Blink and you might miss the few stone walls that are all that's left of the village that Yusuf Abu Hamam's family was forced to flee when he was an infant in 1948.

The village, al-Joura, was demolished by the Israeli military at the time. It has since vanished under neighborhoods of the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and the grounds of a national park.

Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whose government was approved on Thursday, vowed to ensure that the state would have a monopoly over weapons, the INA state news agency said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of playing what he called an active role in the US-Israeli war against Iran.

"The UAE is an active partner in this aggression, and there is no doubt about it," Araghchi said while attending the BRICS summit in India. "It also became clear that they participated in these attacks and may have even acted directly against us."

A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian territorial waters, the British military said Thursday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers, 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran, his office said Wednesday. The UAE later denied any secret visit had occurred.

Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that "resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates," according to the Israeli statement. The Gulf nation normalized relations with Israel in 2020.

Iran's military spokesman said on Wednesday that Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz could generate "significant" economic revenue and strengthen the country's international position.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a "secret" meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, his office said Wednesday.

"During Operation 'Lion's Roar', Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," his office said in a statement.

Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that Tehran had the right to respond after he accused Kuwait of attacking an Iranian boat and arresting four of its citizens in the Gulf, calling for their release.

"In clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf. This illegal act took place near island used by the U.S. to attack Iran," Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is "100% confident" that Iran will stop enriching uranium and will hand over the enriched material that it possesses to the U.S.

Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure, after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse.