Israeli Strike Hits Vehicle at Beirut Southern Entrance, State Media Reports

Lebanese soldiers and rescue workers gather near the wreckage of a car struck by an Israeli drone south of Beirut, Lebanon, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and rescue workers gather near the wreckage of a car struck by an Israeli drone south of Beirut, Lebanon, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Hits Vehicle at Beirut Southern Entrance, State Media Reports

Lebanese soldiers and rescue workers gather near the wreckage of a car struck by an Israeli drone south of Beirut, Lebanon, 03 July 2025. (EPA)
Lebanese soldiers and rescue workers gather near the wreckage of a car struck by an Israeli drone south of Beirut, Lebanon, 03 July 2025. (EPA)

An Israeli drone strike hit a car on a highway in the town of Khaldeh just south of Beirut, killing one person and injuring three others, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Thursday. 

The Israeli army said in a statement that it had targeted “a saboteur who was involved in arms smuggling and advancing terrorist plots against Israeli citizens and the Israeli army on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force.” 

It was not immediately clear if the target of the strike was the person killed. 

A US-brokered ceasefire deal nominally ended the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in November, but Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon since then against what it says are officials and facilities of Hezbollah and other armed groups. Hezbollah has claimed one strike fired across the border since the ceasefire. 

Most of the Israeli strikes have been in southern Lebanon, but Israel has also struck a handful of times in Beirut's southern suburbs since the ceasefire. Thursday's strike was in a congested area close to Lebanon's only commercial airport. 

Nearly 250 people were killed and 609 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon between Nov. 28 — the day after the ceasefire took effect — and the end of June, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. 

Also Thursday, Hezbollah members and supporters held a funeral in Beirut's southern suburbs for the former bodyguard and head of security of Hassan Nasrallah, the group's longtime leader. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut last year, while his former bodyguard was killed in Iran during last month's Israel-Iran war, along with his son. 



UN: Over 200 Civilians Reported Killed in Sudan Drone Strikes Since March 4

Residents receive aid from World Food Programme (WFP) at Al-Omada neighbourhood of Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
Residents receive aid from World Food Programme (WFP) at Al-Omada neighbourhood of Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
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UN: Over 200 Civilians Reported Killed in Sudan Drone Strikes Since March 4

Residents receive aid from World Food Programme (WFP) at Al-Omada neighbourhood of Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
Residents receive aid from World Food Programme (WFP) at Al-Omada neighbourhood of Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

UN rights chief Volker Turk said Thursday he was "appalled" at reports that more than 200 civilians had been killed by drone attacks in Sudan since March 4.

"It is deeply troubling that despite multiple reminders, warnings and appeals, parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas," Turk said in a statement.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in drone strikes across southern Sudan over the past two days, medical sources told AFP on Wednesday, as some of the heaviest fighting of the nearly three-year war grips the region.

Sudan has been riven by conflict since April 2023, when a power struggle between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plunged the country into a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

Since the war broke out, both sides have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential 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.


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.