Families of victims of the Beirut port explosion gathered on Tuesday demanding answers and accountability on the sixth anniversary of the catastrophe, in a country long plagued by official impunity.

"Until now, we haven't gotten justice. There has been no accountability and nobody has been arrested," said Hiyam al-Bikai from a rally at the port to commemorate victims of the disaster, including her son Ahmad.

Lebanon and Israel held a fresh round of U.S.-sponsored talks in Rome on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking Israel's phased withdrawal from the country's south.

Convoys carrying delegations from the two sides arrived in the morning to the U.S. embassy in the Italian capital, where discussions are scheduled to run until Thursday.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation, and successive compromises" for Lebanon, ahead of new talks in Rome.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that he had no objection to meeting openly with Syria's leadership, the first time he has expressed such a stance after his Iran-backed group fought for Syria's former authorities.

Lebanese authorities arrested the former Palestinian ambassador to Beirut ahead of his extradition to face corruption charges back home, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP.

A cargo vessel was struck by an "unknown projectile" in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Tuesday, without giving specifics on damage or injuries.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran were ongoing despite Tehran's denials and the Islamic Republic was facing a "last chance before decapitation."

U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Monday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's withdrawal in Gaza would only begin after Hamas' complete disarmament, following his objections.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook eastern Egypt early Monday, prompting authorities to activate response plans although there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Monday with Nechirvan Barzani, leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, as official sources told AFP the talks aimed to advance an integration deal between Damascus and Syria's Kurds.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Sharaa received Barzani at the presidential palace in Damascus, in the first visit by the head of Iraq's Kurdistan region since the December 2024 ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.