Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has responded to unusual remarks by Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who has hinted that Cyprus would be targeted if it allowed Israel to use its air bases to attack Lebanon in the event of war.

Christodoulides said his island nation “is in no way involved” in any military operations in the region, adding that Nasrallah’s remarks “don’t in any way reflect what’s being attempted, which is to present a picture that Cyprus is involved in military operations.”

Scores of Greek firefighters and water-bombing aircraft succeeded late Wednesday in taming a large wildfire on the fringes of Athens that forced authorities to evacuate two nearby settlements.

Summer wildfires also plagued Greece's Mediterranean neighbor Turkey, where two villages were evacuated but no injuries were reported.

Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, has visited Israeli air defense soldiers near the border with Lebanon, saying Israel was aware of Hezbollah's capabilities demonstrated in a video released by the group and has solutions for such threats.

“We of course have infinitely greater capabilities," he said.

Hundreds of people died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said Wednesday as people tried to claim their loved ones' bodies.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life, nor offered any causes for those who died. However, hundreds of people had lined up at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members.

The Israeli army's chief spokesman has appeared to question the stated goal of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza in a rare public rift between the country's political and military leadership.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will pursue the fight against Hamas, the group running the besieged Gaza Strip, until its military and governing capabilities in the Palestinian territory are eliminated. But with the war now in its ninth month, frustration has been mounting with no clear end or postwar plan in sight.

The fate of the proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza hinges in many ways on two men: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Each leader faces significant political and personal pressures that may be influencing their decision-making. And neither seems to be in a rush to make concessions to end the devastating eight-month-long war and free hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack.

Since the beginning of time or, at least, pop music, only a few have earned the designation of "song of the summer."

These are the earworms that lodge deep into the brain, pushing past genre preferences and reminding listeners: A hit is a hit. With so much variety, though, it's getting harder to crown a single song of the summer. So The Associated Press is offering 2024 predictions across categories — with past winners for reference.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to feature at six European Championship tournaments when he captained Portugal to a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their opening game on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo, who made his tournament debut at Euro 2004 where Portugal reached the final, already had the records for the most goals (14) at the tournament, while he extended his appearance record to 26 games. He helped Portugal win the title at Euro 2016.

Portugal defender Pepe became the oldest player to feature at a European Championship after helping his team to a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their opening game on Tuesday.

Pepe was 41 years and 113 days old, taking the record from the previous holder, Hungary goalkeeper Gábor Király. Király was 40 years and 86 days old when he played against Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.

The opening round of group matches at the European Championship is complete.

Here are some things we learned: