The U.S. military has denied Iran ’s claim to have struck an unmanned American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “total lie.”
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed four people and leveled a hospital, according to Lebanese authorities, near an area that has become a flashpoint in fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Iran says it hit a US boat in latest Hormuz salvo
State-run media in Tehran said the U.S. vessel was trying to enter an area that Iran says is restricted in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The report came from Iranian state media and it’s a total lie,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command.
It came a day after the U.S. said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships.
Attacks resumed last week after roughly a month of quiet.
The war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. But since a ceasefire agreement was announced in June, on-and-off fighting has persisted with both sides trying to inflict military and economic pain as negotiations have collapsed.
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said the era of “proportionate responses” is over, and that from now on, Iran’s retaliation will be “faster, heavier and more painful.”
Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon and level a vacant hospital
Israeli strikes killed at least four people in southern Lebanon on Sunday and leveled a hospital, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
Strikes on the Lebanese village of Arabsalim killed two, the ministry said. Two others were killed in the city of Nabatiyeh, near a strategic hill that Israel said its forces gained control over Thursday.
At least 20 others were wounded in the Sunday strikes, the ministry said, among them three children and five women. The strikes also destroyed an empty hospital, the ministry said. Residents have largely vacated the area because of the war.
The Israeli military said its latest strikes came in response to a drone attack launched earlier Sunday by Hezbollah on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. It said Hezbollah had used the hospital as a command center.
Since a ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hezbollah more than two months ago, fighting has subsided in much of Lebanon but low-level skirmishes and Israeli strikes continue.
Yemen’s government forces retake territory from Iran-backed Houthi rebels
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Sunday its forces have recaptured areas of two key provinces from the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The provinces of Hodeida and Taiz are along the country’s western coast.
On Saturday, the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the city of Taiz, striking close to civilian and police facilities, the country’s SABA news agency reported.
Mass funeral in Gaza for over 110 Palestinians recovered from rubble
Dozens of Palestinians gathered Sunday in Gaza City to mourn over 110 people, including at least 70 children, after their remains were recovered from the rubble.
Rescue crews, who have spent the past few days digging out the bodies from Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood, said the dead came from three families whose houses were flattened by Israeli strikes earlier in the war.
“We are witnessing a painful, heartbreaking scene for the families of the Zeitoun neighborhood,” said Mustafa Quzghat, a relative.
The bodies were wrapped in white shrouds and draped with Palestinian flags. Some shrouds bore images of the deceased, according to Associated Press footage. They were laid out in rows on the ground.
The nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has killed over 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half of the toll.
Muslim nations condemn Israeli proposal to empty Gaza of Palestinians
Any Israeli plan or action to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would violate international law and undermine the U.S.-backed plan for drawing down the Gaza war, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and five other governments said in a statement on Sunday.
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, last week published a plan to encourage Palestinian migration from Gaza, which he said would include Israel paying countries to help cover the cost of services for emigrants. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, has said Israel is prepared to facilitate the removal of Palestinians by sea, air or other means, and that plans remain under discussion.
The governments called the statements “inflammatory” and said they threatened the “legitimate and inalienable rights” of Palestinians and the future establishment of a Palestinian state. They warned that any Israeli effort “aimed at uprooting Palestinians from their land” would have “grave consequences.”
Previous Israeli attempts to persuade third countries to accept Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza have gained little traction.
Israeli government warns holiday travelers
Israel issued a warning ahead of the Jewish High Holiday season, a busy travel time that begins this Friday.
It cautioned citizens not to travel to Muslim nations, including Jordan and Egypt, which are at peace with Israel. It urged travelers to take precautions when overseas, including avoiding displaying Jewish symbols like skullcaps or speaking Hebrew in public spaces.
Israel frequently issues such warnings ahead of holidays or during wartime. ___ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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