A commercial aircraft traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced to land in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a reported fight broke out in the cockpit. Passengers told Israel’s Channel 12 that they heard shouts and felt the plane dip sharply before the emergency landing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later confirmed the situation was under control.
Israeli strike in southern Lebanon
Later that day, the Lebanese army reported that an Israeli strike hit a military vehicle in the village of Nabatiyeh al‑Fawqa, seriously wounding a soldier and injuring three civilians. The army said it was unclear why the vehicle was targeted. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.
In June, Lebanon and Israel reached an agreement for a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army to assume control in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran‑backed Hezbollah militia. Implementation of that deal has stalled, and the Lebanese army remains uninvolved in the broader conflict.
Hezbollah‑Israel conflict continues
The latest hostilities are part of the war that began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired missiles across the border two days after Israel and the United States launched a campaign against Iran. Israel responded with extensive bombardment and a ground invasion, now occupying a large portion of southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army is not a party to the war.
Iran executes two protest participants
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the judiciary executed two men on Wednesday for their alleged roles in the nationwide anti‑government protests that erupted in January. According to the judiciary, the men participated in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that resulted in the deaths of four security officers. One confessed to setting fires and damaging public property; another admitted to stabbing a member of Iran’s paramilitary force. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences before the executions were carried out.
The protests began on December 28 amid anger over the country’s collapsing currency and worsening economy, quickly spreading nationwide with demonstrators calling for the overthrow of the ruling clerical system. Iranian authorities responded with a harsh crackdown, and dozens of Iranians have been executed in connection with the protests, according to state media. Rights groups note that such executions are often based on secret trials and forced confessions.
U.S. military completes Iraq withdrawal
In a related development, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the completion of its troop withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12‑year mission that began with the fight against the Islamic State. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described the departure as an “orderly” transition to an Iraqi‑led security effort supported by a normal bilateral relationship. Baghdad hailed the move as a sign of Iraq’s growing sovereignty, though some Iraqi groups, particularly in the Kurdish region, expressed concern.
These events underscore the volatile security environment across the Middle East, where regional powers continue to grapple with the fallout of long‑standing conflicts and internal dissent.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
