have “tactical disagreements” but have “common goals” and “agree on the main things.”

“He respects me. I respect him. We always find a way to work out our differences,” the prime minister said.

The president’s comments about the Monday call offered a sign of the growing pressure he faces to resolve the Iran war as higher energy prices and economic uncertainty threaten Republican prospects in the midterm elections and hamper global commerce.

Talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek to extend a fragile ceasefire into a more enduring truce. The negotiations are further strained by Israel’s broadening war with the Iranian-backed militia group in Lebanon. The conflicts have become increasingly intertwined as Iran insists that any potential truce in the war there must also quell the fighting in Lebanon.

Trump does not commit to timeline for ending Iran war

Trump remained noncommittal about a timeline for settling the Iran conflict, saying the Strait of Hormuz might stay blocked through the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7. He has insisted that Iran stop any efforts that could lead to a nuclear weapon and that the strait be reopened for shipments of oil and natural gas.

“I don’t know. I mean, I think it could be [closed through Labor Day], but I think it’s unlikely. I think that we’ll have it. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly,” Trump said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his late father, is “involved” in peace talks, Trump added.

“They have a lot of respect for him,” the president said in the interview.

Trump said that Khamenei is not doing well due to wounds sustained in an airstrike, but “they say he’s giving approval because that’s the way it has been for a long, long time.” Khamenei’s father was killed in an airstrike when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.

Meanwhile in the Persian Gulf region, Kuwait briefly shut its main airport Wednesday after Iranian drones hit a passenger terminal building, killing one person and wounding dozens. It was the latest in the back-and-forth attacks by Tehran and Washington that have tested the ceasefire.

The strike again brought home the risks to residents and travelers in Gulf countries that had considered themselves relative safe havens before the war, now in its fourth month.

Path to a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon is obscured by new strikes

The path toward a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remained unclear as hostilities continued in Lebanon.

An Israeli strike Wednesday hit a car on a busy highway just south of Beirut, hours before the second day of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington were set to take place.

The strike in Khaldeh came without warning, and it was not immediately clear if the person targeted was killed.

Israel and Lebanon on Monday reached a U.S.-brokered agreement in which Israel would not strike Beirut’s southern suburbs and Hezbollah would end its attacks on northern Israel.

The agreement was made hours after Israel announced that it was going to launch strikes across the sprawling urban neighborhoods near the Lebanese capital in what would have been the most intense strikes since a nominal ceasefire went into effect on April 17.

The State Department said progress was made during the first day of talks on Tuesday. Lebanon hopes to widen the scope of the ceasefire so it becomes comprehensive across the country. Israel wants to disarm Hezbollah immediately before the Israeli military ends its operations in Lebanon and withdraws its troops from dozens of villages and towns.

Not long after the strike on Khaldeh, the Israeli military said it intercepted what it called a hostile aircraft coming from southern Lebanon, but it did not immediately blame Hezbollah. Hezbollah has not claimed a cross-border attack since the agreement.

Israeli military warning rattles coastal city

Israeli strikes over southern Lebanon continued, especially in and around the battered cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh. Two overnight strikes near Tyre, a coastal city, killed four Syrians and two Palestinians.

Israel warned the Christian neighborhoods in Tyre that Hezbollah members were among them. Many Lebanese Shiite Muslims fled to those areas in recent days because they were spared from the aerial bombardment along the Mediterranean coast.

After the warning, the Lebanese army deployed to the Christian district of Tyre in an effort to prevent Israeli attacks there and to show that Hezbollah has no armed presence in the area.

Israel launched an invasion of southern Lebanon days after the latest war was sparked on March 2, when Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israeli troops have pushed deeper into Lebanon over the past week, as Hezbollah continues to claim rocket and drone attacks.

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon and displaced 1.2 million people. According to Netanyahu’s office, at least 27 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.

Strike on village kills most of a family

Many residents of southern Lebanon remained in villages near the hostilities or returned to areas where strikes occurred after evacuation warnings.

The Al-Abdallah family returned to their home in Marwanieyh, which they left because they thought the village was unsafe following earlier strikes. A day later, two rockets hit the home, bringing down the three-story building and killing six family members, said the brother of Hassan Al-Abdallah, who was killed.

Ahmed Al-Abdallah, 13, was thrown away from the building by the force of the blasts and was the only member of his family to survive. His uncle, Eissa Al-Abdallah, said the boy has two broken legs and shrapnel wounds all over his body.

“What good is talking now? They are gone, and nothing will bring them back,” the uncle told the Associated Press in a phone call Tuesday. “This land costs blood.”

Chehayeb, Boak and El Deeb write for the Associated Press. Boak reported from Washington.

One more day and it’ll all be over. I’m referring to the primary election, of course, and the unremitting campaign ads that have infiltrated every aspect of our being as Californians.

Authentic or paid influencers promoting candidates on TikTok and Instagram. Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures. Incessant, repetitive TV campaigns that get nastier with every election, yet still manage to feel like an analogue remnant from 1982. The worst? Those sponsored leaflets and postcard mailers that end up as makeshift coasters, mosquito swatters or unread refuse that goes straight from the mailbox into the blue recycle bin.

The king of ad spending is Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer. He’s behind the most expensive political advertising campaign in the country this year. A former hedge fund manager, Steyer has reportedly spent more than $200 million on his campaign, with a major chunk of that for broadcast TV, cable and radio — 20 times the amount spent by fellow Democrat, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. And Steyer is still polling behind Becerra.

I never thought I’d write this but it’s not always about the money.

Xavier Becerra, front-runner in the race for California governor, speaks before a crowd at UFCW Local 1167 Union Hall.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Voters have more resources than ever should they choose to actually research and learn about who and what is poised to shape the future of their city, county and state.

There’s no shortage of broadcast, cable, digital and print reporting about former reality TV personality turned mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt. He uses AI!

The battle between incumbent Karen Bass and her closest Democratic competition, Los Angeles city council member Nithya Raman, dominates local newscasts. And there’s pundits from both sides arguing for and against these choices on every available platform.

Given the amount of information now at voter’s fingertips, we should be the most informed voting populace in the history of ballot casting. But are we?

A new poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times asked 8,578 registered voters across California what sources they rely on to get news and information about election-related issues. The poll, which was conducted online May 19-24 in English and Spanish, found that nearly half of the state’s electorate (47%) said they refer to the official voter information guide that is mailed to voters in advance of each election.

Discovering that a nonpartisan, non-sponsored source of data topped the list is a welcome surprise. Today’s media-verse is so fractured and bifurcated along political lines, I just assumed that confirmation bias would drive most folks toward friendly sources, i.e. what they want to hear.

Not as surprising is that 44% of those polled said they use Google or other search engines to seek out election-related information, and greater than 3 in 10 obtain election-related information from social media (39%). Traditional means of information weren’t far behind search engines. Those polled said they still rely on national or cable TV news (39%), newspapers, online or in print (37%), and local TV news (35%). One in three (33%) get information word-of-mouth from family, friends, neighbors or co-workers.

Gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer, right, meets with supporters at a campaign stop.

(Sara Nevis/For The Times)

“The substantial differences in news sources across generation, education and partisanship suggest that we are a considerable distance from the information environment that dominated most of the 20th century, where local newspapers, network news and local television stations dominated,” said Professor Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies. “This fragmentation means that voters may no longer share a common frame of reference when evaluating candidates and election issues.”

The increasingly splintered ways in which voters seek information, fueled by the rapid changes in technology and media, has kept political campaign strategists on their toes.

“Getting attention is the first barrier, and then once you have that attention, how do you convert that into support?” says Democratic campaign consultant and strategist Brian Brokaw. “You have to create a surround-sound effect in order to persuade the voter to go for your candidate or your issue, and they have to hear from multiple avenues. Voters are innately skeptical of advertising, especially when it’s a very direct sale from a candidate. That’s why you’re seeing the use of more influencers in campaigns, particularly paid influencers, who may or may not be disclosing that they are being paid. That’s been a prominent issue in the governor’s race.”

Age, or generational differences, are another deciding factor in where voters look for more intelligence on issues and candidates. The poll found that two-thirds of voters under the age of 30 (67%) and a majority of those ages 30-39 (52%) use social media such as Facebook, X, Instagram, or TikTok to get their information.

Getting to know a candidate, particularly via social media, isn’t necessarily part of a rigorous, fact finding mission. Laughing at Pratt’s Batman-themed video or Gov. Gavin Newsom’s satirical X posts are more about bonding with the person than unpacking their policies. Real or perceived, discovering a candidate via one’s Instagram feels more organic than seeing them on billboard or TV ad.

“One way that politics has changed is that people are craving authenticity. Someone like [Zohran] Mamdani, was very successful and promoted himself from the back of the pack to mayor of New York City. But what people are seeing doesn’t mean that’s the truth,” warns Republican consultant and campaign strategist Kevin Spillane. “I’ve been involved in politics for 40 years. A lot of people are not how they present themselves. But we still crave authenticity, we want to believe [in someone], we want that connection.”

We’ll soon see who Californians choose to represent them and their concerns — or which candidate waged the best campaign warfare, substantive political arguments be damned. But it may take a minute to count all the votes. California reached a record number of registered voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Officials say more than 23.1 million Californians are now registered to vote statewide.

West Coasters who want to understand what they’re voting for have infinite resources to turn to, some more useful than others. Sponsored mailers (the aforementioned mosquito swatters) only appealed to 9% of those polled as a useful source of information. But did you really need a poll to tell you that?

The emails continually fill my inbox: Startups exclaiming they have engineered a solution to protect homes from wildfires.

I’ve been pitched a system that monitors fires via satellite so it can automatically turn on water cannons when fire gets too close. Another offered high-tech speakers that homeowners can place around their home that blasts powerful but silent sound waves designed to disrupt the chemical process of combustion.

One recent one was so outlandish, I couldn’t ignore it:

An entrepreneur together with a former mayor of Malibu were appearing on Shark Tank to pitch a new system to literally lower an entire home into a subterranean vault when a wildfire approaches.

Many fire officials and experts are optimistic we really can find part of the solution to California’s wildfire crisis in the proliferating world of home defense tech. But they also warn these wild ideas are often expensive as well as largely unproven.

Of course I tuned in to Shark Tank.

“I know, this sounds like a magic trick,” entrepreneur Holden Forrest told the Sharks.

“It sounds crazy,” investor and businesswoman Barbara Corcoran interjected.

Nonetheless, Corcoran, who lost her Pacific Palisades home in the 2025 fires, invested $1 million in exchange for a 20% ownership stake in the company — on the condition that its first proof-of-concept home is her own.

If you, like Corcoran, want to put down some serious money for exciting new tech, there are a few things you should know.

This kind of tech is often significantly more expensive than proven, less flashy approaches to reduce the risk of your home burning — such as covering vents with mesh so embers can’t sneak into the home and multipaned windows that are less likely to shatter in the extreme heat, allowing flames and embers to enter.

For example, Forrest expects the retractable homes to cost around $1,000 per square foot. The company hopes to eventually get it down to around $400.

For reference, Palisades fire survivors expect to pay around $800 per square foot to rebuild, while Eaton fire survivors expect to pay just shy of $600. It’s also more than a new series of fire-resilient homes in the Palisades that incorporate both tried-and-true and flashy new tech, sitting around $700.

Fire safety experts also warn that some of this technology can encourage dangerous behavior such as ignoring evacuation orders and staying to defend homes. For example, even when water cannon companies insist their technology can function autonomously, some homeowners nonetheless stay behind to operate them.

Forrest rejected the idea that his technology, HiberTec Homes, would encourage homeowners to disobey evacuation orders — he argued the opposite. The trust that comes with knowing your home will survive actually decreases the likelihood residents will stay behind, he told the Sharks.

Many of the new home protection systems remain unproven, in part because it takes time for researchers to evaluate them. There are three steps to that:

First, scientists head to the lab to see whether the physics behind the tech works as expected in controlled tests.

Second, they investigate individual homes that used the tech in major fires to piece together whether the same physics held together in the chaos and immense power of real-world fires.

Third, they determine whether what they saw in the lab and on the ground translates to a reduced risk at scale. To do this researchers survey thousands of structures that faced wildfires and compare the percentage with the tech that survived with the percentage without the tech that survived.

If you live in a fire-prone area, and you understand the risks and uncertainties of new tech and have money to spare, by all means, build the wildfire bunker of your dreams — just email me an invite to check it out.

Otherwise, Cal Fire maintains a list of the less flashy solutions that have already gone through their scientific paces.

More recent wildfire news

After months of fierce debate between fire officials and residents in fire-prone areas, California released a new “Zone Zero” proposal outlining landscaping restrictions within 5 feet of people’s homes. Unlike previous proposals, many Southern Californians seem to be … OK with this one.

California regulators determined State Farm “delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape.” The Department of Insurance may now seek to suspend the company’s license. Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department filed a brief supporting 60 fire victims who are suing State Farm and other insurers, my colleague Laurence Darmiento reports.

Survivors of the 2023 Maui fires could start receiving their share of a $4-billion settlement with Hawaiian Electric, the state of Hawaii, Maui County and other defendants as early as June. However, few will break even, reports Stewart Yerton of Honolulu Civil Beat. Lawyers will get a slice for legal fees; the Internal Revenue Service may claw back as much as a third if Congress doesn’t resurrect a tax exemption for such settlements; and insurers who paid out claims will get 10% of the money.

Oh — and this Saturday is Fire Service Day. There’s a good chance your local fire station will hold an open house, complete with fire equipment demos and maybe even free pancakes.

A few last things in climate news

Tom Steyer, a Wall Street prodigy turned billionaire who made a portion of his money off investments in coal-fired power plants, is now trying to use that money to convince Californians he’s the best candidate on climate and energy affordability. Read my colleagues Ben Wieder and Hayley Smith’s full profile here.

The last California-bound oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz before the Iran war reached the Port of Long Beach, my colleague Blanca Begert reports. After the ship finishes offloading its crude oil, California will have to manage a deficit of roughly 200,000 barrels of oil per day.

The company that produces the widely used weedkiller Roundup promised to “provide a small thanks” to the Environmental Protection Agency administrator after the agency asserted it would not approve a label for the weedkiller warning it causes cancer, reports Sky Chadde of Investigate Midwest. The revelation came at a congressional hearing last week as the company seeks immunity in the Supreme Court.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here.

For more wildfire news, follow @nohaggerty on X and @nohaggerty.bsky.social on Bluesky.

IF you’re dreaming of a week away somewhere hot and sunny for a price that won’t break the bank – we’ve got you covered.

We’ve rounded up some of the most affordable holiday deals to Turkey online, so you can book yourself a break to look forward to without worrying about your wallet.

The Sun’s Head Of Travel, Lisa Minot said: “There’s never been a better time to grab a bargain break to Turkey.

“With uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, holidaymakers have been looking at the Western Med over the Eastern Mediterranean destinations like Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt.

“But everything is operating normally in all three countries – Foreign Office travel advice has not changed and it is perfectly safe to visit.

“But the reticence of some has led to a fall in demand and with that, prices have started tumbling too.

Read more on Turkey holidays

TURK NOTE

Turkey urges tourists it’s ‘safe to travel’ with insanely cheap holiday deals

SUN IT UP

The three Turkish holiday destinations getting new UK flights with budget airline

“On the ground, everything remains the same – only the prices you’ll pay are very attractive as hoteliers and tour operators tempt us to travel.

“With beautiful Mediterranean coastal resorts offering great value, now is the time to grab yourself a sunshine bargain.”

Piccolo Dream Hotel, Marmaris

This adults-only hotel in Marmaris has two large freshwater pools, a gym, spa offering massage treatments, sauna and Turkish bath to enjoy.

When you get peckish, there’s a buffet restaurant with a range of international foods, plus a pool bar to grab a snack – all part of your all-inclusive package.

There’s a golden beach right on your doorstep, plus out in Marmaris you can hop on day boat trips, hike through caves and stroll along the picturesque Marina overlooked by Marmaris Castle.

Jet2 offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from June 28, including return flights from London Luton, from £547pp.

Villa Sonata Hotel, Alanya

This colourful hotel in sunny Alanya is decorated with blooming pink flowers, lush greenery and a bright blue pool surrounded by pretty yellow sun loungers.

Here you’re only a short walk from the beach, but there’s plenty to enjoy on the resort too – such as a sauna and Turkish bath, as well as a rooftop restaurant with sweeping views.

In popular seasons, the hotel also offer live music and folklore nights once a week.

On the Beach offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from June 11, including return flights from London Gatwick, from £455pp.

Vikingen Infinity Hotel, Antalya

Bag a last-minute May half term holiday at this five-star mega resort in sunny Antalya, Turkey.

This massive family-friendly hotel has its own private beach, plus a massive outdoor pool and water park with plenty of thrilling waterslides.

For the grown-ups, there’s a large spa with a sauna, hammam and treatments such as massages on offer.

While prices per person can peak to £1,100+ during the summer holidays, you can bag a last-minute bargain for £689pp during the May half term.

Loveholidays offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from 24 May, including return flights from East Midlands, from £689pp.

Serenis Hotel, Side

A week at a five-star all-inclusive resort in sunny Side for less than £480pp? Yes please.

The Serenis Hotel is a sight to behold with a large building holding 358 rooms, a huge outdoor pool, and rainbow-coloured waterslides.

There’s a kids club and daily children’s entertainment program to keep little ones entertained, and when you fancy a family outing, there’s loads of historical sites on your doorstep including Roman ruins.

You can book a last-minute, all-inclusive stay during the May half term for a very affordable rate.

Loveholidays offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from 25 May, including return flights from Glasgow, from £479pp.

Amon Hotel Belek, Antalya

This four-star, adults-only slice of paradise is set in sunny Belek and backed by beautiful pine forests.

Take your pick between the two outdoor pools or the indoor option, and make the most of the spa, sauna, steam room and 24-hour gym.

The spacious rooms come with balconies, flatscreen TVs and large comfy beds.

You’re well-located here, too, with bars, restaurants and even golf courses within 5 minutes’ driving distance.

Loveholidays offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from 8 June, including return flights from London Gatwick, for £359pp.

Smart Voxx Resort Marmaris

The Smart Voxx Resort Marmaris offers everything you’d need for a classic all-inclusive break.

Plunge into the pool or zip down the waterslides, or simply kick back on the striped loungers to soak up the rays on the sun terrace.

There’s a large buffet restaurant serving up all your meals and snacks throughout the day, as well as a lobby and poolside bar where you can unwind with an ice-cold drink.

And if you fancy an afternoon coffee and pastry, head to the on-site Patisserie for a pick-me-up treat.

On the Beach offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from 9 June, including return flights from London Gatwick, for £480pp.

Belpoint Beach Hotel, Beldibi

The Belpoint Beach Hotel sits at the base of the scenic Toros Mountains, meaning at this resort you’re surrounded by vibrant plants and dramatic views.

The outdoor swimming pool has its own aqua park, and plenty of loungers to laze on surrounding it – there’s also a kids pool for the little ones here, too.

When the sun goes down, make sure to head to the evening disco to show off some moves – all-inclusive cocktail in hand, of course.

Loveholidays offer a 7-night all-inclusive stay from 1 July, including return flights from London Gatwick, for £329pp.

Holiday guru said people were coming to him asking if they should cancel their holiday

TV holiday expert Simon Calder has given a key holiday booking update for anyone thinking of going away in 2026. People who have booked with jet2, easyjet and TUI have been told that the operators will not charge supplementary fees for fuel even though the Iran conflict has seen prices soar.

The ITV and BBC expert said people were coming to him and asking if they should cancel their holidays. The EU has said that travellers face major problems this year due to the Middle East crisis and the UK Government has said it is working with airlines to monitor the situation.

However, Mr Calder said it was a great time to get mega deals – with some offering loads off. He told GB News: “ Do not cancel your holiday. And if you haven’t booked any and you’re feeling nervous, well, please don’t. Now is a fantastic time to book holidays.

“I wish there wasn’t, but I was looking for instance last night. So, these prices still available. Luton to Mykonos. Okay. Now, beautiful Greek island and most fares in July and August on that route are £55 one way. That is crazy. It should be three times that. It’s a fantastic time to book.

“And you might think, well, yeah, I’ll book the flight and then it’ll be cancelled. But air passenger rights rules are so strong that if you are if your flight is cancelled, then it’s not your problem. It’s the airlines problem. They have to find you an alternative on the same day if at all possible. So, of course, I snapped up one of these flights and I’m just looking forward to it. I’ve been booking holidays like there’s no tomorrow because there’s so many great deals around.”

He said that the current situation was leaving some people worried. He said:”Let me tell you first of all if you have booked a holiday – and I’ve had people it it takes me back almost to COVID – people saying I put this holiday the balance, is due I’ve got to pay you know a couple of thousand pounds should I just cancel the whole thing no go and have a lovely holiday in the UK.

“There will be some flight cancellations, and that is mostly big airlines like Lufthansa, which isn’t a holiday airline. They’ve cancelled 20,000 flights but they’ve done that basically because they were flights which they thought oh we’re not going to make any money out of that with fuel double the price it was so let’s just cancel those.

READ MORE: ‘Smell great on holiday’ with 89p Home Bargains item ‘ideal for travel kits’READ MORE: Jet2 issues new ‘suspended’ Greece holiday update for all passengers

“So they’ve taken those flights out. It’s not affecting anybody’s holiday that I know. We’ve had very very unhelpful warnings from European energy chiefs and from the prime minister saying, ‘Oh, you might have to think about your holiday.’No, you don’t. Just just plan your holiday as normal. There is a tiny chance that your flight might be merged with another flight. So, for example, and there is absolutely no plans for this, but if you look at easyJet from Gatwick to Nice, lovely destination, they got six flights a day.

“If they reduce that to four to save a bit of fuel. Well, it would be a slight nuisance for some people. They’d have to go at noon instead of 10:00 in the morning, but ultimately it’s not going to make any difference.

“Another real concern for lots of people is I could be stuck at the other end. Well, I actually put this to an airline boss yesterday and I said, ‘What what happens if you’re in Cyprus?’ Because with other destinations, if they run out of fuel in, I don’t know, Naples, that’s fine. You can just fly out with enough to fly back. Somewhere like Cypress, you can’t do that. And the boss said, ‘Well, it’s very easy. We’ll just do a pit stop in Athens on the way back’. So, there are lots of solutions. Do not cancel your holiday. And if you haven’t booked any and you’re feeling nervous, well, please don’t. Now is a fantastic time to book holidays.”

Jet2 has said holidaymakers are increasingly booking their trips at the last minute since the start of the Iran war amid increasing anxiety over the impact of the conflict and worries over jet fuel supply.

The firm said summer passenger number bookings so far are up 6.2%, thanks to growth across its airline and package holiday business, but in a sign of mounting nervousness among holidaymakers, it revealed the “booking profile has become increasingly close to departure” due to the Middle East war.

It said it is well protected from the fuel cost spike caused by the Iran war for the important summer season, adding it is “maintaining frequent dialogue with our fuel suppliers and airport partners on fuel supply”.

The group’s load factor – a key measure of how well it fills its planes – has remained flat year-on-year for its first quarter so far, though it said the conflict meant there was limited visibility for the peak summer season and beyond.

Its update followed a warning from Heathrow airport separately on Wednesday that it expects passenger numbers for the rest of the year to be affected by the situation in the Middle East.

Airspace closures following the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on February 28 have had a major impact on air travel, and while much of the region’s airspace has since reopened, many people are avoiding flying there because of the conflict.

A raft of European airlines have also recently alerted to impending jet fuel shortages within weeks, given the disruption to their main supply route through the Strait of Hormuz.

Around three-quarters of Europe’s jet fuel supply comes from the Middle East and travels through the crucial shipping route.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said: “Clearly, we continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East but remain focused on our medium-term goals.”

The group said it expects to report a drop in operating profits to between £435 million and £440 million for the past year to March 31, down from £446.5 million in 2024-25, but said this was in line with market forecasts.

It has increased its summer programme for 2026 by 7.7% to 19.9 million passenger seats.

A content creator known as Just Deano arrived to Tenerife after his EasyJet flight from Manchester Airport but said passengers caused chaos over disruption fears

A content creator said “panicked” passengers started to shove each other over fears that new travel rules would leave them queuing up for hours.

The new Entry/Exit System (TTS) travel requirement has caused chaos across several European airports — and some Brits have even missed flights because of long waiting times in countries like Spain, Portugal and Poland.

These rules require non-EU nationals, including Brits, to register their biometrics, as opposed to having their passports stamped at border control, but it has led to major disruption.

However, Just Deano, who touched down in Tenerife this week, said there was a lot of carnage from flustered travellers, despite him getting through immigration within minutes.

The Yorkshireman, who hails from Huddersfield, travelled to the popular Spanish Island from Manchester Airport via EasyJet.

And before touching down, he told his subscribers: “What you’re really interested in is probably how long it’s going to take me to get through to immigration because I’ve seen reals and posts and videos about this — and apparently it is a nightmare.

“So, this is the best flight ever video, but hopefully it don’t go wrong at the immigration.”

However, after landing, it wasn’t the queues that caused trouble, it was the passengers themselves, according to Deano.

He said: “Ok, so it’s quarter to nine now, let’s see how long it takes. Everyone is panicking over this issue. So everyone is pushing and shoving past each other. It’s chaos. Absolute chaos. But we will see how long it takes.”

The camera then cut to the next scene where Deano said: “All that fuss for nothing! It’s 20.52. That took me seven minutes from getting off the bus from the plane to getting through.

“I didn’t have to fingerprint. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve done it before. I’m not really sure but all that fuss for nothing. Seven minutes, that’s all it took. People panicking, pushing and shoving. Crazy. Absolutely crazy. We’re out and we’re good to go.

“We went to the e-gate machine. It didn’t ask for my fingerprints, probably because I have already done that in different countries. And then you went past and did the whole look at the photo, another automatic e-gate.”

EES was introduced to replace the passport stamp and it automatically checks when a person enters and exits a country in the EU.

This means Brits need to register details including fingerprints, facial images and to scan their passports on their first visit in the Schengen area.

However, after it was recently rolled out, many passengers at Tenerife South Airport claimed some of the machines failed to work with fingerprints being rejected. Others said they missed their flights because of the delays.

One disgruntled Brit wrote: “The key is to arrive three hours early so at least you are in the front of the queue when problems start.”

Another said: “Love Tenerife but HATE the airport.”

Police have even had to come in to control the chaos but Deano said he encountered no such problems during his trip to Tenerife where he is staying for one week.

After posting his video, which you can watch in full here, one person replied: “I would hate to be a Brit traveller now.”

Another said: “You did well getting through new border gates. Took me 4 hours last week getting through Barcelona. 3 non EU planes landed at similar times so had 500 people getting angry and impatient to get through.”

A third said: “You were extremely lucky to get through so quickly probably yours was the only flight landing around that time.”