04/06/2026

THURSDAY | JUNE 4, 2026

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Israel strikes near Beirut, across south o US-hosted truce talks continue A medical source in south Lebanon’s Tyre said two Israeli strikes on the Al-Hawsh area near the coastal city yesterday killed six people: four Syrian nationals and two Palestinians.

Kuwait airport terminal damaged

BEIRUT: Lebanon said an Israeli strike hit a target near Beirut yesterday while a medical source told AFP six people were killed as Israel pounded the country’s south. The Israeli army said it intercepted a “hostile aircraft” that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, the first such infiltration reported by the military in more than 24 hours. Israeli officials have warned the military will strike Beirut’s southern suburbs if Hezbollah launches projectiles targeting Israeli communities in the north, a stance they say has backing from Washington. Hezbollah did not immediately claim any attack on northern Israel. Israeli and Lebanese diplomats yesterday held a second day of direct talks in Washington, the fourth such round since war erupted on March 2. National News Agency (NNA) reported “the targeting of a car on the Khaldeh road”, referring to an area at the southern entrance to the capital.

DUBA: One person was killed in an Iranian attack targeting facilities in Kuwait, including the international airport and diplomatic missions, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. It did not specify which diplomatic missions were damaged. The strike marks an escalation for the oil-rich Gulf country, which had seen relative calm since a ceasefire in the Iran war was announced on April 8. Iran had launched a salvo of missiles and drones at Kuwait, a close US ally, as well as at other Gulf states. The early morning attack on Kuwait International Airport injured several people and forced authorities to divert flights, the state news agency reported. The attack caused “severe damage” to the airport’s Terminal 1 building, it said, citing the General Civil Aviation Authority. Kuwait Airways said it would reschedule its flights. Shortly afterwards, the civil aviation authority said the country’s flagship carrier had resumed flights from Terminal 4, after evaluating damage and taking safety measures. Earlier, the US military said two missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart mid-flight, while three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted. A wave of drones targeting US forces in Kuwait failed to hit their targets, Central Command said in a post on X, adding that Iranian missiles fired at regional neighbours did not strike their targets. – Reuters UK publishers can opt out of Google AI search LONDON: Britain has imposed new conduct requirements on Google’s search services, including allowing publishers to stop their content being used to power the US tech giant’s AI features, as the watchdog ramps up its oversight. The country’s Competition and Markets Authority has flagged concerns about Google’s dominance in search, designating the company with the“strategic market status”that allows it to set targeted rules to increase trust and transparency. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries and the regulator said in January it wanted to give publishers more control over how their content was used. The CMA said yesterday the requirements imposed on Google under the digital markets competition regime gave “publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content”. News sites and other publishers have seen click-through rates drop sharply as a result of users relying on AI overviews. Google said it was providing “new resources, insights and control for website owners” to navigate the changes in how users find and understand information using AI. The CMA said Google would be required to make sure content from publishers, including news organisations, was properly attributed in AI-generated search results, using clear links. – Reuters

situation in Tyre was relatively calm yesterday morning, adding that some people who had been sleeping in cars or tents at the edge of the Christian quarter left for other nearby parts of the city after the Israeli military statement. The city’s mayor, an officer from Lebanese army intelligence and a Christian religious figure toured the area late on Tuesday, in a move aimed at reassuring residents. Yesterday’s attacks come after a dramatic escalation in fighting and Israeli bombardment in recent days as Israeli troops staged their deepest ground offensive into Lebanon in two decades. – AFP

On Tuesday, the Israeli military released a statement alleging Hezbollah members were operating in Tyre’s Christian quarter, warning it would order people to leave should the group remain there. The picturesque seaside district has so far been spared from Israeli army evacuation warnings and strikes targeting the rest of Tyre city and its surrounds. An AFP correspondent said the

An AFP correspondent at the scene saw an ambulance in attendance as onlookers peered at the strike site, which is on the main highway linking Beirut with the country’s south. The NNA reported strikes on around 20 locations in the country’s south yesterday, while Israel’s army warned residents of several south Lebanon villages to evacuate ahead of attacks.

Aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in the Burj al-Chamali area near the southern city of Tyre. – AFPPIC

Ukraine strikes oil terminal ST PETERSBURG: Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and naval base in St Petersburg hours before President Vladimir Putin’s showcase economic forum got under way, an attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief and show how vulnerable Russia’s cities are. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said. “Several facilities have been damaged. Clean-up operations are underway. Several people have been injured. There have been no fatalities,” Beglov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his drones had struck the fuel terminal and said they had also targeted a military facility in Kronstadt near the city where elements of Russia’s Baltic Fleet and shipbuilding and repair facilities are located. Ukraine’s General Staff said ships and infrastructure had been hit in Kronstadt. Unconfirmed video posted to social media showed locals filming Ukrainian aeroplane-style drones as they flew over parts of the city as fires appeared to rage at the fuel

The attack on St Petersburg, Putin’s home city, and the location of his own “Davos” – an economic forum designed to attract foreign investment – comes as both sides dial up strikes against each other in their more than four-year-old war with no imminent end in sight. Unspecified “infrastructure” had been attacked in three districts of Russia’s second-biggest city and home to over 5 million people, Alexander Beglov, its governor, said. Air defences shot down 59 Ukrainian drones on Tuesday night,

Heavy smoke billows after drones hit infrastructure in St Petersburg yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

effective its air defence capabilities are. The location of the forum itself was heavily protected however, and there was no suggestion that drones had got close to the venue. – Reuters

terminal in the background. Anti aircraft fire could be heard as one drone flew unhindered. The attack is likely to raise questions in Russia about how