The warnings to flee come suddenly: Texts pinging thousands of phones, automated calls from strange numbers, hard-to-read maps shared on social media by an Israeli military spokesperson.

Some maps cover broad swaths of Lebanon; others show specific buildings. Sometimes there is no warning at all before strikes, which have continued despite a nominal ceasefire.

Hezbollah has launched a new weapon against northern Israel in the latest round of fighting: small drones controlled with fiber-optic cables the width of dental floss that avoid electronic detection.

These drones — used widely in the war in Ukraine — are small, hard to track and potentially lethal.

The former Lebanese president who once signed a short-lived deal with Israel ending decades of a state of war now says the time is right to try again.

Amin Gemayel spoke with The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday after the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the 1980s, as they explore what could lead to a security agreement or even the eventual normalization of relations. He is part of one of Lebanon's strongest political dynasties that founded the Christian Kataeb Party, which held powerful positions for decades.

Lebanese authorities detained the former Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon on corruption charges shortly after he arrived in the country, officials said Wednesday.

The officials said Ashraf Dabbour was arrested upon arrival at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport late Tuesday. The two judicial and two security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

European Union countries must funnel their energy aid chiefly to vulnerable households and industries or risk wasting billions of euros as the Iran war hits oil and gas prices, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Wednesday.

The U.S.-Israel war, combined with retaliation from Iran such as choking the Strait of Hormuz, is costing the EU almost 500 million euros ($600 million) a day, raising prices at the pumps and fears of a jet fuel shortage within weeks.

The Iranian rial plummeted to a record low against the dollar on Wednesday, according to currency-tracking websites, as a U.S. naval blockade of the country's ports continued.

On the black market, the rial was trading at around 1.80 million rials against the dollar, the Bonbast and AlanChand websites reported. When the war erupted two months ago, one dollar was traded at about 1.70 million rials.

Russia's traditional parade marking the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II will take place without military equipment, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.

It will be the first time since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that no military equipment will rumble through Moscow's Red Square on May 9, the day Russia celebrates its most important secular holiday and showcases its military might.

The European Union accused Meta on Wednesday of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, in violation of the bloc's tough digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors.

The EU's executive branch said Meta Platforms lacked effective measures to prevent children younger than 13 from signing up, and that it was not doing enough to identify and remove children after they had opened accounts.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are headed to New York on Wednesday as part of their closely watched diplomatic visit to the U.S.

The royal couple's swing through the city comes midway through a four-day trip marking 250 years of American independence. It will be the first trip to New York by a reigning British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2010.

Stocks mostly advanced in Asia on Wednesday despite losses on Wall Street, while oil prices fell after the United Arab Emirates said it would leave OPEC in a blow to the powerful oil cartel.

U.S. futures edged higher.