The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is still in place, the US defence secretary said, and warned that Washington is ready to resort to military action again if diplomatic efforts fail to secure a deal that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“The blockade is very much still in place,” Pete Hegseth said in Singapore, where he addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.

“Once a deal is had or not, depending on the choice they make, it will be an open strait, a toll-free strait that the entire world can use, which is the way that it should be,” Hegseth said.

A fresh wave of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon killed at least five people and wounded 15 others, including two soldiers.

The soldiers were "seriously injured" after being targeted inside a vehicle by an Israeli army drone on the public road in Aaiba, in the southern district of Nabatieh, according to a Lebanese army statement.

They were transferred to a hospital for treatment, the army said.

Tel Aviv also launched incursions into more southern villages and towns, says senior Lebanese military source.

The efforts to reach a deal were thrown into question this week by US strikes on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, countered by retaliatory Iranian fire.

Oman's Maritime Security Center said that it detected a naval mine west of the inshore traffic zone in the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters.

In a post on the US social media company X, the center called on "all seafarers, fishermen, and vessels to exercise the utmost caution while navigating, to stay away from any suspicious objects, and to report them immediately to the relevant authorities."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met to discuss US-hosted military talks with Israel, according to the Lebanese Presidency.

The Lebanese delegation "reaffirmed its commitment to prioritising a ceasefire," the presidency said on US media company X.

Aoun and Salam also addressed preparations for the next round of US-mediated negotiations with Israel scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, it added.

"The meeting further addressed the security situation in the country and the daily monitoring of the situation of people forcibly displaced from their homes and properties," said the presidency.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a “true friendship” is emerging between Washington and Islamabad, crediting Pakistan’s leadership for helping efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Iran.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session following his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore Hegseth praised Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their role in peace negotiations linked to the Iran conflict.

“An unexpected development and a true friendship” has been developing between the United States and Pakistan, Hegseth said, adding that the growing relationship was reflected in President Donald Trump’s ability to help broker peace between India and Pakistan during their military confrontation last year.

Lebanon's military said that a "targeted" Israeli strike wounded two soldiers in southern Lebanon, a day after military delegations from the two countries met in Washington.

In a statement, the Lebanese army said "two soldiers were seriously wounded as a result of being targeted inside a vehicle by a hostile Israeli drone" near the southern city of Nabatieh.

Israel's military issued evacuation warnings for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed deeper into the country.

The latest warnings came a day after military delegations from the two countries held landmark security talks in Washington and ahead of US-brokered negotiations early next week—the fourth round since the latest Israeli escalation against Lebanon.