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Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people on Saturday, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state news agency saying one strike targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar and killed seven people including three children, and wounded two.
“Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people Saturday.”
A second strike on the village of Deir al-Zahrani killed four and wounded 17, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state news agency as cited in the Associated Press report.
The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah battalion commander and several other militants at a headquarters in southern Lebanon in response to the group’s actions against Israeli soldiers operating there, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said three soldiers were seriously injured.
The military blamed an explosive drone and said the commander’s family was with him, adding that “it should be emphasized that the family members were not the target of the strike.”
The report said the strikes came as it was “one of the deadliest days since the Lebanese government and Israel announced a ‘framework agreement’” for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
UAE-Iran Tensions and Hormuz
The Associated Press report also said the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of again attacking one of its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the tanker owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC was attacked while transiting the strait.
The UAE state-run WAM news agency reported there were no injuries in the Friday evening attack, and it was described as the third such attack on a vessel operated by ADNOC in the critical waterway in the last week.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a bulk carrier was struck in the hull by an unknown projectile on Friday, and it was not immediately clear if it was the same vessel.
The report said Iran asserted control over the strait after the war started on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes, and that about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the waterway before then.
In parallel, the report said talks between the U.S. and Iran have stalled while Iran is in discussions with Oman about how to manage the strait that runs between them and had been considered an international waterway.
UAE Moves Toward Lebanon
While the Associated Press described ongoing regional conflict, LBCI reported that a United Arab Emirates delegation comprising approximately 70 businesspeople will visit Lebanon on August 26 and 27 to sign agreements with the Lebanese private sector.
“a United Arab Emirates delegation comprising approximately 70 businesspeople will visit Lebanon on August 26 and 27”
LBCI said the delegation would also propose providing and upgrading services at the airport, seaports, and border crossings, and it cited a UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement that Emirati citizens will be allowed to travel to Lebanon starting June 29, 2026.
The report said registration through the Tawajudi service is mandatory before travel, and that citizens will not be allowed to leave UAE ports of departure before completing the registration process to avoid travel procedures being suspended or legal accountability.
LBCI described the Twajudi service as a free 24/7 platform provided by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs that allows UAE nationals traveling or living abroad to register their trip details for government communication and emergency repatriation during crises or natural disaster.
It also said the United Arab Emirates banned travel to Lebanon (along with Iran and Iraq) in April 2026 as a safety precaution due to escalating regional conflicts and military tensions involving U.S., Israeli, and Iranian strikes.