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UN peacekeepers find ammonium nitrate explosives likely used for demolitions in Houla

U.N. peacekeepers have found around four tons of mainly ammonium nitrate explosives this month in a south Lebanon border village under Israeli occupation.

On July 2 during a "routine route check" near Houla, "peacekeepers found 385 containers abandoned inside a building, containing approximately 4,000 kilograms of explosive material, consisting mainly of ammonium nitrate compounds", the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Tuesday in a statement.

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Lebanon arrests man suspected of transferring money to IS in Syria

Lebanese security forces have arrested a man accused of transferring nearly half a million dollars to the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, a judicial official told AFP on Tuesday.

Forces "arrested a man who had stolen $400,000 from his father's safe, and investigations showed that he had transferred the money to Syria" for IS, the official said on condition of anonymity.

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Iraq says opens probe into Saudi drone attack claim

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called on Monday for an investigation into Saudi Arabia's claim that drones targeting its territory had been launched by pro-Iran groups in Iraq, his spokesman said.

Zaidi directed "the competent security authorities to investigate the statement issued by the ministry of defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the targeting of the kingdom with drones launched from Iraqi territory", spokesman Sabah al-Numan said in a statement.

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Israel says US bombers used its bases to strike Iran

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that American warplanes used Israeli bases during their attacks on Iran, reiterating that his country was prepared to retaliate if targeted.

Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of U.S. strikes on the Islamic republic, after an April ceasefire collapsed.

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Israel says intercepted drone near Jordan border

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted a drone near the Jordanian border and was looking into its origin.

"A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a UAV in the area of the Jordan border," the military said.

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Iran discusses Hormuz Strait in calls with Oman, Saudi Arabia

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls on the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani and Saudi counterparts Badr Al-Busaidi and Faisal bin Farhan, state TV said Tuesday.

During the calls, "they stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region and eliminate the insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz due to the aggressive actions of the United States," the state broadcaster added.

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All you need to know about the new round of Israel-Lebanon talks set August 4

The U.S. State Department confirmed Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Rome on August 4 through 6, as Israel prepares to withdraw from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani first announced the next round of U.S.-mediated talks last week, with a State Department official detailing the talks to AFP on the condition of anonymity.

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German govt vows to toughen laws after jihadist attack on Pride event

The German government has pledged tougher security laws following a deadly vehicle and machete attack blamed on a known jihadist militant near Berlin's Pride parade.

The attacker on Saturday ploughed a rented minivan into a crowd before slashing away at people with a machete, killing a 65-year-old Polish woman and wounding 29 others near the site of the LGBTQ community event.

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Make smoking cool again? Pop culture reboots the vice

From beauty mogul Kylie Jenner lighting up on the cover of Vanity Fair to cigarette trays at singer Dua Lipa's wedding, the pop culture-verse has rebooted cigarettes as the accessory du jour, health risks be damned.

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Ukrainian strikes on Russia kill 5, including child

Ukraine fired hundreds of drones at Russia early Monday, killing five people including a child, according to Russian officials.

The attack also set buildings ablaze, among them an apartment block and warehouses, officials said.

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