Pakistan and Afghanistan have announced a ceasefire following days of the deadliest clashes in years that killed dozens of people on both sides of the border. The pause came after appeals from major regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The violence has threatened to further destabilize a region where groups including the Islamic State and al-Qaida are trying to resurface. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring armed groups. The country's Taliban rulers deny it. Pakistan has seen a growing number of militant attacks since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Key border crossings remain closed.
Israel has carried out a series of punishing airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Strikes have also cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing Israeli bombardment. The overnight blasts in Beirut's southern suburbs sent huge plumes of smoke and flames into the night sky and shook buildings kilometers away in the Lebanese capital. Thursday's strike along the Lebanon-Syria border, about 50 kilometers or 30 miles east of Beirut, led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing. Israel said it had targeted the crossing because it was being used by Hezbollah to transport military equipment across the border.
