US rejects Iran's claim of striking unmanned vessel as Iran plans exclusion zone

The U.S. Central Command spokesperson said Iran's claim that an unmanned American military vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz was "a total lie." The allegation appeared after the United States said it had hit Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Tehran launching ballistic missiles at U.S. warships.

Iranian officials said the country will soon announce an "exclusion zone" outside the strait for vessels they deem to be violating the area. Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state television the zone would extend from the line of the U.S. naval blockade toward the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf, though details were not provided.

In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes in the south killed at least seven people and destroyed an empty hospital, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The ministry said two civilians died in the village of Arabsalim, two more in Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, and three in Nabatiyeh al-Tahta, with more than 20 others wounded. Israel's military said the attacks were a response to a Hezbollah drone strike on its troops and that the hospital had been used as a command center.

Separately, a funeral was held in Gaza for more than 110 Palestinians whose bodies were recovered from rubble, including at least 70 children. The Gaza Health Ministry reported the death toll from the conflict at over 73,600.