One Dead in Israeli Strikes on South Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
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One Dead in Israeli Strikes on South Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli strikes in south Lebanon on Sunday killed one person and wounded another, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel's military said it targeted Hezbollah members.

Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure or operatives, despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with the Iran-backed group that erupted over the Gaza war.

It has also kept troops in five south Lebanon areas that it deems strategic.

The health ministry in Beirut said "two Israeli enemy strikes today, on a vehicle and a motorbike in the town of Yater" killed one person and wounded another.

Yater is around five kilometers (three miles) from the border with Israel.

In separate statements, the Israeli military said it "struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the area of Yater", adding shortly afterwards that it "struck an additional Hezbollah terrorist" in the same area.

Also on Sunday, Lebanon's army said in a statement that troops had discovered and dismantled "an Israeli spy device" in Yaroun, elsewhere in south Lebanon near the border.

Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah and plans to do so south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel, by year end.

Israel has questioned the Lebanese military's effectiveness and has accused Hezbollah of rearming, while the group itself has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.

During a visit to Israel on Sunday, US Senator Lindsey Graham also accused Hezbollah of rearming.

"My impression is that Hezbollah is trying to make more weapons... That's not an acceptable outcome," Graham said in a video statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

More than 340 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry reports.

This week at talks in Paris, Lebanon's army chief agreed to document the military's progress in disarming Hezbollah, the French foreign ministry said.

On Friday, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives took part in a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee for a second time, after holding their first direct talks in decades earlier this month under the committee's auspices.

Israel said Friday's meeting was part of broader efforts to ensure Hezbollah's disarmament and strengthen security in border areas.



Arab League, Arab Parliament Condemn Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque

A view of the Aqsa Mosque is pictured in Old City of Jerusalem on March 6, 2026.  (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
A view of the Aqsa Mosque is pictured in Old City of Jerusalem on March 6, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
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Arab League, Arab Parliament Condemn Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque

A view of the Aqsa Mosque is pictured in Old City of Jerusalem on March 6, 2026.  (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
A view of the Aqsa Mosque is pictured in Old City of Jerusalem on March 6, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League expressed deep concern over the continued measures by the Israeli occupation authorities to close Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslim worshippers, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, considering this a violation of freedom of worship and an infringement of the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites in the city of Jerusalem.

In a statement issued Thursday, the General Secretariat stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque holds a special religious and historical status for Muslims around the world, and that any measures restricting access to it or hindering the performance of religious rituals there could lead to an escalation of tensions and undermine efforts to achieve calm and stability, SPA reported.

The Arab League called on the international community and concerned organizations to assume their responsibilities to protect the holy sites and preserve the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem, stressing that respect for holy sites and freedom of worship are fundamental to maintaining stability and enhancing prospects for peace in the region.

Also, the speaker of the Arab Parliament Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi condemned the Israeli occupation's ongoing measures that close the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Haram Al-Sharif to Muslim worshippers, particularly during Ramadan. He described these actions as violations of the freedom of worship and an infringement on the historical status quo in occupied Jerusalem.

Al-Yamahi stated that restricting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque is a troubling escalation that provokes Muslims globally and reflects efforts to alter the city's Arab and Islamic identity. He emphasized that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, covering 144 dunams, is exclusively for Muslim worship.

He warned that such restrictions would heighten tensions in the region and expressed concern over violations at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. He called on the international community, including the United Nations, to protect the holy sites in Jerusalem and ensure respect for the historical status of Islamic and Christian sacred sites.


Iraq to Keep Crude Output at 1.4 million bpd amid Hormuz Tensions, Oil Minister Says

Technicians working at the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)
Technicians working at the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)
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Iraq to Keep Crude Output at 1.4 million bpd amid Hormuz Tensions, Oil Minister Says

Technicians working at the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)
Technicians working at the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)

Iraq will keep crude oil production at around 1.4 million barrels per day, Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani ​was quoted as saying on Thursday, less than a third of the level before the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

According to the state news agency, the minister said that 200,000 bpd is being transported by truck through Türkiye, Syria, and Jordan ‌and that ‌Iraq has put in ​place ‌a ⁠plan ​to manage ⁠the current disruptions.

Oil production from Iraq's main southern oilfields, where most of its oil is produced and exported, has plunged 70% to just 1.3 million bpd, sources told Reuters on March 8, as the country ⁠is unable to export via the ‌Gulf due to ‌the war.

The drop in ​production and exports ‌is set to strain Iraq's already fragile finances ‌as the state relies on crude sales for nearly all public spending and more than 90% of its income.

Under pressure to mitigate ‌the losses, the oil ministry has asked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) if ⁠it ⁠would pump at least 100,000 bpd from its state-managed Kirkuk oilfields to Türkiye's Ceyhan port, sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The ministry said the KRG has not yet responded to the request.

Abdel-Ghani was quoted as saying on Thursday that Iraq will sign an agreement on exporting oil through the Ceyhan pipeline, but he did not ​give further details. 


51 Crew Rescued, 1 Dead after Attack on Tankers Off Iraq

An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
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51 Crew Rescued, 1 Dead after Attack on Tankers Off Iraq

An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo)

More than 50 crew members were rescued after an attack on two oil tankers in Iraq's territorial waters, Farhan al-Fartousi of the port authorities told AFP.

Fartousi, from Iraq's General Company for Ports, said "all crew members of the two tankers were rescued," adding that the 51 workers were in good condition.

The attack killed at least one crew member, an Indian national.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had struck a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, which they claimed was US-owned, in the north of the Gulf.

The vessel, Safesea Vishnu, came under attack March 11 while operating near Basra, India’s embassy said.

The remaining 15 Indian crew members were evacuated and are safe, the embassy added.