Families of victims of the Beirut port explosion gathered on Tuesday demanding answers and accountability on the sixth anniversary of the catastrophe, in a country long plagued by official impunity.

Lebanon and Israel are set to begin a new round of U.S.-sponsored direct talks in Rome on Tuesday, as Beirut seeks Israel's phased withdrawal from the country's south.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that he had no objection to meeting openly with Syria's leadership, the first time he has expressed such a stance after his Iran-backed group fought for Syria's former authorities.

Lebanese authorities arrested the former Palestinian ambassador to Beirut ahead of his extradition to face corruption charges back home, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP.

A cargo vessel was struck by an "unknown projectile" in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Tuesday, without giving specifics on damage or injuries.

U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Monday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's withdrawal in Gaza would only begin after Hamas' complete disarmament, following his objections.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook eastern Egypt early Monday, prompting authorities to activate response plans although there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Monday with Nechirvan Barzani, leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, as official sources told AFP the talks aimed to advance an integration deal between Damascus and Syria's Kurds.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Sharaa received Barzani at the presidential palace in Damascus, in the first visit by the head of Iraq's Kurdistan region since the December 2024 ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

President Joseph Aoun on Monday urged the judiciary to issue a long-awaited indictment over the 2020 Beirut port blast, on the eve of the catastrophe's sixth anniversary.

"The issuing of the indictment by the investigating judge has become a necessity that can no longer be delayed," Aoun said in a statement.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday there were currently no negotiations with the United States but there were talks with Oman over the management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.