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Lebanon says progress made with Israel on border, prisoner issues in Rome talks

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Beirut, Aug 8: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that progress had been made on border issues and the return of prisoners during the latest negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome.

Speaking at a cabinet session on Friday (local time), Aoun said the Rome talks addressed four main issues: a ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of houses, the border, and the return of prisoners and the identification of pilot areas, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun said “positive progress” had been made on the border and prisoners’ issues, expressing hope that practical steps would emerge soon, the statement said.

He said the US administration would work to address the remaining issues of a ceasefire and pilot areas, adding that US General Joseph Clearfield would arrive in Beirut soon to follow up on these matters, reports Xinhua news agency.

The remarks came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials finished three days of negotiations in Rome aimed at advancing security arrangements along their border and implementing a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, local media reported.

The talks, opposed by Hezbollah, are the seventh round of negotiations between the two governments.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, UN officials announced that UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported the sharpest escalation in military activity between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was signed.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday, the highest daily figure observed since June 21.

UNIFIL did not detect any projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNIFIL also recorded significant aerial activity. On Wednesday, peacekeepers recorded 49 airspace violations, with a cumulative overflight time exceeding 131 hours, the highest level since June 23. They also observed three airstrikes northwest of Al Mansuri, said the spokesperson.

At sea, on Monday, UNIFIL observed IDF patrol boats crossing the Line of Buoys into Lebanese territorial waters before returning south, said Haq.

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Iran’s IRGC says two ‘violating’ oil tankers disabled by blasts in Hormuz Strait

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The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that two “violating” oil tankers were disabled by explosions while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night.

In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said the two supertankers transited the strait despite frequent warnings from its centre for controlling traffic in the waterway about the “unauthorised and unsafe” nature of the southern route.

It added that the tankers were carrying more than 4 million barrels of oil in total, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The navy warned that the same fate will await any vessel that turns off its navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and cooperates with the U.S. military in crossing the waterway’s “unauthorised” southern route.

The Navy on Wednesday said a “violating” oil tanker caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as the oil tanker was transiting the “unsafe and forbidden” region east of the waterway, the navy announced in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that its naval forces are monitoring the strait’s eastern waters, stressing that safe passage through the waterway requires coordination with the Iranian armed forces and compliance with maritime regulations.

Separately, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi on Wednesday warned the United States and Israel against making any new miscalculation, saying that “any point that serves as a focal point for threats against the existence of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a direct target of asymmetric operations.”

He said in a message carried by Iranian media that the armed forces would carry out orders issued by the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, without hesitation.

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One killed as three-storey building collapses in New York

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At least one person was killed and 10 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in New York City’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, authorities said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, officials confirmed. Four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The FDNY said it received reports of people being trapped at around 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday after the building collapsed on the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

Videos from the scene showed firefighters digging through the rubble and pulling at least one person out of the debris.

Firefighters continued their search for another person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble and remained in communication with them as rescue operations progressed.

Several injured construction workers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment, although their medical conditions were not immediately known. Search and rescue operations were still underway following the collapse.

According to reports citing FDNY radio communications, at least 10 other people were injured in the incident.

Emergency response teams rushed to the site following reports of a partial building collapse at an apartment building in Brooklyn, with people feared trapped inside, according to FDNY officials.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged residents and commuters to stay away from the area around Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue following the incident.

In a post on X, the NYPD warned that road closures and traffic delays were expected in the area and advised motorists to use alternate routes to avoid disruption and allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the building collapse. In a post on X, she said, “My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also commented on the incident, saying that emergency responders were working to secure the site and assist those affected by the collapse.

In his post on X, Mamdani said, “Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue – please avoid the area so rescue crews can work.”

He further said that the city would provide additional information once officials were in a position to confirm the details of the incident.

Further details are awaited.

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Iran designates Argentine Navy, Air Force as ‘terrorist organisations’

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Iran Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations.

The move came in response to the Argentine government’s decision in late March to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described Argentina’s decision as “hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law,” saying Iran’s move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington’s actions against Tehran, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s armed forces.

The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump’s administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC’s support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.

Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain’s Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as “terrorist and hostile” entities over the British government’s anti-Iran actions.

Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that progress had been made in negotiations between the United States and Iran, describing recent White House talks involving Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as positive, while cautioning that it was too early to predict when an agreement could be reached.

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