JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military said it intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, hours before the country's cabinet was about to discuss a possible reoccupation of the Palestinian enclave.
The rocket triggered warning sirens in the community of Nir Am, near Gaza, with no injuries reported. (Israel-Gaza-Rockets)
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ALGIERS -- In another episode of the ongoing diplomatic row between Algiers and Paris, Algeria on Thursday firmly rejected France's recent visa restrictions targeting Algerian diplomats, vowing reciprocal measures.
Responding to a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron to his prime minister, Algeria's Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement what it called a "one-sided narrative" that absolves France of responsibility and ignores reality. The ministry said France had violated both its own laws and international commitments, particularly regarding deportation procedures and diplomatic protocols. (Algeria-France-Ties)
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BEIRUT -- Six people were killed and 10 others injured Thursday in two separate Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon, according to official Lebanese sources.
In a separate development, the official Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Lebanese cabinet approved Thursday in a meeting the goals outlined in a U.S. proposal for the disarmament of Hezbollah. (Lebanon-Israeli Airstrikes-Casualties)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday appointed his new representatives in the country's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the newly-established defense council.
In separate decrees, Iran's leader appointed former SNSC secretaries Ali-Akbar Ahmadian and Ali Shamkhani as his representatives in the defense council, and Ali Larijani, incumbent SNSC secretary, as his representative in the top security body, according to statements published on his website. (Iran-Senior Officials-Appointment) ■
