RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Here are the latest developments in the Middle East Show all 5 Here's a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Wednesday. Full coverage can be found here.
Israel tells residents to leave village in southern Lebanon
For the first time in weeks, Israel's military told residents of an area in Lebanon to evacuate. The military said it was in response to what it described as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire” by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
In a post on X, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ella Waweya told residents of Mansouri to immediately move at least 1,000 meters (yards) north of the village to open areas. The military later said it was conducting “precise strikes” in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed and 12 wounded in an Israeli strike in the town of Tebnine.
The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome for a second day to discuss implementation of a deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.
A shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has largely held since June 20. The fighting erupted two days after the Iran war began when Hezbollah fired at Israel.
Trump says a Strait of Hormuz deal could come Wednesday
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday.
Iran and Oman, the country on the other side of the strait, are inching toward an agreement on the critical waterway that could ease pressure on the global economy and potentially help end the war.
The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, citing goals including toppling Tehran’s government and ending its nuclear program. But the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iran asserts control and its attacks on shipping have brought traffic to a near-halt. The U.S. recently reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war, has driven up the price of fuel and related goods far beyond the region, roiling the global economy.
Trump is under mounting pressure to end the unpopular war ahead of midterm congressional elections later this year.
US lifts sanctions on 3 Iran-linked companies
The U.S. lifted sanctions on three Iran-linked companies. A Treasury official said it came after an appeal and was not indicative of any shift in U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the sanctions.
One company is Fly Baghdad Airlines, sanctioned in January 2024 for allegedly providing assistance to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Sanctions also were lifted on Iraq Express and another Fly Baghdad-linked firm.
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