Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he ordered the Israeli army to deepen its deployment in Hezbollah strongholds north of the Litani River, noting that "soon Hezbollah will no longer have the ability to threaten northern Israel."

The Trump administration has extended protections shielding about 11,000 Lebanese from deportation, allowing them to stay and work in the United States for another six months.

The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures which have been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

Hezbollah has again rejected direct talks between Lebanon and Israel on the eve of military negotiations between the two sides.

Israel's air force carried out an airstrike on the Choueifat area on the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military said, further straining a fragile ceasefire a day ahead of crucial negotiations in Washington.

The strike hit an apartment building. Videos from Choueifat, close to Beirut's international airport, showed white smoke billowing from a residential neighborhood.

Five people were killed and 21 others wounded overnight when an Israeli drone struck an apartment building in the southern city of Sidon where some displaced families lived, the first such attack on Sidon during the latest escalation.

The attack likely came in response to a drone attack that killed a female Israeli soldier in north Israel. LBCI television had reported that Israel had informed the U.S. of its intention for escalation after the attack.

Since a ceasefire was reached in April, the Lebanese capital of Beirut has been spared from strikes, except for one strike on its suburbs.

But Israel's latest moves have caused fear, urging residents of Dahieh to evacuate once again, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting Hezbollah across Lebanon.

Iran on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes a day earlier as a sign of "bad faith and unreliability" as negotiations continue toward a possible deal to end the war.

The U.S. military has characterized Monday's strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and boats placing mines, and said the U.S. acted with "restraint" in light of the weekslong ceasefire.

Firefighters battled a grass fire in Edinburgh and temperature records toppled as a spring heatwave scorched parts of Western Europe, triggering government warnings about risks to life.

London recorded a rare "tropical night," defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), and Britain's Met Office weather service said the temperature in southern England could hit 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday.

Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and the surrounding plains for intense prayers that often mark a spiritual peak. Typically, they fervently murmur prayers and pour their hearts out in supplications, asking God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health. It is common for many pilgrims on that day to raise their hands in worship, with tears streaming down their faces, on the slopes of the rocky hill and in the surrounding area.

Russia fired more than 100 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Tuesday, as the country's foreign ministry noted that Moscow's recent threat to hit Kyiv especially hard from the air brought nothing new.

Russia on Monday urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the Ukrainian capital as quickly as possible and told residents to steer clear of military and government facilities. It said that "systemic strikes" on Kyiv were being prepared.