The UNIFIL is “deeply concerned” over the escalation in south Lebanon and said hundreds of thousands were displaced as Israel fired around 670 projectiles on Wednesday, the highest level since April 17.

Beirut is monitoring “with concern” continuous Israeli attacks on Tyre city targeting historic neighbourhoods, mosques, churches, heritage landmarks, the Lebanese foreign minister has said.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will pay a day-long official visit to Washington, DC, on Friday amid Islamabad's mediation efforts to end the Iran war, an official statement said.

Dar, who is currently in New York, where he attended the proceedings of the UN Security Council and other meetings, will depart for Washington to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a statement from Islamabad's foreign ministry said.

During their meeting, the two sides will review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of "mutual interest."

Kuwait holds Iran fully responsible for the attacks and stresses that Kuwait reserves the right to take all necessary measures.

Israeli fighter jets struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, with the Israeli military confirming it had launched an attack on the Lebanese capital, though the target was not immediately made clear.

Iran’s state TV said Tehran stopped two vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz and forced two others to turn back before US attacks near Bandar Abbas early on Thursday.

US forces intercepted five one-way attack drones that were launched by Iran, and prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in an X post.

Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said visa issuance remains a key concern ahead of the 2026 World Cup, urging FIFA to ensure Iranian players and staff can travel without problems to the US, Canada and Mexico.

He said Iran had already submitted the required lists and requests related to the tournament, with the matter set to be coordinated jointly with the three host countries.

Taj added that earlier concerns over hosting conditions and sensitivities in the US had “partly decreased,” saying American officials had shown cooperation on logistical arrangements and issues related to the presence of Iranians.

The EU foreign policy chief said the Strait of Hormuz remains in a “strange state” between war and peace, as no official agreement has yet been reached between the parties, stressing that freedom of navigation is in everyone’s interest.

Speaking at the doorstep of an informal EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Limassol, the Greek Cypriot Administration, Kallas cited expectations that the parties could reach an agreement over the strait, adding that it has not happened so far.

"It is really in everybody's interest that the freedom of navigation is respected in the Strait of Hormuz, because everybody's paying a very high price for this," she stressed.