The Lebanese Red Crescent said today that least 18 people were killed and four wounded after an Israeli airstrike on Aitou, a small village in northern Lebanon known for its population of Maronite Catholics.

Seven teams from the Lebanese Red Cross were dispatched to the village, the group said in a statement.

The European Union's top diplomat said today that the 27-nation bloc should have criticized Israel's attack against the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon sooner.

“It takes too long to say some things which are quite evident,” Josep Borrell told the E.U. foreign affairs council. “It is quite evident that we should be against Israeli attacks against UNIFIL, especially because our soldiers are there.”

“I would appreciate if Members States could have reached an agreement on that quicker,” he added.

The second polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza has begun today, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said.

"To reach as many children as possible with this critical vaccine, all parties must respect area humanitarian pauses," the agency said in a post on X. The agency had previously said the war in Gaza was hurting vaccination efforts.

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said it was carrying out the campaign jointly with UNICEF and WHO, adding nearly 341,000 doses of the vaccine has entered the strip since the war began.

Iran says it has halted indirect communications with the United States over the ongoing conflict in the region.

“It is known that unofficial channels for communication were established through Oman," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying today in Iran’s semiofficial news agency Farsna.

"We do not see any grounds for discussions until we can resolve the ongoing crisis," he added in the interview conducted during a visit to Oman's capital, Muscat.

"After that, we will decide whether to enter into new negotiations and how to proceed," he added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez today called for the European Union to suspend the bloc's free trade agreement with Israel over its war in Gaza.

Spain made the joint call with Ireland, and the two countries have been among the most vocal critics of Israel in the E.U. and were also the first to move to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

They say Israel may be breaching a human rights clause in its partnership agreement with the E.U.

A former senior Israeli air defense chief says drones like the one that killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded more than 60 people at a base last night were "the most challenging" and most complicated threats" Israel is facing.

"They are very small. Low altitude. Low speed, a huge challenge for the detection," he said. "If you’re not detecting the UAVs, you are not alerting and you will not intercept."

"We are not prepared enough for situation, and the fact is that our enemies recognize that," Haimovich added.

Fire breaks out in an encampment housing displaced civilians after Israeli attacks in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, in the early hours of today.

Hezbollah's drone strike on Israel last night has injured at least 61 people, three of whom are in critical condition, Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services said today, declaring a "mass casualty event."

A total of 37 victims had been airlifted to hospitals, it added.

It had earlier said dozens were injured in the attack that also killed four of Israeli soldiers and severely wounded seven others.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said earlier that all soldiers on the military base there had been told to call their families to tell them they are safe.

Sirens had been sounded in central Israel this morning as the Israeli military said it had intercepted all the rockets fired from Lebanon.

Hezbollah had earlier said it fired rockets towards a military base northern Israel, but it is unclear if the rockets intercepted by IDF were part of the same attack.