Israeli airstrikes on village in southern Lebanon kill 12

Lebanon's Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes on a southern village have killed 12 people, including two children.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim to have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance plane. And seven crew members of a Saudi-owned tanker struck last week on the strait appear to remain unaccounted for.

Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

 

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill at least 12 

Israel carried out airstrikes early Monday on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman, killing at least 12 people, including a paramedic, four women and two children, the Health Ministry said.

The strikes came during a new round of escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel's military said it struck several Hezbollah militants it accused of transferring weapons to Kfar Rumman.

The military also said it was reviewing the claim that “several uninvolved civilians were harmed” in overnight strikes across southern Lebanon, which it said were in response to Hezbollah militants launching explosive drones against soldiers in the area of the Ali Taher ridge.

 

Houthis claim downing Saudi reconnaissance plane 

Iran-backed Houthi rebels downed a Saudi armed reconnaissance aircraft on Monday in the northern part of Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Brig Gen Yahya Saree said in a statement.

The aircraft was detected in Jawf province's airspace, according to Saree, who said the aircraft belonged to neighboring Saudi Arabia and was seeking to carry out “hostile actions.” 

The Associated Press couldn't independently verify that claim. There was no immediate Saudi comment.

Saree added that over the past 24 hours, a total of three reconnaissance drones belonging to Saudi Arabia were downed, including one that was spotted Monday morning in Bayda province.

The Yemeni government armed forces said in a post on X that they targeted Houthi gatherings in Dahle province and launched 13 airstrikes targeting Houthi positions and a missile launch base in Bayda province. Other airstrikes targeted Houthi fronts in Marib province. The Houthi military didn't address those claims.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called the Houthis' expansion of fighting across several front lines “extremely alarming” and warned of its broader impact on Yemenis.

 

UAE says no single state' should control Hormuz 

A senior official with the United Arab Emirates says “no single state” should control the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it plans to announce a new “exclusion zone” near the waterway aimed at vessels intending to transit.

“Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said at a forum of world leaders in Abu Dhabi.

Gargash said Iran should face consequences for threatening oil tankers and commercial vessels in the strait with mines, drones or missiles. “Using an international waterway as an instrument of coercion is unacceptable,” he added.

The UAE, a close US ally, has repeatedly come under Iranian missile and drone fire throughout the war. Rebuilding trust between Iran and the Gulf countries could take decades, Gargash warned, because by targeting its neighbours, Tehran has “demolished” any presumption of good faith.

 

Oman says some crew members recovered after Saudi ship hit 

Oman said it had evacuated 16 crew members from a Saudi-owned tanker attacked last week in the Strait of Hormuz. The Sidr tanker was attacked by Iran off Oman, and Saudi Arabia earlier said two Filipino seafarers were killed.

Oman's Maritime Security Centre said on X that 16 of the 25 crew members were rescued. It didn't give details on the remaining seven.

If the seven are confirmed dead, that would make the attack the deadliest on a commercial vessel since the war began on February 28.

 

Palestinian man killed in the occupied West Bank 

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Hajja mourned the death of Omar al-Toubasi, who was killed in a confrontation with Israeli settlers.

Israel's military said in a statement that soldiers were sent to Hajja on Sunday to disperse a confrontation and fired toward Palestinians allegedly throwing stones at soldiers after warning shots. “Hits were identified,” the military said.

“The army came and made matters worse,” witness Mohammed al-Batta said, adding that settlers had started the confrontation by beating a local man. He said soldiers “started using tear gas and sound bombs at the residents. Gunfire broke out from the two sides.” He said several others were injured.

Attacks on settlers in the West Bank have surged since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.

 

Two-state solution practically impossible' if Gaza plan fails, diplomat says 

The top diplomat overseeing the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, called for the implementation of President Donald Trump's plan to end the war there, including the withdrawal of Israel's military and the disarming of Hamas.

He also warned that rising violence in the occupied West Bank could obstruct a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Because with everything that is happening in the West Bank — and with more than 50 per cent of Gaza now under the control of the Israeli army and less than 50 per cent under the control of Hamas — there is no credible pathway forward to a political resolution of the conflict,” Mladenov said at the Hili Forum, a gathering of world leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Kosovo commits to stabilisation force for Gaza 

Kosovo has formalized its commitment to the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, according to the US-created Board of Peace overseeing the fragile ceasefire.

The force would deploy to areas of the Palestinian territory administered by an incoming technocratic committee. While there was no information about the number of troops Kosovo would provide, a Board of Peace official said it is expected to contribute about 25 personnel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the numbers have not yet been finalized.

The statement says Kosovo security personnel have deployed at ISF headquarters for months, working on logistics, operations to clear unexploded weapons and civil affairs.

Overall committed troops to the force remain far short of the expected 20,000. Uganda, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Albania also have made commitments.