Politics

Ali al-Taher, a strategic ridge south of Nabatieh, is rapidly becoming one of the most important battlefields of the Lebanon war. Its elevation gives control over key routes across the south, while Israel says an extensive Hezbollah underground complex lies beneath it.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as Washington works to revive direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. The talks center on Hezbollah’s disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and expanding Lebanese state control in the south.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo during his first visit to Egypt in a decade, with the two leaders signing new agreements and pledging deeper cooperation in trade, technology, security and investment.

The U.S. and Iran exchanged their biggest round of strikes in weeks overnight, with American forces hitting IRGC air defenses, radars and maritime assets near the Strait of Hormuz before Iran retaliated with missiles and drones against U.S. bases in the region.

Israel and Greece signed a major €3 billion ($3.5 billion) defense agreement on August 31, centered on Greece’s new “Achilles Shield” national air-defense system. It is the largest defense deal ever between the two countries and one of Israel’s biggest defense exports.