US-Iran War Live: US says Iran-Oman Hormuz deal expected soon

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed at least 4,335 people and wounded 12,273 others, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said.

The Israeli military continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and carry out attacks on villages, displacing millions of people despite ongoing diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending the conflict.

Hezbollah is not part of the negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following their conversation on the situation in West Asia and said the two countries would continue to strengthen their partnership.

Responding to Modi’s earlier post on X, Netanyahu wrote in Hebrew, “Together we continue to strengthen the bond between Israel and India.”

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at displacement camps and residential neighbourhoods in the city of Marib on Friday, killing two people and injuring 14 others, state news agency SABA reported, citing local authorities.

The Houthis said they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, weapons depots, vehicles and military equipment at the Sahn al-Jinn camp in Marib using missiles and drones. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

The attacks came a day after at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in strikes on military camps in Marib and Hadramawt provinces, according to government sources, marking one of the deadliest escalations in months.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday, bringing together three Sunni Muslim US allies amid growing fears of a wider regional conflict that has seen Iranian missile attacks target Gulf states.

Iran and its allies have attacked Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries and disrupted energy shipments since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, sharply escalating tensions in the region.

The “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three, according to a joint statement.

France has been ruled out of a potential international force tasked with verifying Hezbollah’s disarmament after Israel and the US vetoed its participation, Reuters reported, citing Lebanese and diplomatic sources, as negotiations continue over the implementation of a US-brokered agreement.

The issue emerged after Lebanon and Israel agreed this week on a shortlist of countries that could participate in the verification mission. The final decision on which country or countries will be deployed now rests with Washington, a Lebanese official told Reuters on Friday.

People and journalists stand at a site hit by Israeli strikes that occurred in the early hours of Thursday, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA, in Burj al-Shamali, southern Lebanon. (Photo- Reuters)

Lebanon and Israel have agreed on a shortlist of countries that could deploy troops to verify Hezbollah's disarmament under a US-brokered agreement, according to Lebanese officials.

"We have reached a shortlist of countries," an unnamed Lebanese official told Reuters on Friday. "The Americans will now decide and could pick more than one country."

The shortlist was finalised during talks held at the US embassy in Rome this week, marking the seventh round of negotiations on implementing the June 26 agreement. Under the deal, Israel's phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon is linked to Hezbollah's disarmament.

Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.

Progress is being made between Iran and Oman on efforts to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and a deal is expected soon, a US official told Reuters on Friday. The official said that once an agreement is announced to ensure unimpeded maritime traffic through the strategic waterway, the United States will lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

The official added that any US measures would remain conditional on Iran fulfilling its commitments under the agreement. "As always, US actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to Iran's implementation of its commitments," the official said.