Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack on Israel and said Israel-affiliated vessels would again be a target in the Red Sea, putting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait connected them in danger.

The statement from Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree was broadcast on the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel. During the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis killed at least nine mariners and sunk four ships in over 100 attacks, often targeting vessels with tangential or no ties at all to Israel.

Israel's military struck alleged Hezbollah command centers in Beirut's southern suburbs in response to rocket fire on northern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday.

"In accordance with the directives of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, the Israel Defense Forces have just struck a militant command center in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, in response to Hezbollah's fire towards Israeli territory," his office said.

Lebanon launched the rehabilitation of its second airport on Saturday, in preparation for an opening within months, at a time when the country faces constant fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

A jet carrying Prime Minister Nawaf Salam landed at René Mouawad Airport, where he led the ceremony at the facility in Lebanon’s northwest, close to Syria's border.

The Trump administration is defending this week’s agreement to extend an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and create Hezbollah-free zones in southern Lebanon as the best chance for peace between the two countries in years.

Samira Bou Saab had hoped to see the execution of the man who was sentenced to death for killing her son. Instead, he eventually could be released under a sweeping draft amnesty law in Lebanon that is revealing the country's complex history of loyalties and conflict.

Lebanon's largest amnesty since the end of its devastating 1975-90 civil war is expected to occur in the coming weeks, once parliament approves it and the president signs it.

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed nine people including three members of the Lebanese military, the Lebanese army and state media said, days after the two sides reached a new ceasefire deal.

An airstrike on a vehicle on a road linking the city of Nabatiyeh with the town of Marjayoun killed a brigadier general, a captain and another soldier, the army said, without immediately releasing their names. Another airstrike on the southern village of Saksakiyah killed six people and wounded four, state-run National News Agency said.

Leaders from across the European Union and the Balkans gathered in Montenegro on Friday to discuss expanding the bloc to include countries in the region, seen as a key area in countering security and economic threats posed by Russia and China.

The EU-Western Balkans summit, being held in the Adriatic Sea coastal town of Tivat, brings together EU leaders including President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as the heads of candidate countries in the Balkans.

Shakira and Burna Boy will perform in Mexico City for the first of three opening ceremonies at the World Cup.

The music stars will perform Dai Dai, the official song for the tournament, ahead of the opening game between co-host Mexico and South Africa on Thursday.

Legal disputes and acrimony have replaced the accolades and euphoria for Morocco's national soccer team ahead of this year's World Cup.

Morocco became embroiled in controversy after hosting the most recent edition of the Africa Cup of Nations — three years after the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals.

Football fans will soon crisscross continents to see their beloved national teams compete on the sport's grandest stage, the World Cup. They'll pack bars and fan zones, singing chants and debating who is going to win it all.

This time, however, it's different for some superfans, who say organizers have made this summer's World Cup the least welcoming one they have experienced. Ticket prices, expensive cross-country travel and concerns about entering the U.S. have prompted some of them to stay home.