The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas commander Wednesday in northern Gaza using a targeted drone strike despite pressure to halt such attacks from officials overseeing peace efforts.
Here鈥檚 a look at the latest developments in the and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found .
Israel says it struck a Hamas commander, but unclear if he was killed
An Israeli drone strike hit a man in the city of Beit Lahiya who was described by Israel鈥檚 military as a Hamas commander. It was the first targeted strike Israel has announced since Aug. 3.
Targeted strikes have come under closer scrutiny since U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal aimed at advancing peace efforts in Gaza that would include halting such strikes.
Though Hamas to decommission its weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, saying Hamas must fully disarm before Israel accepts the terms. have urged Israel to stop the strikes as a way of moving the deal forward.
The Israeli military did not provide details about the man targeted or say whether he was killed. Officials at Shifa and Nasser hospitals said four injured people were brought in Wednesday.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported 45 people killed since Aug. 1.
Three Pakistanis among the dead in Houthi attack on ship
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned an attack by Houthi rebels on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying three Pakistanis were killed and another wounded. The attack Tuesday killed six people total.
With the effectively shut down by Iran and a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen鈥檚 southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.
The attack came as part of a growing number of Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom鈥檚 shipping in the Red Sea.
Trump insists blockade gives US control of Strait of Hormuz
Claiming the U.S. has 鈥渢otal control鈥� of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said Wednesday: 鈥淚 THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!鈥�
Trump鈥檚 social media post referred to the U.S. blockade of Iran鈥檚 ports. A vital route for one-fifth of the world’s traded oil before the war, the strait has been largely closed to other traffic since the start of the war because of Iran鈥檚 attacks on shipping.
Those attacks have continued despite the blockade and U.S. strikes.
Iran has said the strait will only reopen if the U.S. , including lifting the blockade.
Pakistan presses to defuse tensions between US and Iran
Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam in Islamabad on Wednesday as Pakistan seeks to resume peace negotiations between Iran and the U.S.
Their meeting came a day after Pakistan sent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran for talks with Iran鈥檚 top leaders.
An interim deal to end the fighting reached in mid-June is set to expire Monday. The ceasefire collapsed last month as the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes over more than two weeks before pausing.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Wednesday the June deal remains valid and the deadline could be extended.
鈥淲e are not closing the chapter,鈥� Andrabi said.
Turkey condemns Colombia’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights
Turkey condemned the decision by Colombia’s to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a move to 鈥渓egitimize Israel鈥檚 occupation鈥� of the territory.
Colombia, shortly after the swearing-in of conservative as president on Friday, became just the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory, which Israel captured during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.
The United States during Trump’s first term, reversing a longstanding U.S. policy.
The United Nations recognizes the territory as part of Syria.
Kuwaiti authorities thwart plot against unnamed facility
Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said a 鈥渢errorist plot鈥� against an unspecified facility was thwarted Wednesday when a Kuwaiti citizen affiliated with the Islamic State group was detained shortly before carrying out his plan.
The ministry said the man had received training on making explosives and activating drones to be used in the planned attack.
The ministry said a vital facility had been targeted but gave no further details.
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