One of Libya's rival prime ministers has rejected the prospect of normalizing relations with Israel days after news broke of a secret meeting between the countries' two foreign ministers.

Last Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen publicly announced that he and Libya's foreign minister had held a private meeting in Rome the previous week, the first ever between top diplomats from both countries.

The United States military has called for an end to days of fighting between rival U.S.-backed groups in east Syria, warning it may help the resurgence of the Islamic State group.

The fighting that broke out Monday — and left at least 40 people dead and dozens wounded in the eastern oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour — was the worst in years. East Syria is where hundreds of U.S. troops have been based since 2015 to help battle IS militants.

Rainbows, school books, movies and drag shows have all been targeted in Lebanon in recent weeks as politicians, religious leaders and vigilante groups step up a campaign against the LGBTQ+ community in a country that has long shown relative tolerance.

At a time when Lebanon is in the grips of one of the world's worst economic meltdowns in more than a century, the country and its leaders have been deeply split on how to deal with the crisis. Political factions have been so divided they haven't been able to choose a new president for 10 months.

UNIFIL term extended, resolution mentions undeclared patrols

The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday demanding that Lebanon guarantee freedom of movement for the UNIFIL peacekeeping force, "including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols."

There will be 14 winners of the Champions League, or the old European Cup, in the 32-team group stage draw Thursday after PSV Eindhoven advanced in the qualifying playoffs.

PSV, the European champion in 1988, beat Rangers 5-1 in their playoff second leg Wednesday to complete a 7-3 aggregate score.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Hernandez was called back Thursday to the France squad ahead of a European Championship qualifying match, nine months after a serious knee injury.

Hernandez, who joined PSG from Bayern Munich, was included in a 23-man list by France coach Didier Deschamps.

Annual inflation held steady in Europe in August as food prices raced ahead of falling fuel costs, but there was no clarity about whether the European Central Bank will pause its record series of interest rate hikes.

The consumer price index for the 20 countries that use the euro currency was unchanged at 5.3% from the July reading, supported by food, alcohol and tobacco prices that increased a painful 9.8% since last August, according to official figures Thursday from EU statistics agency Eurostat.

Iran accused Israel on Thursday of trying to sabotage its ballistic missile program through faulty foreign parts that could explode, damaging or destroying the weapons before they could be used.

The Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment on the allegation, made in a report aired on Iranian state television. A reporter also said the parts could be used in Iran's extensive arsenal of drones as well.

Soldiers from the U.S., Indonesia and five other nations began annual training exercises Thursday on Indonesia's main island of Java while China's increasing aggression is raising concern.

American and Indonesian soldiers have held the live-fire Super Garuda Shield drills since 2009, and Australia, Japan and Singapore joined last year. The United Kingdom and French forces are participating in this year's exercises, with a total of about 5,000 personnel.

After mutinous soldiers in Gabon announced they had deposed the country's president, many residents danced in the streets and declared themselves free from the presidential family's 55-year rule. It's becoming a familiar scene in West and Central Africa, which has recorded eight coups since 2020.

"It is an expression of the popular dissatisfaction," said Hermann Ngoulou in the Gabonese capital of Libreville. "The country has been experiencing a deep crisis on all levels due to bad governance, the rising cost of food (and) the high cost of living."