Possible Strait of Hormuz deal, Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon and other news in the Mideast

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Iran says it's in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Thursday. Full coverage can be found here.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, has said an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, which lies on the other side of the waterway, is in the “final stage” of drafting. Speaking Wednesday, he said a joint statement will be issued “if certain parties do not obstruct this process,” apparently referring to the U.S.

The agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.

The strait is crucial to global shipping and energy supplies. Before the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, around one fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed through the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

On Thursday, all eyes were on the U.S. for the next development.

At least two Greek-controlled ships were hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past week, while several others reported near misses or warnings from entities claiming to represent Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

The company added that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels continued to claim attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The claims could not be independently verified.

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased to 84 transits during the week of July 27 to Aug. 2, up from 45 the previous week. But traffic is still far below the more than 700 transits seen in a typical week before the crisis, Lloyd's List said.

“This is one data point. It’s not indicative that owners are more confident in the situation,” said Bridget Diakun, Maritime Intelligence & Research Director at Lloyd’s List Intelligence

Traffic by ships not linked to Iran also increased, rising from 28 transits to 52, driven mainly by the return of gas carriers and container ships, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and another four were seriously wounded in an explosion in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said Thursday. The deaths are Israel's first since a shaky truce was implemented in June between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Israeli army launched strikes Wednesday in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire and issued a call for residents of another village to flee — the first such warning Israel has issued in Lebanon for weeks.

The escalation came as Lebanese and Israeli negotiators met in Rome to discuss implementation of the June deal under which Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from areas they occupy in southern Lebanon, in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Israeli prosecutors have charged a settler with the killing of a Palestinian community leader last year in the occupied West Bank.

In an indictment filed in district court, prosecutors accuse Yinon Levi of reckless manslaughter in the death of prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in July 2025. The charge holds a lesser punishment than murder under Israeli law.

The indictment also charges Levi, who lives in the south of the West Bank, with armed trespassing and malicious property damage.

It is extremely rare for Israel to charge settlers with violence against Palestinians. Israeli rights group B’Tselem said the charges against Levi mark the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, that an Israeli has been indicted for the death of a Palestinian in the West Bank.

In that time, the group said, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the territory.

A body of Iraq’s top leadership said Thursday that any armed activity outside of state authority after Sept. 30 will be prosecuted under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Law, the latest move in a push to bring all weapons under government control.

The statement by the State Administration Coalition comes as several powerful, Iran-backed armed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have rejected calls to surrender weapons or dissolve their organizations, saying they remain committed to the “option of resistance.”

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. launched strikes on Iraq last week after Riyadh accused Iraqi militias of using drones to attack its oil facilities.

The retaliatory strikes in Iraq hit bases of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of armed groups close to Iran that are officially part of Iraq’s security forces but often operate outside of state control.

The war in Sudan is threatening the ancient Meroe pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique and angular architecture, as preservation efforts have completely halted.

Sudan’s deadly conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has destroyed many of the country’s historical sites and museums. UNESCO warned in April that cultural and historical sites are under growing threat.

Located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital Khartoum, Meroe comprises over 200 pyramids built between 800 B.C. and 350 A.D. as royal tombs for the Kingdom of Kush. Archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman warned that collapses are possible at the site.