Live Updates: U.S., Iran prepare for talks as shaky ceasefire holds

Iran's almighty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said successful a connection Friday that Iran has "absolutely not carried retired immoderate launches toward immoderate state during the ceasefire hours up to this moment."

"In caller hours," the connection continued, "various quality agencies person published reports astir drone and rocket attacks connected facilities successful immoderate countries on the confederate shores of the Persian Gulf."

The IRGC asserted that "if these reports published by the media are true, they are undoubtedly the enactment of the Zionist force (Israel) oregon the United States."

The corps said if Iran does onslaught immoderate targets, it would "openly and courageously denote it successful an authoritative statement. Any enactment not included successful authoritative statements of the Islamic Republic of Iran is unrelated to us."

Kuwait accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it connected Thursday contempt the ceasefire, arsenic Saudi Arabia said caller attacks damaged a cardinal pipeline successful the kingdom. The accusation from Kuwait's Foreign Ministry enactment caller unit connected the ceasefire up of planned talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran.

Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official, said its important East-West pipeline, which carries lipid retired to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz, was damaged successful the caller attacks.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching attacks connected Persian Gulf states aft Kuwait's announcement.

Such an battle would reflector the continuing unit run Tehran is waging connected the U.S. and its allies, peculiarly amid efforts to unafraid a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hezbollah.

Early Friday, Iran denied launching immoderate strikes astatine each since the truce began.

Hezbollah says it has carried retired a full of 19 strikes connected Israeli targets truthful acold connected Friday.

The radical said it launched 72 strikes connected Israel connected Thursday, claiming it targeted subject positions, settlements and borderline areas arsenic heavy arsenic 20 miles wrong Israel

The main of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, toured confederate Lebanon Thursday and approved plans for the continuation of Israeli operations there, according to an IDF statement.

"The IDF is astatine war. We proceed to combat against the Hezbollah violent enactment with large intensity," Zamir said.

"The superior arena of our warring is present successful Lebanon. We proceed to deepen the crushed operations and proceed to onslaught Hezbollah. This is simply a precise almighty operation; our troops are operating on the beforehand lines and astatine depth."

Zamir said the battle by Israel and the U.S. against Iran had "cut off" Hezbollah "from its strategical artery successful Iran."

"The Lebanese authorities understands much than ever the magnitude of the occupation posed by the beingness of a radical, fanatical violent enactment connected its soil," Zamir said.

He said the IDF's ngo "is wide — to "continue deepening the harm and to proceed weakening Hezbollah."

Read much about how Lebanon became a flashpoint successful the warfare here.

Ukrainian subject unit changeable down Iranian-designed Shahed drones successful aggregate Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing the operations arsenic portion of a broader effort to assistance partners antagonistic the aforesaid weapons utilized by Russia successful Ukraine.

Zelenskyy made his archetypal nationalist acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday successful remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday. He said Ukrainian forces took portion successful progressive operations overseas utilizing domestically produced interceptor drones proven successful countering Iranian-designed Shahed drones utilized by Russia successful Ukraine.

"This was not astir a grooming ngo oregon exercises, but astir enactment successful gathering a modern aerial defence strategy that tin really work," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine took portion successful the antiaircraft operations earlier the tentative ceasefire successful the Middle East was reached among Iran, the United States and Israel this week.

Zelenskyy didn't place the countries progressive but said Ukrainian unit operated crossed respective nations, helping fortify their aerial defence systems. He antecedently said that 228 Ukrainian experts were deployed successful the region.

In exchange, Ukraine is receiving weapons to support its vigor infrastructure, on with oil, diesel substance and, successful immoderate cases, fiscal arrangements, helium said.

Zelenskyy said the agreements would bolster Ukraine's vigor stableness and described the partnerships arsenic thing that would "be marketed" arsenic Kyiv seeks to formalize and grow its defence export role.

"We are helping fortify their information successful speech for contributions to our country's resilience," helium said. "This is acold much than simply receiving money."

The overseas ministers of Pakistan and France held a telephone telephone Friday greeting successful which they discussed the "continued efforts toward a diplomatic pathway for lasting bid and stableness successful the region," according to a Pakistani readout of the call.

Both French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who is besides the country's lawman premier minister, "expressed interest implicit superior ceasefire violations made successful Lebanon and underscored the value of afloat implementation and respect for the ceasefire," Pakistan's overseas ministry said.