Tensions are rising in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump says a deal could be reached soon to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Here's a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Wednesday. Full coverage can be found here.
Israel tells residents to leave village in southern Lebanon
For the first time in weeks, Israel's military told residents of an area of Lebanon to evacuate. The military said the warning for the village of Mansouri was in response to what it described as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire” by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The military later said it was conducting “precise strikes” in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said one person was killed and 12 wounded in an Israeli strike in the town of Tebnine.
The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome for a second day to discuss implementation of a deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy, said the second day of talks ended early “due to events on the ground” but could continue on Thursday.
A shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely held since June 20. The fighting erupted two days after the Iran war began when Hezbollah fired at Israel.
— Matthew Lee in Washington
Iran and the US say a deal on the Strait of Hormuz is close
Iran said Wednesday it's in the “final stage” of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump said on Tuesday night that a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to the war.
But the agreement is likely to be contingent on the United States lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would cement Iran’s grip over the strait, which would amount to a major loss for the U.S. and a break with global norms.
Iran has insisted on some measure of control over the strait, saying it will not go back to being an open international waterway, as it was before the war.
Yemen's Houthis claim 2 attacks on Saudi oil tankers
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they fired ballistic missiles at two Saudi oil tankers, one in the Red Sea and the other further east, in the Gulf of Aden. They did not provide evidence and there was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
A vessel sailing off Yemen in the Gulf of Aden reported a loud explosion nearby, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said, adding that the crew was safe.
In July, the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi shipping, putting at risk another key world trade route running through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil exports to the Red Sea since the Iran war choked off the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The US lifts sanctions on 3 Iran-linked companies
The U.S. has lifted sanctions on three Iran-linked companies. A Treasury official said it came after an appeal and was not indicative of any shift in U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the sanctions.
One company is Fly Baghdad Airlines, sanctioned in January 2024 for allegedly providing assistance to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Sanctions also were lifted on Iraq Express and another Fly Baghdad-linked firm.
— Fatima Hussein in Washington
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