Iran fired on Kuwait on Thursday as part of its retaliation for US bombings earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Israeli police said they arrested a settler allegedly involved in an attack on Palestinians last week. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and across the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Iran shooting in Kuwait Sirens sounded in Kuwait early on Thursday, where air defenses intercepted missiles and drones during “flagrant Iranian aggression,” the Defense Ministry said in a post on X. This came after US allies Bahrain and Jordan said their air defense systems also intercepted several Iranian airstrikes on Wednesday. Vance says the United States is investigating an alleged airstrike that hit an Iranian wedding. Vice President JD Vance said he was briefed about the reported attack at a wedding on Tuesday that Iranian state media said killed five people and injured dozens more. Vance said “we are looking into it thoroughly.” Vance said the United States never attacks civilians in combat, but added that “sometimes things happen.” “We’re looking into it because obviously we care, we want to know,” Vance said. “When our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to improve.” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, previously said the US military was investigating the reports. Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of four victims of the airstrike on Thursday, Iranian state television reported. Mourners carried coffins wrapped in the Iranian flag as family members, relatives, soldiers and others accompanied the coffins on the streets of the port city of Kuhestak, located about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) southeast of Tehran, Iran’s capital. Iranian state television said on Thursday that one person injured in the attack had died, raising the death toll to five. Israeli strikes kill three Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials say. Israeli strikes killed three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, in northern Gaza and Gaza City on Thursday, according to officials at Shifa hospital, where the victims were taken. The Israeli military said it “identified two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line and approached troops in a manner that posed an immediate threat.” Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. However, Shifa hospital officials said the two Palestinians died in a “safe zone” west of the so-called yellow line, which demarcates the part of the Gaza Strip controlled by the Israeli army. Another attack later that day killed a Palestinian in Gaza City and seriously injured two others, the hospital added. The Israeli army says it has control of a strategic area in Lebanon. Israel’s military said on Thursday it had taken “operational control” of the strategic Ali Taher Ridge area in southern Lebanon, the site of sporadic clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in recent weeks. It is where Hezbollah is believed to have an extensive underground military facility. The army said troops had dislodged Hezbollah fighters from two underground routes, killing some while others fled. He said operations were ongoing. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. Ali Taher Hill overlooks several villages and the main roads leading to the city of Nabatiyeh. Losing its control would disrupt Hezbollah’s presence and supply lines in the area. Strait of Hormuz traffic remains below pre-war levels Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels due to the risk of an Iranian attack if ships do not comply with the Iranian vetting regime. The decline contrasts sharply with unimpeded sailing before the war. There were 102 transits last week, compared to 126 the week before, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That compares to 130 or more a day before the war. However, significant quantities of oil continue to flow through the strait due to ferry traffic in which tanker operators risk taking a southern route near the coast of Oman under the direction of US forces. Authorities in Israel arrested an Israeli settler for his alleged role in an attack on a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank, according to a police statement Thursday. The statement did not identify the suspect, but said he was being held for questioning and that police would request to extend his detention. The 19-year-old man is believed to have taken part in a violent riot in the Palestinian village of Qusra on Saturday, in which settlers threw stones and barricaded themselves. inside the house of one of the villagers. Lebanese man held prisoner in Israel freed A Lebanese man who had been held prisoner in Israel was freed on Thursday, the first such handover since the outbreak of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah six months ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Lebanese officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel had agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. They were detained after Lebanon provided assistance in the search for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders. Funeral for two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli forces Mourners attended the funeral Thursday of two Palestinians, ages 16 and 19, who were killed by Israeli forces the night before in the occupied West Bank. Israeli troops fired on them as they accompanied settlers to the village of Al-Mughayyir. Amin Abu Aliya, a local official, told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that Israeli settlers and soldiers entered the village, attacked two houses and stole sheep. Israel publishes plan to encourage emigration from Gaza An Israeli official on Thursday published a plan designed to encourage emigration from Gaza. The proposal sets targets for 250,000 people to leave in the first year, 1.1 million within three years and almost 1.9 million within seven years. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel would pay countries willing to receive migrants. Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the proposal and dismissed Israeli claims that any large-scale exit would be voluntary. Human rights groups have said forcing or pressuring Palestinians to leave could be a possible war crime.
