Emirates airline said flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran had been cancelled, after Israel launched strikes on Iran on Friday, sparking concerns of a wider escalation.

Several flights scheduled for Friday and one Tehran flight on Saturday were listed as cancelled on the airline's website, with the Dubai international airport also reporting that "some flights at @DXB and DWC - Al Maktoum International have been cancelled or delayed due to airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria" in a statement on X.

A wave of Israeli airstrikes targeted several areas deep in south Lebanon on Thursday evening, as Israeli drones overflew Beirut's southern suburbs.

The strikes hit the al-Rihan heights in the Jezzine district, the Tebna area in the Sidon district and the outskirts of the Jezzine district town of al-Aishiyeh, which is President Joseph Aoun's hometown. Strikes also targeted the West Bekaa area of al-Srayra.

The Israeli military on Thursday called for residents to evacuate some areas of Gaza City, as it presses an intensified campaign in the battered Palestinian territory.

Israeli forces are "operating in the area in which you are located to eliminate terrorist infrastructure and enemy presence", the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X. The military "will continue to respond to every launch. Immediately evacuate to known shelters in Gaza City for your own safety," he added.

The dollar slid one percent against the euro Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened unilateral tariff rates on partners in the coming weeks, reigniting trade war fears.

Following the greenback's decline, one euro was worth $1.1597, while the U.S. currency dropped also against the British pound and Swiss franc.

Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march with the stated aim of breaking Israel's blockade on Gaza, organizers said Thursday.

As part of the Global March to Gaza, thousands of activists planned to travel to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to demand the entry of humanitarian aid.

The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem announced Thursday it was restricting staff movements, after President Donald Trump said U.S. personnel were being moved from the potentially "dangerous" Middle East.

"Due to the increased regional tensions, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (area)... Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva areas until further notice," the embassy said in a statement.

An Israeli NGO representing activists detained aboard a boat attempting to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza said Thursday that six were en route to the airport for deportation.

"After more than 72 hours in Israeli custody following the unlawful interception of the Madleen Freedom Flotilla in international waters... six volunteers are now being transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for deportation," the Adalah rights group said in a statement.

Iran and the United States will hold a sixth round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program this Sunday in Oman, the sultanate's foreign minister said Thursday, as regional tensions have spiked in recent days.

The announcement by Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi comes as the U.S. is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones due to the potential for regional unrest.

Beijing slammed on Thursday what it called "dangerous behavior" by a Japanese military plane over the Pacific, after Tokyo said Chinese fighter jets flew "unusually close" to its aircraft at the weekend.

"The root cause of the risk to maritime and air security was the close reconnaissance of China's normal military activities by a Japanese warplane," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza following an attack on the territory's last fiber optic cable, accusing Israel of being behind it.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut off following the targeting of the last remaining main fiber optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut off Gaza from the world.