U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope on Thursday of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan's army chief due to arrive in the Islamic republic for talks.

The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's foreign relations, comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed strikes.

Nine people were wounded in an Israeli strike on Thursday that damaged a hospital in the country's south, where Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire despite a ceasefire.

In a statement, the Lebanese health ministry strongly denounced the strike, which "inflicted serious damage on the Tibnin public hospital" and left "nine people wounded, including seven members of the hospital staff, five of them women".

A top UAE official denounced Iran's claim of control over Emirati waters in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz as a "pipe dream" Thursday, following an announcement by an Iranian body overseeing the strait.

"The regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat, but attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE's maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams," said the United Arab Emirates' presidential advisor Anwar Gargash in a post on X.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed as "unacceptable" the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel, after an Israeli minister posted a video of them bound and forced to kneel.

"It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity," Meloni said in a statement, referring to the video posted by far-right national Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

The UAE demanded on Wednesday that Iraq "immediately" prevent further attacks from its territory, following an accusation by the Emirates that a drone targeting a nuclear plant was launched from there.

The foreign ministry in a statement called on "Iraq to prevent all hostile acts originating from its territory urgently and without conditions", saying there was a "need to address those threats promptly, immediately, and responsibly".

Standing before their devastated building in central Beirut, childhood neighbors Wael Sabbagh and Ghida Krisht vow to fight for justice after an Israeli strike killed their family members.

On April 8, hours after a ceasefire was announced between the United States and Iran, Israel launched a massive wave of airstrikes across Lebanon including the heart of the capital, killing more than 350 people.

Pakistan's interior minister headed to Iran on Wednesday for the second time this week amid an impasse between Tehran and Washington over a proposal to end the war, Iranian state media reported.

"Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran to meet officials from the Islamic republic," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources in Islamabad.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Iran talks are making good progress but Washington was "locked and loaded" to restart military operations if there is no deal.

Vance's comments came hours after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of ordering fresh strikes and gave Tehran "two or three days" to reach an agreement.

A car bomb in Damascus killed a soldier on Tuesday, a Syrian civil defense source told AFP, with a security source saying an explosive was likely planted in a vehicle near a building affiliated with the defense ministry.

The civil defense source said at least one person was killed, while the security source told AFP an initial investigation had found the blast was likely caused "by an explosive device planted in a car".

Qatar said Tuesday that US-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, require more time to reach a deal, a day after President Donald Trump said he had postponed attacks to give the process a chance.

"We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.