Syria says thwarted attempt to smuggle weapons for Hezbollah | LIVE

Syria says thwarted attempt to smuggle weapons for Hezbollah

Syria has thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of "advanced weapons and rockets" across the Syrian-Iraqi border destined for Hezbollah, a source at the Syrian Interior Ministry told Syria's state-run news agency SANA.

"Preliminary investigations showed that the "seized shipment was intended to pass through Syrian territory for the benefit of Hezbollah," the source said.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec. 8, 2024, Damascus has been seeking to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah, a longtime ally of the deposed president.

In March and April, Syrian media reported that Syrian internal security forces discovered tunnels linking Syria and Lebanon, reportedly used for smuggling operations between the two countries.

Washington approves nearly $2 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department announced it had approved an arms sale to Saudi Arabia worth nearly $2 billion.

It said the sale supports "U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a factor in political stability and economic progress."

Pakistan calls on US, Iran to resume talks

Pakistan on Thursday called on the United States and Iran to end their clashes and resume negotiations under the memorandum of understanding signed in June through Islamabad's mediation.

"Although the implementation of the memorandum of understanding is facing difficulties, Pakistan will continue to encourage all parties to end the violence and resume technical discussions in accordance with the memorandum of understanding," Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, told reporters.

"We express hope for a swift return to normalcy in the Strait of Hormuz and emphasize the importance of ensuring the safety, security and freedom of maritime navigation at all times," he added.

Iran says Hormuz is a red line, threatens regional infrastructure

A spokesperson for Iran's top military command said Tehran would not allow any U.S. interference in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a red line, according to Reuters.

The spokesperson warned that Iran would target infrastructure across the region if U.S. President Donald Trump carried out his threats to attack Iranian infrastructure.

Maritime traffic declines further in Hormuz

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined further Wednesday, one day after the United States reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports, as Washington and Tehran intensified their strikes in the Gulf, according to maritime traffic data.

Seven ships transited the strait Wednesday, primarily via the Iranian shipping lane, compared with 13 the previous day, according to data from Kpler.

Israel bombs, strikes Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh, Sour districts

Several occupied localities in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh and Sour were targeted overnight Wednesday into Thursday by bombings, airstrikes and artillery fire.

On Wednesday after 10 p.m., a large-scale bombing operation targeted the outskirts of Braasheet and Kounin in Bint Jbeil district, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reported.

An Israeli drone dropped an incendiary grenade on Kfar Roummane in Nabatieh district, causing a fire. Firefighters from the Al-Rissala Scouts Association worked to extinguish the blaze as Israeli drones flew over the area.

After midnight, the Israeli army carried out two large explosions in an area between Zawtar Gharbieh and Mayfadoun in Nabatieh district. At 1:30 a.m., the air force carried out two airstrikes on an area between Beit Yahoun and Braasheet in Bint Jbeil district.

After 2 a.m., a large-scale explosion targeted Majdal Zoun in Sour district, coinciding with artillery fire from an Israeli tank on Beit Yahoun in Bint Jbeil district. At dawn, several houses in Haddatha in Bint Jbeil district were demolished.

Photo: Explosion at unidentified location in Iran following US airstrike

(Credit: CENTCOM/AFP)

Smoke rises after an explosion at an unidentified location during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iran, in this screenshot from a video provided and released on July 15, 2026.

Israel tells Pentagon chief will keep troops in 'security zones' in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, early Thursday that Israel is committed to maintaining its forces in the "security zones" it has established inside Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Katz's office said the two men spoke overnight and that the minister "emphasized Israel's commitment to remaining in the safe zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon to protect Israel's borders and communities near the border from threats posed by jihadist forces."

US airstrikes kill 7 soldiers killed by in southeastern Iran

The Iranian military announced that seven soldiers were killed in U.S. airstrikes carried out Wednesday in southeastern Iran.

"This morning, the American terrorist army fired 13 missiles" at a barracks near the city of Iranshahr, 1,500 kilometers from Tehran, the military said in a statement.

Jordanian army says intercepted 8 Iranian missiles

The Jordanian army announced that it had intercepted eight Iranian missiles targeting its territory, causing no casualties or damage.

Earlier Thursday, the Iranian military said it had targeted U.S. military installations in Jordan, according to Iranian state television.

US military announces end of renewed series of strikes

The U.S. military announced it had "ended a series of overnight strikes against Iran" after targeting Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone facilities, as well as coastal surveillance installations, notably in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

The southwestern port city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant, was among the targets of new U.S. strikes Wednesday that caused no casualties, according to the state news agency IRNA, one day after a previous attack.

Iran says attacked US targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan

The Iranian military announced Thursday that it had attacked U.S. bases and military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain using drones following further U.S. airstrikes on Iran.

Iranian forces targeted "radar systems, a Patriot air defense system, and fuel storage sites" at Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as U.S. military installations at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Iranian state television reported.

Earlier Thursday morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had struck a U.S. air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles in retaliation for what it described as a U.S. attack near a children's hospital in Iran.

U.S. forces "used their bases in Jordan to target several areas in Iran, including the vicinity of a children's cancer hospital," the IRGC said on its website, adding that it retaliated by launching "two waves of missiles" at the base in Jordan.

Meanwhile, air defense systems were activated Thursday in Tehran, and explosions were heard in northern and western Iran, according to state media.

"The sound signaling the activation of the defense systems was heard in several parts of Tehran, including the west and east" of the Iranian capital, the state-run news agency IRNA reported, adding that no casualties had been reported at that time.

Explosions were also heard in Lorestan province in western Iran and in Semnan in the north, according to the Iranian news agencies IRNA and Mehr.

Catch up on our Morning Brief

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Good morning. We are now launching our live coverage of developments in the region.

We are now launching our live coverage of developments in the Middle East, where tensions continue to rise around the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Iran continue to exchange airstrikes, with Tehran retaliating through attacks across the region.

We will also be following developments in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues to occupy several hundred square kilometers along the border and carry out airstrikes and demolitions, against the backdrop of negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Rome.

Find our live coverage of yesterday's events here.