Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese village kill 12, plus other key Mideast developments

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Lebanon ’s Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes on a southern village have killed 12 people, including two children.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim to have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance plane. And seven crew members of a Saudi-owned tanker struck last week on the strait appear to remain unaccounted for.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Israel carried out airstrikes early Monday on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Rumman, killing at least 12 people, including a paramedic, four women and two children, the Health Ministry said.

The strikes came during a new round of escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel's military said it struck several Hezbollah militants it accused of transferring weapons to Kfar Rumman.

The military also said it was reviewing the claim that “several uninvolved civilians were harmed” in overnight strikes across southern Lebanon, which it said were in response to Hezbollah militants launching explosive drones against soldiers in the area of the Ali Taher ridge.

Iranian state media said a ballistic missile with improved capabilities demonstrates Tehran’s shifting stance toward taking preemptive action against threats.

A senior Iranian official earlier said the new missile capability had been “tested” against a U.S. warship over the weekend. But it was not clear whether what was tested was the missile the new report described, the solid-fueled Qassem Basir.

On Saturday, the U.S. said it struck Iranian oil tankers in response to ballistic missiles launched at U.S. warships.

Iran’s messaging in recent days has become more assertive, and Monday’s report said the Qassem Basir marks “a turning point in Iran’s defense strategy.” It described the missile as having greater range and accuracy and a half-ton warhead.

The missile was unveiled last year, when it was described as having at least a 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) range.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels downed a Saudi armed reconnaissance aircraft on Monday in the northern part of Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement.

The aircraft was detected in Jawf province’s airspace, according to Saree, who said the aircraft belonged to neighboring Saudi Arabia and was seeking to carry out “hostile actions.”

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim. There was no immediate Saudi comment.

Saree added that over the past 24 hours, a total of three reconnaissance drones belonging to Saudi Arabia were downed, including one that was spotted Monday morning in Bayda province.

The Yemeni government armed forces said in a post on X that they targeted Houthi gatherings in Dahle province and launched 13 airstrikes targeting Houthi positions and a missile launch base in Bayda province. Other airstrikes targeted Houthi fronts in Marib province. The Houthi military didn’t address those claims.

The U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called the Houthis’ expansion of fighting across several front lines “extremely alarming” and warned of its broader impact on Yemenis.

A senior official with the United Arab Emirates says “no single state” should control the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it plans to announce a new “exclusion zone” near the waterway aimed at vessels intending to transit.

“Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said at a forum of world leaders in Abu Dhabi.

Gargash said Iran should face consequences for threatening oil tankers and commercial vessels in the strait with mines, drones or missiles. “Using an international waterway as an instrument of coercion is unacceptable,” he added.

The UAE, a close U.S. ally, has repeatedly come under Iranian missile and drone fire throughout the war. Rebuilding trust between Iran and the Gulf countries could take decades, Gargash warned, because by targeting its neighbors, Tehran has “demolished” any presumption of good faith.

Oman said it had evacuated 16 crew members from a Saudi-owned tanker attacked last week in the Strait of Hormuz. The Sidr tanker was attacked by Iran off Oman, and Saudi Arabia earlier said two Filipino seafarers were killed.

Oman’s Maritime Security ​Center said on X that 16 of the 25 crew members were rescued. It didn’t give details on the remaining seven.

If the seven are confirmed dead, that would make the attack the deadliest on a commercial vessel since the war began on Feb. 28.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank community of Hajja mourned the death of Omar al-Toubasi, who was killed in a confrontation with Israeli settlers.

Israel’s military said in a statement that soldiers were sent to Hajja on Sunday to disperse a confrontation and fired toward Palestinians allegedly throwing stones at soldiers after warning shots. “Hits were identified,” the military said.

“The army came and made matters worse,” witness Mohammed al-Batta said, adding that settlers had started the confrontation by beating a local man. He said soldiers “started using tear gas and sound bombs at the residents. Gunfire broke out from the two sides.” He said several others were injured.

Attacks on settlers in the West Bank have surged since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the United Nations humanitarian office.

The top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, called for the implementation of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war there, including the withdrawal of Israel’s military and the disarming of Hamas.

He also warned that rising violence in the occupied West Bank could obstruct a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Because with everything that is happening in the West Bank — and with more than 50% of Gaza now under the control of the Israeli army and less than 50% under the control of Hamas — there is no credible pathway forward to a political resolution of the conflict,” Mladenov said at the Hili Forum, a gathering of world leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

Kosovo has formalized its commitment to the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, according to the U.S.-created Board of Peace overseeing the fragile ceasefire.

The force would deploy to areas of the Palestinian territory administered by an incoming technocratic committee. While there was no information about the number of troops Kosovo would provide, a Board of Peace official said it is expected to contribute about 25 personnel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the numbers have not yet been finalized.

The statement says Kosovo security personnel have deployed at ISF headquarters for months, working on logistics, operations to clear unexploded weapons and civil affairs.

Overall committed troops to the force remain far short of the expected 20,000. Uganda, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Albania also have made commitments.

— Matthew Lee in Washington

Iran introduced a higher price for its heaviest gasoline users, state media reported, the second such increase since December.

Gas price hikes can be sensitive, as seen in 2019 when an increase led to nationwide protests and a deadly crackdown.

The government did not specifically mention the war with the United States as the reason for this latest increase but cited the “current situation.”

Under the new system, people buying more than their quota of 110 liters (29 gallons) of gasoline a month now must pay 100,000 rials (about 7 cents) per liter, or twice as much as they have been paying since December.

Iran still has some of the world’s lowest gasoline prices, but the price increase adds to daily pressures for many of the country’s more than 90 million people.

Keramat Veis Karami, the CEO of the state oil distribution company, on Monday said the new gasoline rate would affect 15% of consumers, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Gas prices in the U.S. hit a record high for Labor Day weekend, averaging $4.14 per gallon — nearly a dollar more than last year and surpassing the previous record of $3.82 in 2012, according to the AAA motor club.

Prices shot up after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February and have not settled down since. Crude oil traffic through the key Strait of Hormuz has plunged, and Iran has refused to reopen the waterway.

“Everything points to the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz,” said Tom Seng, a professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University.

In energy markets Monday, Brent crude, the international standard, added 4 cents to $96.32 a barrel following further escalation of the six-month -long U.S. war with Iran.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 29 cents to $91.19 a barrel.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.